‘The Little Mermaid’ –a better real-life adaptation than hoped for?
"The Little Mermaid" is one of the many films of Disney that got its very own live-action, sanitized version. Hans Christian Andersen's classic fable is about a young girl who wants to break free from the depth of the sea and find love on land. She is guided by her uninhibited curiosity and a strong belief that there can be unity among all creatures. Starring musician and actress Halle Bailey, this live-action film surprisingly surpassed my lukewarm expectations in many cases.
Much thought has gone into capturing the reality in each scene, starting from the way Ariel's hair and Ursula's tentacles move, to the way Flounder's nose twitches and Sebastian's legs float or scurry. The visual appeal and the sheer number of jump-scare moments in this film will make your jaw and heart drop.
"Part of Your World" is the main song of this fable but the original version is much better than the rendition where Bailey's quavers and high notes lack magic and power. The new cast was brought in for a moral redress. However, Bailey being Black or having long copper hair locks instead of being white or having red hair does not necessarily make a comment on race because the film is not a narration on race and neither does it permeate the culture in any form.
In the same vein, Ariel's father King Triton, is played by a Spanish actor but his character rarely concerns race. Ariel's mermaid siblings are multicultural and look runway-ready but they don't even get enough screen time. So, this is still a Disney movie at its core which exists in a utopian world where the main character happens to be African-American.
In the 2023 live-action adaptation, Melissa McCarthy's Ursula is cunning but that is continuously overtaken by the flailing tentacles and other CGI effects. Her song and dance make you feel like a poor unfortunate soul but nothing is more disappointing than the fact that they made her more of an octopus when she's supposed to be a witch as well.
Another change is that she is actually King Triton's sister, which makes their conflict much more personal. She also slightly raises the stakes by making Ariel forget the fact that in order to turn permanently human, she needs Eric to give her a true love' s kiss. It's actually one of the best alterations in the live-action adaptation because it makes Ariel and Eric's connection more genuine and intensifies the three-day countdown as Ariel tries to remember why she's on land.
Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King is white and English. The difference in his character is that he is not just a handsome, good-for-nothing prince in search of his princess. He has a thirst to prove himself and explore the world but he feels trapped under his mother's nose. This direct parallel to Ariel's story is what made them kindred spirits. The new "Little Mermaid" also gives Ariel and Eric more time to get to bond on different subjects.
Although Ariel still was mute because of Ursula's curse, the soulmates still ended up having very adorable interactions. The chemistry between Ariel and Eric was probably one of the few things that outmatched the 1989 movie.
A new character was introduced - Queen Selina, who adopted Prince Eric and plays a vital role in cautioning him about the colliding worlds of sea and land.
As the duration has been stretched by an hour compared to the 1989 animated film, "The Little Mermaid" is much more fleshed out, with more time spent on Ariel and Eric's budding romance as well as the mermaid adjusting to life on land. The remake is also a polished production which shines brighter than the previous remakes Disney has churned out in the past few years.