The live-action Disney remakes have a hit-and-miss track record. For every success like 2019’s Aladdin or Cruela, there are failures like 2020’s Mulan and 2019’s The Lion King. Fortunately, The Little Mermaid rises to the occasion.
Halle Bailey delivers the best female performance in a live-action remake to date. Only Naomi Scott in Aladdin matches Bailey’s impressive vocal range. However, it’s Bailey’s nonverbal acting on dry land that stands out more than her voice. Matching Bailey’s optimism and determination as Ariel with cunning is Ursula played to perfection by Melissa McCarthy. Even when the CGI and the 3rd act go off the rails, Bailey and McCarthy find a way to swim with the current.
The plot is pretty identical to the animated film. Ariel longs to interact with the above world, which is strictly forbidden by her father King Triton (Javier Bardem). Her long-lost Aunt Ursula offers Ariel a deal. Ursula will give Ariel legs for three days. However, if Ariel and Eric don’t seal the relationship with true love’s kiss, then she will return as a mermaid under Ursula’s control. Of course, the big caveat is Ariel loses her voice.
Her friends Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) and Scuttle (Awkwafina) help Ariel in her quest. Tremblay’s Flounder doesn’t really add much to the film However, Diggs and Awkwafina are fantastic, especially in their duet “The Scuttlebutt” which is one of the new songs added by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
David Magee‘s screenplay does a great job of handling the relationship between Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and Ariel. Similar to Ariel, Eric also has an explorer’s heart. He wants to understand all of the undiscovered lands and uncharted waters. Hauer-King isn’t the best singer but has an easy chemistry with Bailey.
The CGI quality is pretty good early on, but really hampers the film in the 3rd act. The dynamic between Ariel and her sisters doesn’t amount to much. The Little Mermaid struggles at times to move the story forward, especially in the early water scenes. However, once Ariel meets Ursula the film picks up the pace. Surprisingly, the dryland scenes are more compelling than the underwater sequences.
With performances as good as Bailey’s and McCarthy’s it’s hard to resist the charm of director Rob Marshall‘s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
With the overview out of the way, let’s take a deeper dive under the sea of Disney’s latest remake. There may be some minor spoilers. The Little Mermaid is in theaters now while the original animated film is available to stream on Disney Plus.
What’s new ‘Under the Sea’?
Ariel can come across as a naive character in the animated film. However, in the live-action incarnation, Ariel’s optimism never crosses the threshold into naivete. Her well-reasoned arguments against her father make sense. King Triton’s bias against humans is based on the fact one human killed his wife, Ariel’s mother. Ariel points out that one man doesn’t represent how every human being thinks. The initial conflict between father and daughter is great. Unfortunately, the argument is revisited repeatedly in a short amount of time without any additional layers added.
Ariel’s fascination for humans changes from a general curiosity to a more personal connection. Similar to how Ariel’s voice draws in Eric later in the film, it’s the singing voices of Eric and his shipmates that draw Ariel’s ear. She rises to the surface to find the ship going under. Eric is thrown overboard after saving a dog. Ariel rescues Eric by returning him to dry land and waking him up with her voice. She vanishes before Eric is fully conscious. Unfortunately, Sebastian followed Ariel and accidentally reveals Ariel broke the rules by saving a human to Triton.
The king reacts poorly. He destroys his daughter’s aspirations not to mention thingamabobs. It’s at this low point that Ursula makes her move. Ursula introduces herself to her niece. On the page, the animated Ursula and live-action version are pretty identical. However, McCarthy breathes new life into the villain. Her rendition of “Poor, Unfortunate Souls” is fantastic.
Ursula being Triton’s sister is given a bit of a focus. However, I would have preferred even more of a look at their relationship vs regurgitating the same argument between Ariel and Triton. Once Ariel and Eric are on the same footing, The Little Mermaid finds furtive ground in the relationship.
Exploring the unknown in The Little Mermaid
Ariel arrives on land unable to speak and despite her collection of human belongings, doesn’t have a grasp on human customs. However, The Queen’s (Noma Dumezweni, excellent) servants help Ariel get dressed and Eric even offers her accommodations. Since Ariel can’t speak, he doesn’t recognize her.
Ariel and Eric’s attraction to each other stems from their shared enthusiasm for exploring the unfamiliar. This aspect of their relationship is the strongest and maybe only clear improvement over the animated film’s story. Eric has more agency in the live-action version. He defies his mother’s orders with help from Sir Grimsby (Art Malik). When Ursula does trick Eric, he fights against the enchantment almost immediately.
The biggest difference between Eric and Ariel outside of fins is how they listen to the people in their world. Ariel doesn’t listen to anybody in her pursuit. Eric, on the other hand, does listen to Grimsby and others. He may disagree with them but does allow their input to fuel his decisions.
One big change between the animated film and the live action is the relationship between The Queen and her adopted son Eric. Similar to King Triton, she wants her son to remain close to the nest and after nearly drowning, orders Eric to stay near the castle grounds. Meanwhile, Eric’s focus is on finding his rescuer. Unlike Triton, The Queen does listen to her son’s wishes to a degree. While she advises Eric to focus on other matters, she does honor his request to send carriages out looking for the mystery woman.
Something to scuttle about
Ariel’s arrival throws off Eric’s plans. During her first night, Ariel sneaks around the castle and finds a library full of items collected by Eric and his family. The enthusiasm Ariel shows as she thumbs through map after map is infectious.
In spite of the obvious language barrier, they find ways to communicate. While “Kiss the Girl” is great, the best scene on a row boat features Ariel using the constellations to communicate her name to Eric.
Another hurdle in the relationship between Ariel and Eric involves a memory block of sorts. Ursula’s spell prevents Ariel from knowing she has to kiss Eric. Luckily, Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder are helping Ariel.
The dynamic between Scuttle and Sebastian is fantastic. Scuttle is an idiotic seagull with a big heart similar to Olaf in Frozen. For example, Scuttle tells Ariel forks are used as a comb for your hair instead of as a utensil to eat with. Sebastian’s annoyance with everything Scuttle does is the most consistent source of comedy throughout the film. Their relationship reaches its apex with another Miranda-written tune that takes advantage of Diggs and Awkwafina’s vocal capabilities.
The Little Mermaid final thoughts
The 3rd act battle is a mess, CGI is a mixed bag and some of the father-daughter conversations have a deja vu quality. However, the performances by Bailey, McCarthy, Diggs, Awkwafina and Hauer-King rise above the turbulent waters to create a successful live-action Disney adventure with The Little Mermaid.
The Review
The Little Mermaid (2023)
PROS
- Halle Bailey's performance as a singer and actress (particularly her nonverbal communication) is the best in a live action remake. No, Cruella isn't a remake.
- Melissa McCarthy is deliciously evil as Ursula.
- Eric and Ariel's mutual love of exploration is a strong foundation for their love story.
- The old songs and the new ones by Lin-Manuel Miranda are fantastic.
- The dry land sequences are even better than the more colorful underwater scenes.
CONS
- The CGI is spotty especially in the 3rd act.
- The father-daughter conflict doesn't have much depth.
