What more could you possibly want in an animated dreamboat?
ButGraham Phillipsis about to do the impossible and make Prince Eric even more swoon-worthy in ABCsThe Little Mermaid Live!
Live performance and theater really is where I started out, he says.
Andrew Eccles/ABC
Its where my roots are.
This is the only take youve got.
Theres certainly no hiding when youre doing something live.
Thankfully for my first entrance [inTheLittle Mermaid Live!
Instead of competing with the nostalgia everyone has for the iconic film, were just using it.
If you cant beat em, join em.
Well, by actuallyparticipatingin the songs, for one.
That is a super unique phenomenon that you brush over in the movie.
You get a sense of how much her essence is bound with his soul with that song.
He finally feels free out on the ocean exploring uncharted waters.
Meanwhile, Prince Eric is right above her on a ship exploring life on the sea.
And that strikes a chord with Phillips, who crafted his directorial debut film around that same issue.
Its something I had zero knowledge of and I was blown away by how pervasive it was.
It was an issue I felt pretty strongly about it really spoke to me.
In those areas, the most vulnerable populations were once again Native women.
Theyre the most marginalized subdivision in the U.S.
Were turning some Western stereotypes on their head, Phillips says.
Shes most well-known for voicing Pocahontas and she testified in front of congress about these issues.
Shes been personally touched by this issue of violence targeting Native women.
It was therapeutic for her to help tell a story that nobody really hears outside of Indian country.
But before Phillips releasesThe Bygone, hes going to have to face his toughest critic yet.
Shes going to be in the audience she will be there with my mom.
Well see how it goes and well see how she likes it.
The Little Mermaid Live!airs Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
