Let’s Dive Under The Sea

Illustration by Liv Bailey

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers. If you have not seen any of the Little Mermaid films, please do me a favor and add more joy to your life by watching them right now!

The new live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid has been one of the most magical movies of the Summer. With a great cast, gorgeous songs, and beautiful visuals, Disney launched the film into one of the first movies at the 2023 Worldwide Box Office. This movie does not compete with the original animated film of 1989; instead, it adds to the magic of this tale. In this article, I will share my opinion on what made this film so successful and some minor details I believe could have used some improvement.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

The story of The Little Mermaid is beautiful as it is, with Ariel risking it all to go after the love of her life on land. However, the Director, Rob Marshall, made some changes to push the plot forward so audiences could enjoy it even more. One of my favorite aspects of this new adaptation is the addition of time for character development. The fact that both Ariel and Eric had a throve collecting objects of each other’s worlds showed how their curious souls were meant to be together. Both were trapped in their respective geographical situations when they were not allowed to chase their individual desires. However, they found solace in each other’s eyes. Letting the protagonists, Ariel and Eric, slowly fall in love with each other and develop chemistry allows audiences to fall in love with them as well.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Fans could embark on a journey of nostalgia with the new and beautiful adaptations of the classic songs “Under The Sea”, “Part of Your World”, “Kiss the Girl”, and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. However, expert composers Alan Menken and Lin Manuel Miranda cleverly created new songs not only for audiences to enjoy the protagonist’s gorgeous voices for longer but, most of all, they did so to aid the characterization process. Deep lyrics helped push forward the story’s emotional aspects – there is more screen time for Prince Eric when he sings “Uncharted Waters”. Audiences get to dive deep into the emotional aspect of the prince when he longs to find the mysterious girl that saved his life, something that was only superficially addressed in the original film. On the other hand, audiences experience Ariel even more joyfully and curious when she arrives on land and has an internal monologue in the new song “For the First Time”. Fans are moved by the broken-hearted Ariel, who sings the second reprise of “Part of Your World” with so much emotion.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

This emotional experience could not be possible without the wonderful performance of actors Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer King, and the rest of the amazingly talented cast of this film. During the initial announcement of Halle Bailey’s casting as the new Little Mermaid, there was a controversial racial reaction from many, saying that a black woman could not play the role of an originally white mermaid. Despite that, and needless to say, there was no better candidate for this role other than Halle, a real-life princess who owned the role like she was born for it. Her strong and graceful presence gave way to inclusivity in cinema, which Hollywood has been significantly lacking. With a graceful presence and an angelic voice, Halle Bailey is making history. Her voice and the on-screen chemistry of this film’s remarkable talent make The Little Mermaid a gorgeous and meaningful experience that everyone should witness.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Cast at The Little Mermaid World Premiere

Last but not least, Visual Effects were crucial for making this film a successful reality. With so many Disney underwater films that came out recently, such as Avatar the Way of Water and Wakanda Forever, my expectations for this picture were very high. I have to say that my favorite CG aspect of this film was Ariel’s tail. The colors, the movement, and the overall design were absolutely gorgeous. The mermaid tail and the organic movement of the underwater CG hair made Ariel’s character pop even more. I also really liked the CG sequence of the “Under the Sea” performance; by taking reference from real-life choreographers, artists made sea creatures dance along to the catchy song of the crustacean. It was also visually enhanced by the beautiful bioluminescent effect.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Even though there were many successful visual aspects of the film, a lot could be improved. I will start with the most obvious one: flounder’s design. This fish sidekick was so realistic that it looked more appetizing than cute. Realism should not have been the visual goal; cause who wants to eat Flounder? Additionally, I have to say that there were many underwater lighting sequences that were either too dark or did not look as if it was underwater. For example, the scene when King Triton is talking with Ariel’s sisters when they are looking for Ariel is oddly lit. There were a lot of unnecessary God rays as the only light source. This enhancement and exaggeration were not needed for an underwater picture. Along with this, specular highlights are non-existent underwater. I don’t know if Disney added those for the magical aspect of this fictional tale or simply because they did not know how to approach it, but that specularity made the underwater take look pretty fake. Lastly, one of the things that really captured my eye was the highly dark take on the final scene when Ariel and Eric fight Ursula. The massive beast of the evil sea witch was definitely a CG achievement. Even though it was a night scene, I wish there was either moonlight or some aspect that could enhance Ursula’s design. My theory is that they left the scene really dark to hide the CG mistakes. As gloomy as it may have been, I wish more light could be added to the scene so audiences can see more of the great art and effort put into it!

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Overall, the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid is a beautiful film. I dare say it is the best live-action Disney has made so far. Even if you are not a Disney-live action fan, you should definitely give it a chance and see how Ariel and Eric capture your heart in this new version. They certainly captured mine! So go watch The Little Mermaid and dive under the sea at your nearest cinema before it’s too late.