The Little Mermaid Reviews

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Source: unherd.com/2023/06/the-little-mermaid-is-disney-propaganda/

Spotlight
The Little Mermaid is Disney propaganda
Guilt-ridden millennials are its target audience
BY KAT ROSENFIELD

June 5, 2023

One of the musical highlights of the original, animated Little Mermaid is a scene in which Ariel, newly human, tries to get Prince Eric to kiss her. If he doesn’t, she’ll turn back into a mermaid, but because Ariel has lost her voice, her main job is to sit there looking available; the actual seduction is stage-managed by her crab friend Sebastian, who sings encouragement into Eric’s ear:

Yes, you want her, look at her you know you do.
Possible she wants you too, there is one way to ask her.

In the new version of The Little Mermaid, presumably out of deference to our evolving, post-MeToo sensibilities surrounding sexual consent, that line has been subtly changed. In 2023, Sebastian’s advice is: “Use your words, boy, and ask her.”

Not so romantic, but in this case, the question does seem necessary, since Ariel’s feelings are far from obvious. While 1989 Ariel makes it quite clear that she’s keen, our contemporary one, played by the pop singer Halle Bailey, has no thoughts of kissing at all — because, in a truly massive departure from the animated source material, she’s forgotten she needs to in order to win her freedom.

It’s not hard to see how the film’s writers might have talked themselves into giving their new Ariel amnesia: it’s not very feminist to have your heroine spend the bulk of her screen time voicelessly thirsting after a man, after all. But in stripping Ariel of her goal — stay human by seducing the prince — the writers have effectively gutted the character: now, she wanders vacantly through every scene with neither purpose nor agency.

I realise that this is a very adult complaint about a film that is ostensibly for children — but then, I’m not sure children are The Little Mermaid‘s intended audience. Like so many of Disney’s live-action remakes, this movie is for the now-middle aged millennial women who grew up watching (and loving) the 1989 original — only to become scandalised, as adults, by their heterocentrism, their whiteness, their phobias and isms. While Disney World is embroiled in an ongoing conflict with Florida governor Ron DeSantis — a sort of proxy war for the soul of the nation — the Disney content mill is plagued by the same anxieties as much of its adult audience.

The beloved but problematic cartoons from the bad old days remain available on the Disney+ streaming service, but come affixed with a hectoring title card that you cannot fast forward through: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” it reads. “Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”

Meanwhile, many of its newer offerings are meant to be part of that future, explicitly catering to progressive sensibilities — and, perhaps equally important, sparking consternation among conservatives. The Little Mermaid — with its vague handwaving in the direction of consent culture, its dutiful nods to the environmental damage wrought by humans on the undersea world, and a black actress bringing the house down in a traditionally white role — is clearly intended to be part of that “more inclusive future”. As is the 2022 movie Lightyear, which featured an, albeit chaste, lesbian kiss, and Frozen 2, which was animated by an anti-colonialist message.

In fact, that heady mix of liberal millennial guilt and Nineties-era nostalgia is an animating force behind much of today’s most controversial entertainment, from the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters to the release of new, sensitivity-edited editions of works by Roald Dahl and R.L. Stine. Kids don’t notice this stuff, but adults do, which is entirely the point: all these choices generated a backlash from the Right, which in turn generated a backlash to the backlash from the Left, which in turn generated months’ worth of frantic coverage from a media establishment that relies on rage-clicks to keep the lights on.

Unfortunately, in the quest to make The Little Mermaid inclusive, Disney seems to have forgotten that it should also be watchable, and the resulting film feels at once bloated and muted. Gone are the fish playing musical instruments, the whispering moray eels who recruit Ariel to Ursula’s lair. Bailey, a phenomenal singer, is miscast as a character who is silent during most of the story’s pivotal moments. And yet, more positive reviews, while noticeably cagey about the quality of the film itself, lavish praise on both her performance as Ariel and on the Disney corporation for selecting her. “If these films are to have any purpose beyond being nostalgia-powered cash-ins, it must be to allow all children — not just the white ones — to see themselves as Magic Kingdom denizens,” suggested the Guardian, while a Variety critic adds that, “the most important thing about remaking this particular favourite for a fresh generation is maintaining the fantasy that any of us can be Ariel”.

In other words: even if the movie is bad, it has the best intentions. It’s on the right side of history. And isn’t that what matters?

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Source: epigram.org.uk/2023/06/11/the-little-mermaid-halle-bailey-review/

FILM AND TV — 2023 — ENTERTAINMENT — REVIEWS — CULTURE
The Little Mermaid swims away from conventional Disney Princess tropes as it welcomes diversity
The 2023 live-action Little Mermaid has sparked a lot of controversies, with Halle Bailey taking the lead, breaking away from the conventional depiction of Ariel as a white mermaid. Phoebe Mackie explores the impact of this directorial decision and the film's successes.

