Movie: The Little Mermaid
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy
UnfoldedNow.Com Rating: 3/5
Released date: 26 May 2023
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Directors: Rob Marshall
Adapted from: The Little Mermaid
Budget: $250 million
Cinematography: Dion Beebe
Runtime: 2h 15 minutes
Production: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Little Mermaid Movie Review
The Little Mermaid is a live-action adaptation of the animated classic “The Little Mermaid” and is an engine running on nostalgia. It is full of heart and has iconic music and a relatable story, making it one of the better Disney remakes. Beyond Holly Bailey’s incredible performances as Princess Ariel, there is little that makes as much of an impact as the same moments in the animated version.
Bailey balances these themes brilliantly in moments of levity, bounces with optimism and curiosity but beautifully grounds her performance in Ariel’s quieter moments of doubt. She also imbues her show-stopping rendition of Part of your world with a wild and raw yearning that’s sure to send chills down the spine of anyone who’s ever desperately wanted more.
The second standout performance comes from Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the sea witch let’s switch through. She shines with Sinister Glory cleverly bringing to life one of Disney’s most iconic villains without trying too hard to imitate Pat Carroll’s brilliant version.
Unfortunately, the most disappointing aspect of The Little Mermaid is how lackluster it looks when we’re under the sea. The Little Mermaid is a Disney classic that tells the story of Ariel and her animal friends. It focuses on realistic character design, such as Jacob Tremblay Aquafina and David Diggs, rather than the more fantastical anthropomorphized approach used in the original film.
As a result, Ariel’s companions are robbed of most of their humanity and feel more like props rather than fully realized personalities. In contrast, the live-action Lion King features some Stellar vocal performances but Simba and crew suffer from the same stiffness that comes from mapping human emotion on an animal’s face.
The Little Mermaid Works is a remake of the original Disney classic, which tries to breathe some life into the island through set and costume design. It is lively in a way that Atlantica isn’t full of new sights and sounds and friendly faces, giving some reasoning to Ariel’s decision to leave the sea behind. These changes are admirable despite the criticism of the original Disney classic.
The Little Mermaid is a Disney live-action adaptation of the original fairy tale. It features new songs such as Eric delivers a theatrical solo, Scuttlebutt is a fun quasi-wrap performed by Diggs and Aquafina and rings of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s involvement, and a bubbly number performed via Ariel’s internal monologue. The only new song that’s woven in seamlessly is for the first time a bubbly number performed via Ariel’s internal monologue as she experiences the surface.
What still works is that this story serves as a reminder of what’s so resonant about Ariel more than just a romance, it’s about how there’s danger and Desperation in feeling misunderstood and underestimated and a profound relief when you find a place to belong. Hallie Bailey’s aerial performances are brilliantly vulnerable and Ariel is the star of the show in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
However, this version sometimes struggles to keep itself above water due to lackluster underwater sequences, realistic sea creatures missing cartoonish charm, and additions to the story that are quaint but not necessarily memorable. What works best is the elements it takes from the original, highlighted best by a show-stopping rendition of Part of Your World.
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