Crossovers are a tricky thing, as not just any two properties on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases will mix. Marvel Studios is an exception to the rule, of course, as its ecosystem is built to cross the streams with almost any of its characters at any point. And yet, an accident during a screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has just hinted at a potential mashup that works surprisingly well. It’s all thanks to the trailers for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and The Little Mermaid being played at the same time.
You can thank Twitter user “BlakeRobPerry” for the following thought experiment that played during an early showing of the MCU’s latest installment. A clip of this beautiful madness was shared to the internet, and as you can see for yourself, there’s an odd level of synchronicity between the two.
At my #GotGVol3 screening they played the transformers and little mermaid trailers at the same time and they synced up perfectly pic.twitter.com/IVoxjaWQYNMay 5, 2023
Through some fluke of technology, both of the trailers in question played simultaneously. The Little Mermaid’s second trailer set the scene in terms of the audio, but visually the Disney live-action remake shared the screen with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ latest footage. Pictures from both movies took turns filling the screen with visions of either aquatic fantasy or massively mechanized warfare, and it’s honestly not all that distracting.
I don’t know where, and I don’t know how, but I want a Transformers/Little Mermaid crossover right now. What you’ve just seen is the cinematic equivalent of two siblings mashing together their playsets and letting their imaginations run wild. It's only going to be that much harder to try and stop kids from using Halle Bailey's fast selling Little Mermaid doll to do just that in playrooms worldwide after this weekend.
Bailey’s lush vocals yearning to be part of our world seem pretty powerful when watching the image of Optimus Prime marching into battle with a fiery sword accompanying them. Maybe this is what should be playing on the screen when Nicole Kidman’s new AMC ads start filming.
How this surprising turn of fate came to be we may never know. That’s ok with me, because at least someone captured it on video for all of the world to see. No one should be deprived of Halle Bailey singing the Autobots into battle, and if there’s a sequel to Rise of the Beasts, perhaps her services as official valkyrie to Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal should officially be requested.
Unfortunately, you probably shouldn't expect to see the trailer above included with your showing of this weekend's new Marvel movie, but stranger things have happened, so keep your eyes peeled. At the moment, you can see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at a theater near you, as the film is just opening up. The Little Mermaid will hit the movies on May 24th, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arrives on the battlefield June 7th.
