REVIEW: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Casts a Charming Spell

Stop me if you’ve heard the story of The Little Mermaid before. A young mermaid princess named Ariel (Halle Bailey) yearns to be part of the world of humans, much to the detriment of her father King Triton (Javier Bardem) and her six older sisters. Despite their objections and those of her friends Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) and Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), Ariel breaches to the surface and finds herself smitten by the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). After Ariel saves Eric from certain drowning, she becomes more determined than ever to be part of his world. But will the machinations of her devious Sea Witch Aunt Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) stand in the way of the happiness of the two young royals?

The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, and Jessica Alexander, is directed by Rob Marshall with screenplay by David Magee, and is based on the original 1989 animated film written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. It features the original music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, with new lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda in new songs by Menken. Walt Disney Studios, DeLuca Marshall, and Marc Platt Productions are the producers, and Walt Disney Studios is the distributor.

Disney is committed to making live-action adaptations of all of its animated films since, for better and worse, they keep making the company money as they bank in on audience nostalgia. For too long, these live-action films have mostly been soulless remakes that retain little to no place in pop culture and sometimes become more problematic than their original animated counterparts. But what of The Little Mermaid 2023?

I am so happy and relieved to say that Rob Marshall and his team have delivered a live-action reimagining that more than justifies its existence, honoring and building upon its source material and making for a wondrous time while watching. Unlike the other remakes, it achieves this balance through deliberate decision-making and work, not murky corporate-mandated visions almost all the others had. Even though not everything works, what does work will leave you charmed as you leave the theater.

And the main reason for this is our leading lady Halle Bailey as Ariel. From the moment she’s on screen, Bailey embodies the spirit of this tenacious mermaid fans have loved for so long while imbibing her with her own soulfulness and poignancy. Bailey is exemplary in her song sequences, honoring the work Menken, Ashman, and original Ariel Jodi Benson put into these timeless songs and the new songs by Menken and Miranda while taking them to new heights with her soaring soprano vocals. While brave and daring, Bailey’s Ariel also deals with palpable insecurities and doubts, particularly in the (best) new song “For the First Time.” Bailey gets to perform lovely nuance and heart in these moments, showcasing her skills as an actress as well as a singer. She’s the best live-action adaptation of a Disney Princess by far, breathing new life into the beloved character whose film sparked the 90s Renaissance.

And Hauer-King likewise breathes new life into Eric. Magee’s script gives Eric a new intriguing backstory to work with, and gives Ariel more reason to fall in love with him. He has his own ambitions and dreams, finding himself hindered by his adoptive Queen mother (Noma Dumezweni) giving him a believable parallel with his love interest. Hauer-King is a strong performer with great vocals, especially in Eric’s new song “Wild Uncharted Waters.” Bailey and Hauer-King’s chemistry is gripping and electric, and they play off each other incredibly well, even when Ariel can’t talk. Just as Bailey is best live-action Disney Princess, so is Hauer-King as the best live-action incarnation of a Disney Prince in The Little Mermaid. 

And rounding out this trio is the best live-action film incarnation of a Disney Villain (outside of Glenn Close as Cruella) with Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. As Bailey does for Ariel, McCarthy honors original Ursula Pat Carroll‘s work as the iconic character. She chews up every scene she’s in and makes for a delightful watch, and sometimes you’ll wonder why we don’t have more of her in The Little Mermaid. Refreshingly, even while there’s some sympathy for the banished Ursula, she remains a straight up villain that you love to hate who does these bad actions for the sake of being bad, with a great evil laugh to boot. Jessica Alexander, in the limited time she’s on screen, also shines as Ursula’s duplicitous human form Vanessa.

The rest of the cast is a mixed bag, both within each role and between each other. Daveed Diggs is probably the best of the bunch as Sebastian, even while his Jamaican accent is questionable (i.e., it may have been better to have a Jamaican actor in this role). His singing is on point, however, in the mesmeric “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” sequences. To my own surprise, his CGI was adequate, and his mouth wasn’t just a flap, allowing his face to carry emotion! Even though Flounder suffers a bit from his own CGI work, Tremblay’s tremendous voice work carries the role to stand out.

Awkwafina as Scuttle is overall entertaining, but with some irritating moments. Particularly, the rap song Miranda wrote for her, “Scuttlebutt” was beyond unnecessary and only served to stifle momentum rather than drive it. But she still provides some humor and proves herself a valuable friend to Ariel and her team.

The weak link is undoubtedly Bardem as King Triton. While looking the part, his performance unfortunately remains flat throughout. While there are moments with Bailey where she’s able to bring compelling emotion out of him, he otherwise plays the role with a mismatched stoicism, making the original strong and varied performance by Kenneth Mars far better in comparison. While not a weak link by any means, it could have also been nice to see Ariel’s sisters more in the film.

But they and the underwater world Marshall and his team have made is astounding. In both displaying the real beauty of our ocean and its various creatures and bringing delightful whimsy and heart, it’s so easy to get lost in the magic of this underwater world. This is particularly apt in the “Under the Sea” sequence, where we see the full display of ocean life. Sufficient dedication was put into the VFX work, and it shows. The lighting underwater is also clear and bright and nowhere near as dour as many have speculated. While nowhere near as remarkable as the underwater scenes, the scenes on land still have rich detail, even while some sets may be used a tad too much. Overall, combined with Menken’s gorgeous score, it’s a delight to watch.

The Little Mermaid is the best live-action film adaptation of a Disney animation. With a mostly great cast led by the exemplary Halle Bailey, gorgeous scenes underwater, rousing musical sequences, and dedication from Marshall and Magee to telling a genuinely character driven story, it stands out as a worthy companion to its original animated film and gives just enough new elements for audiences to enjoy. For once I can say, this is a Disney live-action you won’t want to miss.

The Little Mermaid is playing in theaters nationwide May 26, 2023.