Two More Weeks!

November has always been a big month for princesses. So many princess movies have premiered the week of Thanksgiving to kick of the holiday season. This year's big holiday princess blockbuster is going to be Frozen 2, which will come out on November 22nd. The excitement starts even earlier this year with ABC's upcoming special The Little Mermaid Live! on November 5th. The special was supposed to air on October 3rd, 2017 but got delayed for two years due to vague production issues. This year is the perfect time to revive it with the movie celebrating its 30th anniversary and revealing Auli'i Cravalho as a special guest at the D23 Expo anniversary celebration panel. Auli'i will be starring as Ariel in this made-for-TV special, not to be confused with the live-action theatrical movie starring Halle Bailey, which is still in pre-production. Disney released this fantastic video last week that gives us a sneak peek of what to expect.


The video contains interview snippets that feature Auli'i as Ariel, John Stamos, who will play Chef Louis, Shaggy, who will play Sebastian, Graham Phillips, who will play Prince Eric, and Queen Latifah, who will play Ursula. Unlike the live Broadway productions on NBC that likely inspired this filming, the interviews confirm that The Little Mermaid Live! will be a broadcast of the original 1989 animated film and will cut to the live performers during musical numbers only, which is exactly how they did it when I saw the show at the Hollywood Bowl. Judging by the clips, this show will take the costumes and effects even further. The video contains imagery of mermaids performing in white and orange tails on swings and cables that lift them over the stage as though they are swimming. This is a technique that several productions of the Disney musical have done after it was taken off Broadway that fills me with wonder every time. The clips also include imagery of seaweed, giant clam shells, and puppets that are reminiscent of the ones at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid show at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The Little Mermaid Live! isn't the only thing premiering on November 5th. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which launched its third season only last month, is dropping a fourth season on the same day. I'm not sure whether or not this was intentional, but November 5th is sure to be a long day of princess binging. It's amazing how quickly Dreamworks is able to pump out new episodes. It hasn't even been two years since the show premiered, and it's already about to begin its fourth season. A recent teaser that Dreamworks posted on their She-Ra Instagram hinted that this season will see Adora meet Mara, the girl who took on the role of She-Ra before the sword chose her. This opens up so many possibilities for the new season. Was a dream sequence? Time travel? An alternate universe? I know the creators didn't want to include He-Man in this incarnation of Etheria, but now that Hordak is opening up portals to other worlds, it seems like a very real possibility.



Another upcoming November 5th release is A.G. Marshall's new book, Princess of Mermaids. A.G. Marshall is one of my favorite authors right now. Her "Princess and the Pea" and "The Frog Prince" adaptations were some of the best I've ever read. I can't wait to see her take on my favorite fairy tale of all time. The merfolk in her Fairy Tale Adventures series were introduced in the last book, Princess of Secrets. I am eager to see how the mermaids from that story will play into this one. To celebrate the release of Princess of Mermaids, A.G. Marshall is planning a watch party for the east coast broadcast of The Little Mermaid Live! on Facebook. Like previous Facebook release parties, the event will include games, giveaways, and live chats. If you live on the east coast and have no one to watch the show with, this will be a great opportunity to grab some popcorn and join the discussion.

It's unusual for so many princess events to take place on the same day. Even though I will be attending several other events both before and after November 5th, this is the first time to my knowledge that a live princess broadcast will converge with the release of animated series and a fairy tale novel. The stars will align in two weeks, so make sure you're prepared. The Little Mermaid Live! will premiere at 8PM on November 5th, while the new season of She-Ra will drop at midnight. A.G. Marshall's release party on Facebook will commence at 7PM EST that evening. Maybe a princess with magical powers will be able to catch all three magical broadcasts.
I have always dreamed of being a writer and creating the next great fairy tale princess heroine. Princesses inspire us to be our best selves. While you're here, feel free to follow my page on Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and check out my books. I'm also on Instagram and Twitter.

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