To say that Disney has experienced an extremely bumpy road when looking at their catalog of recent live-action remakes would be an understatement. For every home run struck with films including 2015's Cinderella, 2016's The Jungle Book, and 2017's Beauty And The Beast, they miss the mark critically with 2019's Aladdin, The Lion King, and last year's Pinocchio (Not to be confused with Guillermo Del Toro's masterful retelling). With Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid, Disney takes the controversy regarding their live-action remakes one step further with race-swapping the character of Ariel with the casting of Halle Bailey in a star-making role. With Mermaid, the newest retelling aspires to reintroduce the classic story to a new generation of audiences while remaining faithful to the original 1989 animated classic that won two Oscars. Given all intents and purposes, it succeeds as being the strongest live-action Disney remake since Beauty And The Beast.
Bearing the same plot as its classic animated counterpart, the remake has Ariel, the youngest of King Triton's daughters, longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea. Upon visiting the surface, she rescues and falls for young Prince Eric. Realizing her feelings for him, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land as a normal human. One of the key differences between the original and reimagining is the differentiating in having Ariel fall for Eric due to his sense of wonder, along with him also feeling like an outsider due to him being adopted. The newest version of Mermaid's story aims to be more well-rounded with both characters motives in regards to falling for each other. For all its risk-taking and noble approach towards diversifying these characters, the live-action remake never outdoes it's predecessor but creates enough magic and heart to make its own splash with audiences.
In terms of acting, Mermaid's cast deliver terrific performances that are charming, believable, and captivating with the films true standout being Halle Bailey in a breakthrough performance as the curious and headstrong mermaid princess, Ariel. Bailey suits the role perfectly and largely impresses with her range both as a dramatic actress and music performer. Jonah Hauer-King is equally terrific as the adventurous and free-spirited human prince, Eric, whom Ariel falls in love with after rescuing from drowning with the latter becoming obsessed with finding her. King portrays Eric as being sensitive and isolated with him also being curious about his place in the world. Melissa McCarthy is perfectly-casted as King Triton's witty and manipulative estranged sister, Ursula, a treacherous and conniving sea witch who desires to conquer Atlantica. The rest of the cast deliver strong performances with Javier Bardem as Ariel's strict and overprotective father King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Eric's adoptive mother Queen Selina, Art Malik as Eric's loyal confidant sir Grimsby, Davees Diggs as Ariel's loyal crab, Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Ariel's best friend, Flounder, and Awkwafina as the voice of dimwitted northern gannet Scuttle.
Directed by Rob Marshall who previously helmed 2002's Oscar Winning Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns, and Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, he brings a sense of wonder and enchantment to the story, as well as a heightened level of intensity that wasn't before present in the animated version. Here, Marshall raises the stakes with sequences of intense peril including a sea storm, a shipwreck involving a shark chase, and a tense climactic battle between Ariel, a giant Ursula, and Eric. Whereas audiences who grew up with the original are familiar with these moments, the newer version pushes the intensity of them given its PG rating. On a visual level, the film is stunning to look at with the underwater world being vibrant in colors, although some VFX shots appear a bit too obvious at certain points. The cinematography is breathtaking with the set and costume design adding to the vibrant colors shown on screen. Considering that the remake is a full half hour longer than it's animated counterpart with it clocking in at two hours, it doesn't feel slow-burning and makes use of its extra time to develop key character and plot points. Returning to helm the score is original films composer, Alan Menken, who recreates magic once again with adding to the previous work while creating new renditions of classic songs including Part Of Your World and Poor Unfortunate Souls. As far as directing goes, Marshall solidifies himself as being the ideal filmmaker for bringing Ariel's underwater world to the screen in a form that's immersive.
In keeping with the originals story, the remake retains many of its key themes including Ariel's curiosity for the real world along with her yearning for something different, the loneliness she feels, her risk-taking in making a deal with Ursula to find Eric, empathy with wanting to have a more normal life and finding true love. One of the more interesting approaches that the remake takes is its attempts at making the romance between Ariel and Eric feel more well-rounded as more attention is given towards Eric's character with him shown as being just as isolated as Ariel. With a longer running time than the original, the script takes its time in building up the romance between the two with their feelings being mutual despite their challenge in communicating. The remake places more emphasis on the relationship between Ariel's sisters and her overbearing father.
Whereas many live-action Disney adaptations crumble in expanding on their original stories, The Little Mermaid avoids making that same mistake and crafts it's own version of the classic tale that can stand on its own in an honorable fashion. Though not perfect and not every musical track lands (Awkwafina's painfully awkward rap song "The Scuttlebutt" in particular), the newest Little Mermaid honors the originals legacy while delivering one of Disney's strongest and most enjoyable reimagining's. It's visually stunning, wonderfully acted by its talented cast, particularly Halle Bailey's stunning performance, and carries enough nostalgia for parents/adults to ultimately make the experience of watching it a worthwhile one.
Final Verdict: An honorable remake that's worth seeing by Disney fans and those who love the animated classic.
Images Courtesy Of Disney
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