by Josh Sewell
Disney’s trend of adapting their classic animated films as modern, live action versions (or CGI hybrids straight out of the uncanny valley) has been more miss than hit. For every Cinderella or Pete’s Dragon we get flicks like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Sure, parts of them are enjoyable in the moment, but they evaporate from most viewers’ memories within days of leaving the theater.
Unfortunately, that trend shows no signs of abating as long as these remakes keep raking in a ton of cash. The last three I mentioned took in over $1 billion each. That’s right – not combined. Each. The recent Mulan might have done well too, had it not gone straight to Disney+ during the Covid shutdown.
That’s not even getting into other flicks that also debuted on the streaming service rather than hitting theaters, like Lady and the Tramp and the recent Peter Pan & Wendy. I still need to check that one out, especially since it was directed by the great David Lowery, who also made The Green Knight and the aforementioned Pete’s Dragon, which I contend is still the best of Disney’s modern remakes.
That’s why I grimaced and prepared for the worst when I heard the studio was finally tackling The Little Mermaid, a contender for the greatest animated film ever made. And that’s before the vilest parts of social media and cable news discourse lost their collective minds when director Rob Marshall (Chicago, the recent Mary Poppins Returns) cast young singer Halle Bailey, who was born and raised in nearby Mabelton, as the new Ariel. If you guessed they freaked out because she’s Black, congratulations – you’ve been on the internet for longer than 10 minutes.
In this modern, politically toxic era, movies and television shows apparently have to be a part of the culture war first and entertainment second. Fortunately, even though the updated version of The Little Mermaid is still hit-or-miss like the recent remakes, Bailey is so incredible in the title role that it should silence the haters pretty quickly. It’s a star-making performance if I’ve ever seen one.
For those who have somehow never seen the 1989 animated masterpiece (loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale), the story centers on Ariel (Bailey), a beautiful and adventurous mermaid who is obsessed with the minutiae of human existence above the waves. However, her father, the imposing King Triton (an uncharacteristically lifeless Javier Bardem), forbids her from going to the surface.
The headstrong Ariel doesn’t listen and immediately falls for Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), who she rescues from a horrific shipwreck. Desperate for a way to merge their two worlds, Ariel makes a pact with the evil sea witch Ursula (a terrific Melissa McCarthy) to experience life as a human. However, her hasty decision puts her life – and Triton’s kingdom – in jeopardy.
If we’re ranking The Little Mermaid among the other recent Disney remakes, I’d put this one squarely in the middle of the pack. Was there a pressing reason for it to exist, aside from money? Absolutely not. But let’s be honest – the studio was going to do this eventually anyway, and it could’ve been a lot worse.
Let’s start with the positives. Bailey, as I mentioned earlier, is outstanding. Not only does she have an amazing singing voice, she’s also strong at selling the romance at the story’s core. That’s no small feat considering how generic Hauer-King is as the love interest. She’s also surprisingly strong with the physical comedy beats in the middle section once Ariel gains legs but loses her voice.
McCarthy is also fun, chewing scenery as one of Disney’s most iconic villains. She even acquits herself nicely with “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” which is a tough job for any singer. Unfortunately, she pretty much disappears in the third act due to plot contrivances, dark lighting and bad CGI.
Without getting into spoilers, there are some clever script changes that give Ariel more agency throughout the story. She’s no longer a damsel in distress who must be saved by her father and the prince.
As for the negatives, they’re basically the same gripes I have with the other remakes of this nature. The script (credited to David Magee) throws in a bunch of new plotlines and songs, none of which contribute anything except padding the running time. (Parents take note: this version is almost an hour longer than the 83-minute original. Get ready for some antsy kids.)
The CGI, while not as bad as it seemed in those early trailers, is still iffy in places – especially when it comes to underwater scenes and the unsettling realistic version of Ariel’s animal friends. They should’ve kept crab Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), seagull Scuttle (Awkwafina) and fish Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) more cartoonish than the creepy “Planet Earth”-style characters we get now.
Still, my thoughts on this new version of The Little Mermaid don’t matter much. It’s as critic-proof as movies come and financial success is practically guaranteed. Nevertheless, if you do plan on seeing it with small children, get ready for plenty of bathroom breaks. Don’t worry, though – chances are you won’t miss much while you’re gone.
