We Got the Scuttlebutt on Disney’s Live-Action Remake of “The Little Mermaid” Halle Bailey Becomes Disney Royalty. Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
When Disney’s The Little Mermaid is good, it is great and shines. When it is not good (Scuttle) it is bad! The thing is though, the good outshines the bad, with Halle Bailey giving the performance that holds the whole movie together. Two songs alone make it worth the ticket price, with “Under the Sea” being visually stunning and a piece of art! “Part of Your World” and the reprise will take you on an emotional journey.
Related: Original Ariel Jodi Benson Says Updating Little Mermaid’s Song Lyrics ‘Was a Must’
When we were kids Jodi Benson was Ariel and delivered the performance of a lifetime as the voice of Ariel, so there was some hesitancy about passing the role along to someone new. Walt Disney Studios has done a fantastic job of remaking a classic Disney Animation movie that a majority of us have grown up with.
This hesitancy is unfounded as Halle Bailey IS Ariel. She is what our kids and grandkids will hear and think of when someone mentions Princess Ariel. This movie is made for a new generation of Princes and Princesses. Which is great because as Disney Adults, we all enjoy debating controversial topics and this one will just add fuel to the fire in a positive way.
Visually, The Little Mermaid does seem like the lights are dimmed but in the weirdest way, while sonically the songs fit perfectly, and CGI both works and doesn’t work at the same time. When the scenes take place on the island, the overall lights seemed to be turned down.
We Got the Scuttlebutt on Disney’s Live-Action Remake of “The Little Mermaid” Halle Bailey Becomes Disney Royalty
You would think being “Up Where they Walk, Up where they Run Up where they Stay all Day in the Sun”, it would be sunny and bright. Instead, it felt darker than it needed to be. While “Under the Sea” the seaweed is actually greener! The visuals are truly better down where it’s wetter. Ok, enough puns! Sorry about that, I digress.
Under the Sea is a visual masterpiece, and yes I know that sounds like I am gushing and giving it too much credit, but when you see how the sea creatures look and move, with Daveed Diggs leading the way as Sabastian the Crab, the scene just feels bigger and bigger and credit should be given to those who created the CGI.
While credit should be taken back away for the CGI of Flounder voiced by Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle. Speaking of Scuttle… one word “Scuttlebutt”, the most Lin Manuel Miranda song ever, is a tragedy. I say that knowing every kid who sees this movie will be walking out of the theater singing this song and laughing the whole time. As an adult, I wanted to hot poker my eyes! Again, I am not the target audience. So take that for what it is.
There are scenes that are beautiful, there are scenes that, as the kids say, are cringe. By now, I am sure you have figured out, this is a dichotomy of filmmaking. With highs and lows, almost like the sea itself. Calm one moment, and choppy waters the next moment.
Truly we could spend more words telling you all the little details, breaking the movie down further, and telling you how the new Ariel character is brilliant with the script changes. How this takes that character from being a whiny girl pining for a man to a confident girl who stands up for what she wants. In fact, King Triton seems like the whiny one now. The overbearing father figure.
So it comes down to how you want to spend your money and time during the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. Would I take my family, including my grandkids to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid?
Yes, I would. In fact, I am proud to see my grandkids reflected on the screen. I want to see the reactions on their faces when they can look up to the Disney Princess that looks like them and happens to have the same hair type and skin tone.
This is a summer blockbuster. This is just as good as the original, with the changes to the script made for a new generation of kids. Changes that reflect the times we live in, without overshadowing what the true story is. In fact, some changes are barely noticeable unless you are looking for them, and to be quite honest, kids don’t care.
Is Disney’s The Little Mermaid the perfect movie? Nope, but it is dang good and deserves to have been made and seen by all Disney Fans, but especially seen by a new generation of up-and-coming Disney fans.
We don’t have a rating system here at Chip and Company, each one of us does it our own way. So if I were to rate this, I would give it 4.3 Dinglehoppers out of 5.
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