Over the past few years, Disney has made a habit out of adapting its animated blockbusters into live-action movie spectacles. This trend largely started with Maleficent (which was more of an original story), before extending to remakes like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. This nostalgic subgenre has pulled on the heart strings of moviegoers who grew up on the originals, but it's been a mixed bag in regards to critical response. So when director Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid was first announced, it got a big reaction out fans, and the pressure was on.
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Written By: David Magee
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwarfina, and Jacob Tremblay
Rating: PG for action/peril and some scary images
Runtime: 135 minutes
Prior to the marketing campaign for the film amping up and revealing the stunning underwater footage, much of the discourse surrounding the project was surrounding its star, singer/actress Halle Bailey. The 23 year-old recording artist was the subject of some racist backlash relating to her casting, which seemed to put a cloud over the blockbuster. But after seeing the movie, the discourse is going to stop in its tracks – especially any of those naysayers who doubted that Bailey could deliver as Ariel.
Halle Bailey is outstanding as Ariel.
At just 23 years of age, Halle Bailey has already had an impressive career. She's one half of the pop duo Chloe x Halle, which includes her sister Chloe Bailey. And while The Little Mermaid marks her first time as a movie leading lady, she's got acting credits in projects like Grown-ish. Her casting in the new Disney film got the internet into a tizzy originally, but you can't deny her talents after seeing her performance as Ariel.
Bailey had big shoes to fill... or in this case fins. But she absolutely rises to the occasion. The camera loves her, as she plays Ariel's determination to pitch perfection. The Disney princess is super capable in this movie, and is also basically an action star during a few choice sequences. And even when Ariel doesn't have her voice, every glance and reaction from Halle Bailey shows her character's inner most thoughts.
Of course, it's impossible to talk about Bailey's Ariel without addressing her singing voice and The Little Mermaid's various musical numbers. Rob Marshall rearranges and cuts a few songs, so the first bit of singing comes with "Part of Your World." She hits it out of the park, reimagining the iconic song with gorgeous new vocal choices that show just how talented she is. This is a star-making moment, and Bailey will be getting more acting projects going forward.
Rob Marshall offers beautiful new visuals, but he also delivers with the original Little Mermaid’s most iconic shots.
Rob Marshall also had some big shoes to fill for The Little Mermaid, but he proves to be the perfect filmmaker for the project. He's done a number of movie musicals, including the Oscar winning Chicago adaptation, as well as other titles like Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns. While the latter projects weren't quite as well received upon their original release, he's shown an aptitude for adapting musical projects for the big screen. The Little Mermaid is going to be another adaptation that audiences are going to really respond to.
From the start of "Part of Your World," it's clear how much specificity that Marshall has put into The Little Mermaid. Each underwater sequence is meticulously choreographed, with actors and camera angles working in tandem. The visual effects are quite beautiful, and help to immerse audiences in the new movie. And the extensive wire work used when filming helps to give the underwater characters a sense of weightlessness.
While The Little Mermaid makes a number of notable changes from the animated original, it also really delivers for fans of the 1989 classic. Many of the most iconic shots from the animated flick are recreated, including Ariel emerging from the sea, singing on the rock, and even holding onto Ursula's crown as she grows in the final battle. This balance of new and old is quite effective – more so than the almost shot-for-shot remake of The Lion King.
The Little Mermaid’s music is gorgeous… mostly.
Part of what made the original Little Mermaid such a massive hit when it first hit theaters was the beloved musical numbers from Alan Menken. Songs like "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss The Girl" have been passed down across the generations, and have been sung countless times including the Broadway adaptation of the movie. So one of the areas that Rob Marshall's movie needed to deliver was in the music.
And largely it does just that. All the original film's songs are brought to life with gorgeous visuals, and the cast all delivers in their renditions. Melissa McCarthy is another casting choice that turned heads, but she truly understands the assignment and is deliciously evil as Ursula the Sea Witch.
But while all the songs from the 1989 film are delightful in this new Little Mermaid, there are some original tracks included as well. This is pretty standard practice for film adaptations of musicals or animated blockbusters, as it allows the studio to submit the new creations for awards consideration. Unfortunately, these moments fail to impress in the same way as the tracks we all know and love. Prince Eric's new song "Fathoms Below" feels out of place. Then there is "The Scuttlebutt," which is a new duo between Scuttle and Sebastian (played by Awkwafina and Hamilton icon Daveed Diggs respectively). While Menken worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda on these new songs, "Scuttlebutt" in particular fails to fit into the musical language of the rest of the film. Diggs' quick rapping is very similar to some of his material from Hamilton. And adding new songs meant other beloved tracks, like "Daughters of Triton," being left on the cutting room floor.
Despite this, The Little Mermaid is a visual and musical spectacle that's sure to impress the countless fans of the original, and it's one of the best live-action Disney adaptations we've gotten so far.
