THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023)

Little mermaid, big voice.

I know these Disney remakes get more than their fair share of hate and it’s not completely unwarranted. But I come from the world of theatre where remakes, revivals and redos are the name of the game. I’ve seen Fiddler on the Roof eight times, I’ve been in Evita four and when I reflect on them it’s not so much a matter of determining which production was better than the other but rather remembering and celebrating the differences and how their stories intersected with my world view at the time. And it’s in this spirit that I chose to both view and review the brand new live action interpretation of my all time favorite Disney animated feature, The Little Mermaid.

First things first, Halle Bailey is the most exciting new talent Ive seen in an extremely long time and her Ariel is simply resplendent. Effervescent, fresh and effortlessly charismatic. But if you know the story you know that Ariel’s defining characteristic is her singing voice and Bailey’s is one in a generation. Hints of Audra McDonald’s range and musicality, sprinkles of Whitney Houston’s unbridled power and a dusting of Beyoncé’s agility and control come together into the finest vocal performance in Disney’s fabled canon and quite possibly the finest ever recorded to film.

I say without shame, embarrassment or the slightest hint of irony that Part of Your World is my absolute favorite song. Period. It is the most lyrically and melodically sublime pop ballad of all time and OG Ariel Jodi Benson (who I was delighted to recognize in her cameo) performs it iconically. Nostalgia will maintain her performance as my number one but frankly, Halle Bailey sings it better. I mean if there were a gate here to keep I’d keep it but the girl’s performance is truly beyond reproach.

Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula was a bit like watching a very good community theatre actress in the role, hitting the correct notes, hitting her marks but not really breaking any new ground. It’s a shame that with Bailey’s transcendent casting they couldn’t have thought a bit more outside of the box for a more interesting choice. Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina got actual out loud chuckles from me on several occasions as Sebastian and Scuttle respectively and Javier Bardem was an imposing and nuanced King Triton.

The most striking changes to the update are structural and musical. Songs have been cut, added and rearranged to varying degrees of effectiveness. I liked that Part of Your World was not only moved to be the first song we hear, but the decision to move it before she first sees Prince Eric is inspired. It gives our protagonist a much stronger sense of agency and answers longstanding criticism that she goes through all she goes through just for some guy. She’s adventurous and curious and her deep desire to “explore that shore up above” precedes her crush on Eric. The choice to add more scenes depicting Ariel and Eric interacting and getting to know one another also go a long way in providing more realism in their whirlwind courtship.

I did not see much reason for the new songs. Or maybe I just didn’t like the new songs. Little of both really. Adding Wild Uncharted Waters for Prince Eric makes sense for character development purposes and thematically it sets up a nice parallel between the desires and aspirations of Ariel and Eric but the song is lackluster and run of the mill, which certainly aren’t words that I’d use the describe the existing score. Unfortunately I would use similar words to describe Jonah Hauer-King’s singing voice. He sings in the key of beige.

I had the same problem with Ariel’s second song as I have with Ariel’s (different) second song in the Broadway adaptation. Ariel losing her voice is her biggest challenge and the largest obstacle both the character and actor have to overcome. The writers should similarly challenge themselves by not having Ariel sing a huge solo explaining exactly what she’s thinking during this portion of the plot. It just feels like cheating. Especially when the songs are just so so in both cases.

I enjoyed the third and final new song, Scuttlebutt. It’s funny and clever but in such a specifically Lin Manuel Miranda way that it doesn’t fit in very well with Ashman and Menken’s legendary source material. But it’s a fun showcase for Diggs and Awkwafina so I was able to look past its shortcomings. Daughters of Triton and Les Poissons are the only omissions from the original and I can’t say I missed them. If you’re gonna cut any, those are the ones to go.

One of the biggest problems with the film is the overly dark cinematography that in many instances completely obscures the action and the actors’ faces, so often that a good 30% of the runtime is consumed by images too dark to make out. There are also several moments made exponentially scarier through a real life lens. The shark attack, the ship wreck and the final battle would’ve all given me nightmares as a wee one.

However the number one biggest problem with this and most Disney remakes is the uncomfortable uncanniness of the talking and singing real life animals. It sticks out here because only three of the animals seen on film can talk even though hundreds of other animals are shown. It doesn’t work even a little and I hate it a lot. Especially Flounder. Burn it, drown it, shoot it. Just kill it. Poor Flounder…y’all ain’t have to do him like that.

The Little Mermaid is likely the best of the Disney remakes but that doesn’t say all that much really. It’s an okay movie with some good parts and a fantastic lead performance. It doesn’t hold up to its source material, but it surely holds up as a fun and worthwhile bit of summer entertainment.