The Little Mermaid
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Halle Bailey, John Hauer-King, and Melissa McCarthy
Somehow, the Disney live-action remakes continue to survive in this new decade. For a hot minute, it seemed like they were going the way of the Disney Direct-to-Video Sequels, and becoming the Disney Direct-to-Streaming Remakes. Thanks to a little something called COVID-19, theaters no longer became the safest nor most ideal way to watch new releases. Disney and other studios had to try new ways to get their major releases to audiences.
While releasing three live-action remakes to theaters in 2019 (Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King), they decided to have the next one, Lady & The Tramp, go to their new streaming service when it launched later that year. About a year's worth of COVID later, Disney scrapped the theatrical release of the Mulan remake in the states, and dropped it on Disney Plus via Premier Access ($30 on top of the monthly subscription fee).
As time went on, the world started to bounce back, and more films were being released to theaters again. However, Disney remakes such as Pinocchio and Peter Pan & Wendy were unceremoniously dropped on Disney Plus, with no Premier Access fee, and to critical backlash (Shocking, I know...)
It looked like the Disney remake was going to slip into a state of obscurity, until last month when Rob Marshall's new take on The Little Mermaid became the first Disney remake released to theaters in four years. The film has done fairly well with critics and audiences alike...
...Now you're probably expecting what comes next is I do the usual tearing this film to shreds, and get on my soapbox about how these remakes are the death of Disney and cinema as we know it...No, I actually enjoyed this...well, most of it.
You know the story. I know the story. But for the sake of formality, The Little Mermaid tells the story of a young mermaid named Ariel (Bailey), who is the youngest daughter of Triton (Javier Bardem), the king of the sea. Triton forbids any contact with the surface world, which is unfortunate because Ariel is fascinated with it, and that only increases when she rescues Prince Eric (Hayer-King) from a shipwreck. While Ariel strives to be "part of that world", Ursula the Sea Witch (McCarthy) sees this as an opportunity to seize power from Titron and take control of the seas.
The Little Mermaid doesn't stray too far from the blueprint of the original until about the second-act, which is when the film really starts to stand on its own two legs (Heh). The films spends more time building up the relationship between Ariel and Eric. There's much more depth (Ha) to Eric's character this time around. He has more wants, more motivation, and importantly more of a real connection with Ariel. That's pretty much all the new ground Mermaid 2023 covers. There's hints about what happened to Ariel's mother (Allusion to the direct-to-video prequel Ariel's Beginning?) and a deeper connection to Triton and Ursula (Borrowed from the Broadway musical) but neither additions are explored too much to leave an impact. Also there's a rather confusing addition to Ursula's spell that turns Ariel human that ultimately serves no purpose.
Halle Bailey is absolutely amazing as Ariel. She carries this film, and nails every aspect of the character. The innate curiosity and radiant positivity of the titular mermaid are all on display here. There's more agency and maturity to the character this time around, which I can admire and respect. Bailey is also a powerhouse of a singer. I'm ashamed to admit that her rendition of "Part of Your World" brought a tear or two to my eye. She commands the attention of the audience every time she's on screen. This is a career-making performance.
Casting has never been a major problem for these Disney remakes. Melissa McCarthy is an absolute delight as Ursula, and you can tell she's having a ton of fun playing one of Disney's most bodacious villains. Her performance is both inspired by the original Ursula, Pat Caroll, and her own unique take.
Daveed Diggs is a very charming and comical Sebastian. He has great comedic timing with Akwafina's Scuttle, who is also quite funny in her own right. Jacob Tremblay makes a fine and cute Flounder, but his role is rather limited in this film. John Hauer-King is great as Prince Eric and has undeniable chemistry with Bailey. His performance is almost as commanding as hers. Unfortunately the only cast member that did not work for me was Javier Bardem as King Triton. His performance is very wooden and a little too subtle for a character that has unchecked rage and the burden of being a single father to seven. Maybe it was the CGI and wire-work that stunted him.
Speaking of CGI, let's talk about it. The hyper-realistic CGI animals in these remakes has always been questionable. I don't know how they pulled it off in The Jungle Book, it didn't work in The Lion King, and I didn't see Lady & The Tramp. Here...it's not that bad. Scuttle is very expressive. Sebastian it's about 50-50. Flotsam and Jetsam (Ursula's pair of eels) are pretty creepy, and rightfully so, but I'm sorry to say to all the Flotsam and Jetsam fans out there, that they get the "Iago in Aladdin 2019" treatment. They don't talk, and are more of a plot device than actual characters. The CGI doesn't work at all for hyper-realistic, Jacob Tremblay-voiced Flounder, which probably makes it a blessing that he's not in the film very much.
That's a perfect segue into the underwater effects of the film. It's pretty hit and miss. Sometimes its rather pretty, other times it's a little distracting. There are times where it's pretty clear the actors are just floating in front of a green screen. Also, the design of the underwater kingdom is pretty unimaginative. It's just generic coral reef. Conversely, the visuals on the surface world are pretty spectacular, particularly the fiery shipwreck scene, and the "Kiss The Girl" sequence. The sets for Eric's kingdom are all very impressive, and give off a nice combination of tropical and classical vibes.
Now we have to talk about the music. This is (mostly) some of the best music a Disney remake has had in awhile. Which isn't that high of a compliment because it's just the classic work of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman rearranged, but damn is it effective here. Again, Halle crushes "Part of Your World". McCarthy's rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is infectiously catchy. "Under The Sea" is again a show-stopper, but the visuals don't quite match the song's energy. "Kiss The Girl" is one of my favorite Disney songs and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed with it.
Lin-Manuel Miranda was brought in to compose some new songs. Prince Eric's new song "Wild Uncharted Waters" is like a gender-swapped, Disney Princess"I want song", with grand orchestrations and sweeping camera movements. It's like an Alan Menken version of "Bet On It" from High School Musical 2. "For The First Time" is a new song for Ariel to sing when she gets on land, and it's a low-key bop. Scuttle and Sebastian's new...rap..."The Scuttlebutt"...is incredibly out-of-place and stops the film dead in its tracks. Just because you got two rappers in your cast and Lin Manuel doing the music doesn't mean you should, guys. You girl-bossed too close to the sun...
I can confidently say that The Little Mermaid is the most I've enjoyed a Disney remake since the 2017 Beauty & The Beast. I look at it very much in the same light. It's not a perfect film, but it is a lovely tribute to the animated original, and a fine cornerstone in its legacy. It has enough to warrant your time, including wonderful performances and new renditions of beloved Disney tunes.
This is arguably the new gold standard for Disney remakes, wether they go to theaters or Disney Plus (Sounds like it's going to be a film-by-film basis). We can only hope they can be as respectful and entertaining as The Little Mermaid.
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