THE LITTLE MERMAID: Look At This Remake, It’s Pretty Neat

Disney’s plunge into yet another CGI-strewn retread of their greatest hits arrives with mild surprise. Compared to past remakes, The Little Mermaid comes far closer to capturing some of that wonder from the 1989 animated film. Tremors of the grand scale and operatic spectacle can be felt in this film that will warm the c*ckles of nostalgic millennials wanting to relive the past or share that old awe with their kids.

Even with my childhood fondness for the Disney original that launched the Disney Rennaisance, my expectations were pretty low for this brand of late-stage Disney reworkings. The good news is that most of the film accomplishes what it sets out to achieve. It doesn’t just want to be part of the watered-down remake world but become more of its own thing that polishes the hits rather than retools them completely.

A Cunning Cast

Since the story of The Little Mermaid remains more or less unchanged, this cover-song movie is only as strong as the talents behind it. At the center of this film’s bright core is Halle Bailey as Ariel. Her warm expressions beautifully convey her fascination with the human world and her desire to be among them. Of course, she also has a magnificent voice to fit the character’s siren sensibilities, and some extra songs are granted to her in this film.

She plays well off of her love interest Eric, well played by Jonah Hauer-King. He’s also given a few more scenes to expand his character’s relatability to Ariel. Their relationship is better fleshed out in song, dance, and even quiet moments of connection. The romantic chemistry between them works so well, and they’re thankfully given more time together on screen than in the original film.

Melissa McCarthy delivers on the diva eccentricities one would expect from the villainous sea witch Ursula. She plays up her songs, devours every line, and finds decent moments of comedic punctuation. Much like Bailey, she adds her flavor to the music to make it her own rather than a karaoke rendition.

The supporting players are sufficiently understated. Javier Bardem doesn’t precisely boom with terror as King Triton, but he does bode well for the vibe of a dad who is less mad and more disappointed in her daughter’s delights of the surface world. Noma Dumezweni equally has a wise and understanding presence as Eric’s mother, Queen Selina.

Awkward Animals

Where the casting gets questionable is with the voiced creatures, beyond their odd dance between realism and exaggeration. Daveed Diggs plays the worried crab Sebastian far too low-key that one wonders if he’s all that nervous about Triton’s scorn. Jacob Tremblay is just kind of there as Flounder, doing about as little as the character did in the animated film.

Awkwafina’s voicing of the comic relief northern gannet Scuttle is okay, even if she plays the character more oblivious than assured. Here is where the expansion of a character might be too much, considering how much the film keeps returning to her for slapstick antics. Scuttle also has a new musical number that will surely be the most divisive choice for the movie for the stark genre-flipping.

A Colorful World

A common complaint among Disney’s dives from animation to realism is the use of color. This has ranged from Aladdin’s garish clash to The Lion King’s muddy detail. The Little Mermaid, thankfully, does not succumb to the color leaving its world.

The underwater kingdom is not drowned in darkness but bursting with vibrant hues. Mermaids appear in all sorts of lavishly eye-catching fins. Sea creatures dazzle with their warm colors amid clear blue waters while retaining much believable detail. It seems obligatory to have the sea creatures be bound in vibrancy to sell the “Under The Sea” musical sequence. After all, who’d be enticed to stay in the sea if it’s filled with darkness and mud?

There’s also plenty of wonder on land as well. The scene of Ariel and Eric connecting amid a village festival is a dazzling sight to behold. The many sunrise and sunset moments on the beach-bound kingdom are gloriously staged. Even the dark scenes of Erik’s ship facing rough waters amid a storm have remarkable staging, never getting lost in the carnage.

Some Familiar Issues

Although this Disney remake is undoubtedly one of the better ones, it is still bound by a few irritations that have become common. The depiction of the non-human creatures runs into some questionable territory, where Erik’s dog is natural while Sebastian is a crab with weirdly expressive eyes. There’s a more extensive debate about how to bring these animal characters into live-action.

The film runs well over two hours long, and the elongated pacing can be felt here and there. It’s not that the additional scenes and songs for Ariel and Eric are bad as they do flesh out their characters a bit more. The problem is they feel more like padding than they should in how they unfold.

For instance, Ariel’s first experience as a human has her notice fish decorations on the wall. She only briefly questions if her sea community would be considered a buffet before she thinks a bar of soap is eatable. It’s almost merciful that the film does not include Sebatian’s slapstick sequence of him fleeing a violent chef, as that scene would play out far more like a horror film in live-action.

Some Strong Thrills

While there’s nothing quite as graphic as fish getting gutted in this Little Mermaid iteration, much of the same theatrics are polished incredibly well. In the original film, I recall being mesmerized and scared by the climax of Ursula ascending to a giant size and creating storms in the sea. Those familiar chills washed over me once more with the epic staging and sound, becoming a genuinely intense moment.

Nearly every atmosphere evokes much of the same mood as the original. Eric’s kingdom is lush, Triton’s underwater sanctuary is teeming with life, and Ursula’s lair is decked out with neon magic and cupboards made of ribcages. It’s surprising how high the batting average is for the attempts to replicate much of the traditional animation into a live-action/CGI hybrid movie.

Conclusion: The Little Mermaid

Dazzling and wondrous, The Little Mermaid makes a solid transition to become a part of Disney’s live-action world of remakes. It has some problems with pacing, the new songs don’t add much, and some scenes plod on a bit too long. But the film works where it counts, which happens to be its many musical numbers and composing a compelling fairy tale world.

And, let’s face it, most people coming into the picture will probably not be scrutinizing the lack of a French chef fighting Sebastian, the narrative faithfulness to have Ariel fail, or the questionable Caribbean elements as they relate to history. Most of those gravitating towards this musical will want to hear the greatest hits with an engaging atmosphere. This is more or less what Disney’s other remakes have been, but this one sticks out for having a better coat of paint. It serves its purpose as a colorful cover song for the classic animated film while not making it look too surreal that Halle Bailey speaks with a semi-realistic talking crab.

The Little Mermaid will be playing in theaters everywhere on May 26th, 2023!

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