Things I have learned by watching that 4K trailer far too closely for a normal person:
The ship's rail breaks by the force of Eric being thrown into the ocean
I think Eric says both "All hands on deck" and "Abandon ship," but I think the subtitles only attribute "abandon ship" to him. My friend says it might be someone else commanding all hands but IDK. It might be the "Check the cove, men" dude.
I kind of hate the uniforms for Eric's guards I'm sorry
The cause of the fire aboardship seems less of an Egregious Safety Failure like the 1989 version had (SO MANY OPEN FIREWORKS CONTAINERS). The ship is strung with a lot of lanterns, which I think is still not great in terms of naval safety, but I buy it more.
I'm curious if Triton, Ursula, or somebody else causes the storm. I've seen some fic do that but it adds an extra layer of drama.
I'm wondering if the scantily-clad statue we see in the grotto isn't Eric and it's just historical, but dear GOD I hope it's Eric. It's hilarious. I knew they were gonna make it awkward but I didn't think they were gonna go that hard. A+. Perfect choice.
I don't hate the sea creature designs? I think Scuttle looks perfect, Sebastian looks the best he can be given how uncanny a talking crab inherently looks, and Flounder isn't terrible. I know that's not a popular take but I've suspended my disbelief. They fit in the world we have in front of us.
I think the leaked trailer had a louder version of Triton scolding Ariel about the human world, but I'm really excited to see a quieter, subtler performance of the destruction of the grotto.
Eric's got SCRUFF. OUAT fans rejoice!
Kudos to all the designs pulled from old concept art. You can see the leviathan's fins in the skeleton.
Lots of skulls in the lair, but not arranged like the stomach contents of the leviathan - those were put there deliberately. I was really worried Ursula would be played too comedically and I'm glad this seems not to be the case. I think the Broadway revisions went way too hard that it becomes comedic, but I'm excited for the possibility of a quietly frightening performance.
Also I'm real fucking gay for Melissa's Ursula I'm sorry
Scuttle is a fish-eating bird, a gannet. Going to guess they take a less black and white approach to fish-eating in this universe, which I think you can still do with stuffed crab jokes and all.
Each of the mersisters has differently-styled fins! I love this - fin types are specific to how fish adapt to swimming styles and habitats, which fits great with the whole "protectors of the seas" thing they have going. I'm sad we're dropping OG mersisters but I can live with this. Ariel has fins designed for warm water and slow movement, like a fish who would drift while exploring reef habitats. Sardinian seas have incredible and fragile biodiversity, which makes sense when you realize humans have to be a part of protecting those seas.