There are so many challenges to updating a Classic Film. You want to appeal to the fans of the original but also attract a new audience. How do you pay homage to a film watched thousands of times but still bring your own vision and update the material for current cultural sensibilities? “The Little Mermaid” is a valiant effort that starts off with a splash. Sadly, the final act leaves the talented cast adrift.
Where once Disney ruled the animation world, there’s now a vast field of animation houses. DreamWorks Animation and Pixar have their own fan bases and are focused on creating original content. Those animation teams have come up with their own cherished franchises like “Toy Story” and “Madagascar”. They don’t need to try to recapture the magic of animated fairy tales with live action versions.
“The Little Mermaid” will win some new fans with the diverse casting. It’s wonderful to have a mermaid family full of sisters of all colors and a father, King Triton (Javier Bardem), who’s Latin. Even our lily-white Prince Eric is now the adopted son of a black Queen. Representation matters–perhaps especially in children’s films. There’ll be those who go see the movie to see themselves or their daughters, represented on the big screen.
Another update in director Rob Marshall’s film is a change to problematic lyrics and a new rap song. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a producer on the film and worked with Alan Menken, to update a few song lyrics. Menken’s original score to the 1989 “The Little Mermaid” won him Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Score. Instead of having Ariel’s friends encouraging Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) to just “Kiss the Girl”, there’s a subtle plea for consent. There’s also a tweak to a line in “Poor Unfortunate Souls”.
“–the part of the song where Ursula starts talking about the men on land not liking women who talk has been taken out of the song. You’ll also notice that Ursula’s words on Ariel using her “pretty face” and the importance of body language are also not present. Instead you’ll find Ursula pushes Ariel into making her choice with the lines, “Fine then. Forget about the world above. Go back home to daddy and never leave again.”
By doing this, the implication that Ariel is choosing to give up her underwater life for a man is no longer there in “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Instead, Ariel is willing to give up her voice so she can experience life on land. — Fansided, “The Little Mermaid” 2023: The new Poor Unfortunate Souls lyrics, by Sabrina Reed
Those subtle changes are welcome. Whether we needed a rap song sung by Awkwafina as Scuttle is questionable. It’s a fun number but the words are mostly lost and it adds to the over-long run time of the film. A children’s film shouldn’t be over two hours. There are so many lulls in the action that they needed the rap song to wake up the audience.
The biggest problem the film faces is that though the scenes underwater are beautiful, the ending seems like a shipwreck. The underwater kingdom is gorgeous, the costumes are eye-catching and inventive, and everyone’s hair has a glamourous buoyance. The stars fit seamlessly into the realm as if they really can breathe underwater. Our young star, Halle Bailey, is a lovely mermaid and she has a lovely singing voice. Her scenes with Prince Eric are sweet and natural. Sadly, she’s the only mermaid that looks good out of the water.
When the regal King Triton rises from the sea at the end of the film, Javier Bardem looks like a wet lion. Where once there was an elegance and a power, the sparkle and aura have washed away to reveal a sad father mourning his lost daughter. There’s a wonderful quote from King Triton to Ariel: “You shouldn’t have to give up your voice to be heard.” A great theme for the movie and it’s lovely that she doesn’t have to turn into sea foam at the end like in the fairy tale.
There’ve been complaints about how the character Ursula is represented. Melissa McCarthy is wonderful as the gleefully evil octopus (now a sister to Triton) but when Ursula rages and expands, towering above the waves, she looks like a badly drawn cartoon. The CGI-version of the character is laughable. Perhaps it’s to not scare the kiddos but it’s bad.
“The Little Mermaid” is an enjoyable family film. I applaud the casting choices and the updated lyrics. There’s a richer experience in showing the lives of the island kingdom citizens and the beauty of Ariel’s world. There are many scenes that could be trimmed and tightened. Two hours and fifteen minutes is enough to make a grownup yawn and this movie is supposed to be for children. It’s a shame that some of the production dollars that went to the famous names in the cast weren’t used to make every scene believable. Why make it live action if the CGI looks like a cartoon?
Drinks With Films rating: 1 salty Caribbean lemonade (out of 5)
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