little mermaid (2023) film review

After taking myself on a solo date for the Disney classic premiere back in May, having watched the movie several times, and researching the wavey fun facts of mermaid mythology, I have some thoughts!

Directed by Rob Marshall, Original Music by Alan Menken, Additional Music by Lin Manuel Miranda, Screenplay by David Magee, Choreography by Tara Nichole Hughes and Costume Design by Coleen Atwood.

First, a little bit of history and background information:

Mermaids and merpeople are mythical sea-dwelling creatures that have been around for thousands of years, appearing in mythological tales and different cultural stories across the globe. Ultimately, there’s been a lot of debate on the differences between mermaids and sirens (something that can be confusing in the film too); The main difference, according to relevant sources, is that sirens are usually deadly, considered evil and in the form of half a woman and half a bird. Most popularly, the siren song is an enchanting melody used to lure sailors and doom them to death at sea, to their watery graves. Mermaids’ songs, however, can have a positive effect and motive on other morals (just like we can see depicted in the film). In the current and modern world, the term Mermaids is used in the Transgender community (TRANS UK NETWORK, MERMAIDS UK, 1995); The symbol provides an essence of hope and magic due to the mermaid’s ability to transform.

Now, onto the fun part… casting! I thought Halle Bailey was a fantastic choice of casting in so many ways of diversity, representation and being a role model for generations to come. I would just lightly critique that the vocal delivery, although exceeded and was technically pleasing, had the tendency to occasionally drift away from the essence of the story. The modernised manner of Bailey’s creative freedom in classics such as ‘Part Of Your World’ did not always land well, making me reminisce about the original. ‘Under The Sea’ had a few forced moments of trying-too-hard-in-front-of-a-camera and generally mid-song, speech-like moments could benefit from a ‘less is more’ foundational approach, rather than trying to make small moments unnecessarily complicated. However, Bailey had a beautiful, natural way to blend childish innocence and curiosity with independence and womanhood. It was so organically done, to the finest detail of mannerisms that even when Ariel was mute on her human trial, it was more than enough. There was so much power in Ariel’s silence, along with the inner monologue that followed, as an opportunity to delve into her thoughts and feelings. Throughout the film, she presents so many layers, being fearless and a risk-taker, very similar to how a child would approach a potential adventure.

As always with Disney, there’s a love story. I particularly loved the way Ariel’s quality time with Prince Eric was depicted. Ignoring the irrelevant information that Eric is adopted (which felt like an excuse for casting a black Queen and a white Prince), colour-blind casting is a perfectly acceptable and wonderful way to not have to over-explain and cover all fronts. A charming Jonah Hauer-King, as Prince Eric, gets much more screen time than the original, allowing the audience to get to know him more on a human level. Ariel’s attempt to show Eric her name through the Aries constellation in the stars was possibly the most adorable moment of the whole film, another point where Ariel’s muteness does it justice. We can really see them falling in love with each other, unlike what seemed like an over-dramatic teenage fling of the animated pre-descendant.

And now, you poor unfortunate soul, let’s talk Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. First things first, we need to talk about the villainess's epic song. I personally think that even though it started questionably and unsteadily, it picked up towards the end. There were plenty of details that I thought McCarthy was missing (such as openly saying ‘Pathetic’ instead of whispering it to her servants) that simply did not add up to the plot. Ursula’s main character trait, especially during ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’, was that sense of hypocrisy and business-woman-like, spot-on, art of lying to your face. In this version, Ursula does not even try to sell it to Ariel and properly brainwash her; she’s essentially sarcastic the whole time which makes Ariel look extremely foolish and naive for proceeding. The whole side plot of Ursula becoming a human to seduce Prince Eric and steal him from Ariel with her magic powers was utterly needless. The film’s attempt to add an extra plot point to an already established piece of work felt like an excuse to produce originality. Furthermore, Ursula’s death with simply a wooden ship felt oddly simple and rushed.

However, an original idea that was introduced in this version that I absolutely LOVED was Lin Manuel Miranda’s additional material. Sebastian’s and Scuttle’s rap duo was both hilarious and adorable. Miranda always aces in producing material that gives an edge and freshness to the work, whilst still maintaining the musical balance of the film overall.

A few other things that I wish the film explored more were the relationship between Ariel and all her sisters (a massive charm in the original) and her parents. Ariel’s connection with her Father was not as emphasized, with an often dry but royal Javier Bardem, and is heavily shown towards the end of her film. It felt right for her to have had a deeper acknowledgement of her Father and of the sea underworld before she became human permanently. Although there was so much beauty and importance in the connection of the two worlds, a proper goodbye was more than needed. As for Ariel’s mother, it was with great disappointment that there weren’t any flashbacks of her, giving the audience a glimpse of their connection, similarities and utmost curiosity that has been so magically inherited by Ariel herself.

Overall, I thought the film was done with great care and strived to produce Disney magic, beyond animation. Of course, every adaptation of a pre-loved classic will always undergo natural comparison and questions in regard to any changes made. It is not an easy task to translate an ocean of unlimited wizardry, into a 34-year-old reimagination with live-action, special effects and revolutionary casting. And just like that, the way Ariel’s and Eric’s marriage made history between the two worlds (the sea and the land), this film is changing the world for generations to come.

And they lived happily ever after…