General Information:
Directed by – Rob Marshall
Where to Watch – Theaters
Starring – Halle Bailey (Ariel), Jonah Hauer-King (Eric), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), Awkwafina (Scuttle), Jacob Trembplay (Flounder), Javier Bardem (King Triton), Melissa McCarthy (Ursula)
Synopsis – Ariel, the youngest mermaid daughter of King Triton, is fascinated by the world outside of her sea home, but her father forbids her from learning more about the humans. After Prince Eric’s ship wrecks in a storm, Ariel bargains her voice to the evil sea witch, Ursula, in hopes of finding him and, more importantly, being a part of the human world.
Review:
In May, we were greeted with another installment of the Walt Disney Company trying to milk the millennials for all they are worth with nostalgia by creating another live-action remake of a beloved classic. You could say it was this movie, “The Little Mermaid (1989)” that basically saved Disney Animation as the company was not in the best of spots during the 70s and 80s. It jump started the Disney Renaissance, which has been one of the most loved grouping of Disney movies of all time. “The Little Mermaid” may not have been at the top of my watchlist as a child, but I would be lying if I said I have never done the classic “pushing yourself on the rock while the waves crash behind you” in the pool. Even though I am not the biggest fan of Disney just repackaging the exact same movie but with real people, I am always a sucker for them so of course I was going to see this.
I was absolutely shocked with how much I loved this movie; I may even like it better than the original. I have not seen the original in a little while, but this film brings that same magic and whimsy that makes Disney movies feel so amazing. I think the biggest component of this was Halle Bailey’s performance. She does not try to imitate Jodi Benson’s Ariel from the original – Bailey makes the character her own and she is charming anytime she is on screen. When you make something new and different, even if it is based on previous source material, can make a movie go from copycat to unique. Jonah Hauer-King as Eric also brings a fun charm to his character that I cannot recall the original Eric having. Both of them have amazing chemistry on screen, making every scene they have together smile from ear to ear. Even if you did not like the idea of remaking “The Little Mermaid”, you cannot deny how powerful they are together. I also think I am a bigger fan of Javier Bardem as King Triton more than others. Bardem just seemed like he wanted to give the character a little bit more of a darker and more strict king, which for certain scenes comes off completely different than what works for the film, but you can just tell he is here for a good time and taking roles that seem fun to him and I like that a lot about his performance. All of the voice actors were fine in their roles, nothing too wild and crazy about what I thought of them. I think Awkwafina was a lot better than I expected and made me laugh a lot throughout the film. Melissa McCarthy is the only one I would really say falls flat when it comes to trying to recreate such an iconic character. McCarthy tries to mimic what Pat Carroll did with the voice in the original and it just never lands. Nothing against McCarthy as an actress, but this was not the role for her. Or at least she should have tried to do something to add a new and exciting aspect of Ursula.
When it comes to music for the film, some of the lyrics of songs have been changed and arrangements are slightly altered, but I think they are all for the benefit of the actors. Bailey’s voice is an absolute show stopped and the fact that this is her first movie role is such a surprise to me. I have not heard her music beforehand so I was not familiar with her range or what she was strong at singing, but this film caters to what she can do in the best way possible. “Part of Your World” is such a strong song and changed enough to make it original for Bailey that it can be appreciated as its own without trying to determine which “version” of the song is better. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the original creators of the music for the animated version, are still credited with the songs for this version, but Lin-Manuel Miranda was also consulted and he gave his input for updated lyrics and new songs. And you can definitely tell which songs he helped with and created. Some are fun, like the new song for Prince Eric, and others are The Scuttlebutt Song. But overall, I like how they wanted to honor the two men that basically helped restart Walt Disney Animation while trying to put a current spin by one of the most well-known composers of the present day. Even though I do not think that all of the changes made or songs added were needed, the new additions we did get helped to elevate what the actors could bring to the role.
The major downgrade of this film, that brought it down a little but not a whole lot, was the special effects. After seeing “Avatar: The Way of Water” and what they could do with underwater CGI in that movie, you would think a movie that falls under the same company would be able to do the same thing just a few months later. Anytime we were underwater, everything just felt off. I was not a fan of the underwater scenes because everything just felt so fake in this movie that is being made for the sole purpose of being in live-action. I know that they are not able to actually have real people perform everything underwater like that can on land, but I just wish they were able to use a little bit more of that Disney magic so I felt like I was underwater with the characters.
Aside from questionable CGI and some weird song choices, “The Little Mermaid (2023)” is still able to capture that Disney magic. With unforgettable performances from the cast to the witty and charm of the original elevated to its own level, there is a reason that this remake should exist.
