THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023)

Disney’s latest foray into live-action adaptations of their animated classics gets as close to the bullseye as we’ve seen, delivering a tidal wave of magic and emotion thanks to a stellar cast.

Ariel (Halle Bailey) wants to know what life is like out of the sea, up where the humans are, and soon finds herself making a deal with the evil Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to send her to land where she will attempt to win the heart of Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Though the appetite for these live-action reimagining may be deminishing, The Little Mermaid more than satisfies as one of the best yet. Bailey as Ariel is terrific, her portrayal of the character’s innocence and intrigue flawlessly delivered, giving way to her strength and insanely impressive vocals. Every scene with Bailey is a delight; each note from her during the musical numbers sent chills through my body and even brought me to close to tears. Hater-King is also impressive opposite Bailey, a surprisingly interesting lead who carries his own shows a bit more depth in the staple prince character from so many of these stories. McCarthy is having a blast in each scene, nailing the energy of the original Ursula and her look. If Bailey is the breakout star, however, it’s Daveed Diggs as Sebastian who is a close second. His take on the role is laugh-out-loud funny thanks to perfect comedic timing, often times shared with the equally hilarious and well-cast Awkwafina as Scuttle. One particular song has the two of them rapping (as if you’d expect anything less from a project that Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved with) and it’s a solid addition to the film’s soundtrack.

The underwater scenes are fine, similar to what was seen with the release of the first Aquaman. After the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, the bar is set incredibly high for the flawless delivery of underwater storytelling; The Little Mermaid doesn’t come close, but it’s serviceable. There are a number of story changes in director Rob Marhall’s film that actually work quite well, though I was initially skeptical. A new backstory for Prince Eric explains that he was an orphan who was the survivor of a shipwreck, informing the character’s solo that is solidly delivered by Hauer-King. Other minor details improve the diversity of the characters and help frame the story in a bit more of a realistic manner (though we’re talking about a mermaid getting legs, so how realistic can we be). Some embellishment of certain scenes could have been trimmed out and would have helped reduce the excessive runtime, but it’s not like anything doesn’t work. The emotion is there, but could have been stronger without such lulls in the film. 

In the end, The Little Mermaid is a fairytale spectacle that is up there with Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Aladdin for me as top tier, a film that families will adore and I, for one, will watch repeatedly over the years.

The Little Mermaid hits theaters this Friday.

Rating: 4/5