“The Little Mermaid,” a tale of unacquainted love, gains a new live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1989 film. With the movie now hitting streaming services, it is a wonder if the film is a bop or a flop. With Disney’s remakes already considered to be a flop in most areas it leaves the question of whether this remake was able to accomplish anything different. With Rob Marshall as head director of the film, it is no surprise that the movie went through an extensive process before hitting the big screen.
From Marshall’s work in Broadway film adaptations such as “Annie” (1999), to “Into the Woods” and “Chicago” it was clear that he was the right choice for the live action adaptation of the underwater musical. Still though, did the film truly capture the true essence of the Walt Disney classic?
The film opens with a quote from the original Hans Christian Andersen book “The Little Mermaid” paying homage to the original story and paving the way for the new film. Through the film we get to see beautiful transitions between scenes, truly showing the great CGI work of the underwater world that was created. From the work that went into creating Ariel’s iconic mermaid tail, to the work that went into all the underwater backgrounds, the film truly leaves you breathless.
It is later in the film after the dispute between King Triton played by Javier Bardem, and Ariel played by Halle Bailey, that we get to see one of the biggest Disney songs remade and sung by the extremely talented young actress. The scene not only brings beautiful graphics but also vocals leaving you in tears as you get to truly feel everything Ariel is longing for. It is after this we get to see one of the new changes of the film occur with Ariel’s first visit to the shore the same night she saved Prince Eric making it all the more special for her. It is then followed by this that we get to see Ariel exchange her voice with the sea witch Ursula played by the very talented Melissa Mcarthy in a chance to be part of the world of above.
It is here where we see more changes made to the 1989 film that overall help boost the storyline and make the overall romance between the two lovers more special than seen before. With the addition of Ursula’s spell making Ariel forget her ultimate goal in the world above, we get to see a more genuine romance grow between the two as she learns to love Eric on her own time. Marshall also stated it was important to add more depth to Eric creating his want to know more about the world to be a great leader, which helps us see the similarities between the two and help their love grow for each other.
The casting of the film is no doubt one of the best of all Disney’s live-action adaptations. Bailey’s ethereal beauty and magnificent vocals not only solidify the casting choice but also prove her to be one of the best-reimagined princesses. Her chemistry with Hauer-King not only helps us root for the two even more but creates a more dynamic relationship compared to the one seen in the original.
Despite the controversy of the casting in the film, Marshall’s choice of Bailey to play the leading princess in the film has got to be one of the best decisions made in the Disney remakes. Bailey’s connection to Ariel’s character not only shined through in her acting, but also carried the film with her voice and interactions between all the characters in the movie.
It is because of the creative changes Marshall took with diving into this film that makes it one of the best Live Action adaptations from Disney yet.
