When this film was announced there was a lot of hype around it, as live action adaptations of Disney classics have become beloved films both in people’s lives and also at the Box Office — “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” both took over a billion dollars globally. However, the one criticism of the film was casting African American musician and actor Halle Bailey, which provoked racial comments and the hashtag #NotMyAriel circulated around social media, as many didn’t agree with this new version of “The Little Mermaid.” Now cut to 2023, when the movie has finally been released, and the main takeaway from the film is the star power or Bailey, and how this performance is career starting for her.
A Quality Writing Team Makes ‘The Little Mermaid’ Memorable
One of the qualities of this adaption that fans knew would be in good hands is the direction, as acclaimed film director Rob Marshall was at the helm. He is responsible for musicals such as “Chicago” and “Nine.” But for Disney he has created a good reputation for big screen adaptations with “Into the Woods” and “Mary Poppins Returns.” With “The Little Mermaid,” he reunites with the “Poppins” Screenwriter David Magee and one of it’s stars, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda also serves as Executive Producer and Musical Creative alongside Disney royalty Alan Mencken, who team together to create a new song for Prince Eric called “Wild Uncharted Waters.”
The rest of the cast all seem to fit perfectly into their roles, and even some of the animated characters’ voices seem to fit their characters’ personalities to a T. Actors such as Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay voice the sea creatures that are Ariel’s friends. All of them bring comedic elements to the film, but also provide some magical musical moments, such as the iconic “Kiss the Girl” — and Diggs and Awkawfina have a new song, which is very familiar to Miranda’s roots with “Hamilton”-esque lyrics. However, one of the scene stealers is Melissa McCarthy who plays the villain Ursula. And like most Disney films, the villain always gets the best song. Her version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” needs to be seen to be believed — McCarthy has some pipes!
Bailey and Cast are Great
The film does pack an emotional punch, particularly towards the end where Javier Bardem’s King Triton plays the dutiful dad who only wants to keep his daughter safe, but realises that she needs to live her own life and can’t have her father holding her back. Overall, the “The Little Mermaid” is magical. In today’s world the film is very important, as it showcases a different type of princess. She’s not one that looks like the others, and that speaks volumes to young people watching the film and feeling empowered by the film’s message.
“The Little Mermaid” is currently only available to watch in theaters.
