The Mouse House itself broke the news today, with director Rob Marshall saying that after an “extensive search,” Halley Bailey was selected to bring Ariel to life in the live action version of The Little Mermaid because she had that “rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance,” not to mention a great singing voice.
Jodi Benson voiced Ariel in the original Little Mermaid movie (a role she reprised for Ralph Breaks the Internet), and the character was also played by JoAnna Garcia in the ABC series Once Upon a Time.