The Disney live-action remakes of some of their most-loved classic animations haven’t always struck gold. For every Cinderella, there’s a Pinocchio, and instead of investing in new stories, Disney continues to revisit their stories with minor changes so as to justify their own existence.
Luckily The Little Mermaid, based on the original 1989 animation, is among the best, if not the best, Disney remake to hit screens and it’s all due to one reason: Halle Bailey. One of the best young performers working today Bailey is likable, expressive, and a brilliant singer. Where some stars have stayed true to the source material, Bailey takes it to new and unexpected places, turning ‘Part of your World’ on its head and taking it to the next level.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Ariel (Bailey) is the daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem) and longs to leave her life as a mermaid behind and head to the surface and live among the people. Her fish friend Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) follows her on her journey until she comes across Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and saves him after being shipwrecked following a storm. She then decides to make a deal with the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) and give up her voice so she can have some legs to live on land, with a small caveat – she must secure a true love’s kiss by the end of the third day or she will belong to Ursula forever.
There is lots at play here. Ariel is a difficult character who is made accessible and sympathetic by Halle and the writing in this version makes her feel more fleshed out than in the animation. Likewise, Prince Eric gets more to work with and we see their relationship unfold in a more honest way, despite the longer run time. The screenplay by David Magee feels to have modernized the story that serves the characters well and feels less superficial than the original.
McCarthy does swimmingly as the villainous Ursula and brings more acting to the role than simply singing. Supporting players Tremblay, Bardem, and Daveed Digs as Sebastian adds to the fun of the story, even if their translation to live-action doesn’t always work. Unfortunately, Awkwafina flails as Scuttle, with much-needed voice work needed before taking another role as this.
With the rest of the tunes still intact from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, with some new additions, director Rob Marshall brings his signature musical touches to the story, even if these visual effects fail to ignite and feel truly real. Despite colorful scenes and big production numbers, it doesn’t feel like the audience can be truly immersed in its imagery as a result.
But again, we are here for Halle Bailey who is truly a star in the marking. She alone is worth double the admission price and takes the film to the next level.
Eden Caceda 