The Little Mermaid is rated PG for action/peril and some scary images. Opens in theaters on May 26.
Grade: B-
Unfortunately, that trend shows no signs of abating as long as these remakes keep raking in a ton of cash. The last three I mentioned took in over $1 billion each. That’s right – not combined. Each. The recent Mulan might have done well too, had it not gone straight to Disney+ during the Covid shutdown.
That’s not even getting into other flicks that also debuted on the streaming service rather than hitting theaters, like Lady and the Tramp and the recent Peter Pan & Wendy. I still need to check that one out, especially since it was directed by the great David Lowery, who also made The Green Knight and the aforementioned Pete’s Dragon, which I contend is still the best of Disney’s modern remakes.
That’s why I grimaced and prepared for the worst when I heard the studio was finally tackling The Little Mermaid, a contender for the greatest animated film ever made. And that’s before the vilest parts of social media and cable news discourse lost their collective minds when director Rob Marshall (Chicago, the recent Mary Poppins Returns) cast young singer Halle Bailey, who was born and raised in nearby Mabelton, as the new Ariel. If you guessed they freaked out because she’s Black, congratulations – you’ve been on the internet for longer than 10 minutes.
In this modern, politically toxic era, movies and television shows apparently have to be a part of the culture war first and entertainment second. Fortunately, even though the updated version of The Little Mermaid is still hit-or-miss like the recent remakes, Bailey is so incredible in the title role that it should silence the haters pretty quickly. It’s a star-making performance if I’ve ever seen one.
For those who have somehow never seen the 1989 animated masterpiece (loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale), the story centers on Ariel (Bailey), a beautiful and adventurous mermaid who is obsessed with the minutiae of human existence above the waves. However, her father, the imposing King Triton (an uncharacteristically lifeless Javier Bardem), forbids her from going to the surface.
The headstrong Ariel doesn’t listen and immediately falls for Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), who she rescues from a horrific shipwreck. Desperate for a way to merge their two worlds, Ariel makes a pact with the evil sea witch Ursula (a terrific Melissa McCarthy) to experience life as a human. However, her hasty decision puts her life – and Triton’s kingdom – in jeopardy.
If we’re ranking The Little Mermaid among the other recent Disney remakes, I’d put this one squarely in the middle of the pack. Was there a pressing reason for it to exist, aside from money? Absolutely not. But let’s be honest – the studio was going to do this eventually anyway, and it could’ve been a lot worse.
Let’s start with the positives. Bailey, as I mentioned earlier, is outstanding. Not only does she have an amazing singing voice, she’s also strong at selling the romance at the story’s core. That’s no small feat considering how generic Hauer-King is as the love interest. She’s also surprisingly strong with the physical comedy beats in the middle section once Ariel gains legs but loses her voice.
McCarthy is also fun, chewing scenery as one of Disney’s most iconic villains. She even acquits herself nicely with “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” which is a tough job for any singer. Unfortunately, she pretty much disappears in the third act due to plot contrivances, dark lighting and bad CGI.
Without getting into spoilers, there are some clever script changes that give Ariel more agency throughout the story. She’s no longer a damsel in distress who must be saved by her father and the prince.
As for the negatives, they’re basically the same gripes I have with the other remakes of this nature. The script (credited to David Magee) throws in a bunch of new plotlines and songs, none of which contribute anything except padding the running time. (Parents take note: this version is almost an hour longer than the 83-minute original. Get ready for some antsy kids.)
The CGI, while not as bad as it seemed in those early trailers, is still iffy in places – especially when it comes to underwater scenes and the unsettling realistic version of Ariel’s animal friends. They should’ve kept crab Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), seagull Scuttle (Awkwafina) and fish Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) more cartoonish than the creepy “Planet Earth”-style characters we get now.
Still, my thoughts on this new version of The Little Mermaid don’t matter much. It’s as critic-proof as movies come and financial success is practically guaranteed. Nevertheless, if you do plan on seeing it with small children, get ready for plenty of bathroom breaks. Don’t worry, though – chances are you won’t miss much while you’re gone.
The Little Mermaid is rated PG for action/peril and some scary images. Opens in theaters on May 26.
Grade: B-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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