PHOEBE MACKIE
11 June 2023 . 12:59 PM 6 min read

Unlike most of the Disney remakes, the 2023 live-action Little Mermaid has caused a stir by a bold shift away from the 1989 animated version. The casting of Halle Bailey, a Black actress and singer, is a break away from the white Ariel in not only the animated movie but also the unnamed mermaid in Hans Christian Anderson’s original story. This directorial decision has stirred serious backlash, with #NotMyAriel trending on Twitter when the news of her casting broke out and even AI editing of the trailer to make her appear white circulating online.

Being reasonably familiar with this discourse through social media, I was surprised to find that casting Halle Bailey wasn’t a calculated move for a more racially inclusive cast. Instead, it came about very naturally as her performance with her sister Chloe at the Grammy’s in 2019 caught the attention of director Rob Marshall before auditions for The Little Mermaid had started. She was the first to audition, bringing the room to tears with her rendition of ‘Part Of Your World’. Rob Marshall, along with the rest of the team, felt like it was an obvious decision. Ariel’s change of race came about by chance.

So, was it a risk that paid off? Halle Bailey is not only mesmerising for her outstanding voice, such a central aspect of Ariel’s character but for her almost palpable aura of sweetness and innocence. In her interview with Halle Bailey for the Guardian, Rebecca Nicholson comments that she is ‘a Disney star cut from an old-fashioned cloth’, and I would have to agree.

There is something classically endearing about her soft features, and the open vulnerability surrounding her is charming, both on-screen and off. Her hair was one of the few aspects which I felt had suffered a loss. Rather than the bright iconic red hair of the 1989 animated Little Mermaid, Halle’s was more of a coppery shade.

It’s a shame if some red-haired fans felt a loss in affiliation for Ariel by this alteration. The dreadlocks Halle wears were a conscious decision to incorporate her own hairstyle with the character, as Halle’s locs have become her signature look. However, as a mermaid with dreadlocks, the flowing movement of Ariel’s hair, especially underwater, was unfortunately lost.

It was a pleasant surprise to find that Ariel’s race wasn’t the only adventurous change that had been made to the movie. Indeed, the crab, Sebastian, wasn’t the only character that had a Jamaican influence as in the seaside town where Eric lived, subtle nods to Jamaican culture could be seen in the costumes and accents of the locals, most of which were people of colour.

This gave it an exotic edge which enriched the world. Unlike some of the other Disney remakes, which have stayed loyal to the original films, Cinderella (2021) and The Lion King (2019) are two examples that come to mind; this was a brave breaking away from the expected Medieval style town featured in the first film. Rather than playing it safe, they have chosen to push the boundaries of what we imagine the setting of a Disney princess story should look like.

Another change from the 1989 animated version that stood out for its originality and creativity was the underworld mermaid kingdom. Unlike the classic green fish tales, the mermaids of Rob Marshall’s world had vibrantly coloured fins, alluding to different species of exotic fish. He played with the idea that mermaids have the variety and unique beauty of different species of fish.

There has been online criticism of the racial diversity of Ariel’s sisters, one of Asian descent and one of African. However, for me, this enhanced the racially coded message the film was portraying. That the barriers of race, racism and even ethnicity, which are so prevalent in our world, are immaterial in the imaginative universe of The Little Mermaid.

One of the few aspects which let the film slide for me was the performance of Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer. He looked the part with a broad, muscular build, endearing dimples and thick brunet hair. However, this couldn’t quite make up for his lack of presence and charisma, possibly done deliberately to allow Halle to shine all the more in comparison. But for me, it was more than that.

By going for a very conventional Prince, he came across as anticlimactic and even out of place in a film that has defined itself by pushing the traditional mould of Disney princess films. It was strange and disappointing to see a character who felt so steeped in a gender-typical Disney past in a film that was breaking those rules in so many ways.

Another aspect that let the film down for me was Ariel’s costumes on land. The iconic baby blue Ariel outfit wasn’t a flattering shade, and the frilly look came across as garish and silly.

However, the overwhelming thought I left the movie with was that this film inadvertently speaks to the need to challenge the traditional cast of beauty that Disney, among other big movie companies, have set.

Allow me to explain. When I was very young, I desperately wanted blonde hair. I thought my brown hair was unattractive and even ugly. Only years later did it occur to me that Disney may have had something to do with shaping this desire. Once you connect the dots between Briar Rose from Sleeping Beauty (1959), Rapunzel from Tangled (2020), and Cinderella from Cinderella (1950), it becomes increasingly obvious how much watching these princesses impacted my sense of self and how I came to define beauty.

As a white woman, I can’t even begin to imagine how this may have been amplified if I were a person of colour watching a predominantly white central narrative.

Halle Bailey herself reflects on her childhood, saying:

“If I would have had a black mermaid” when she was young, it would have “changed my whole perspective, my whole life, my confidence, my self-worth.”
This is just one testament to how powerful it is when we see honest reflections of who we are in media, film, books, and art, even more so when we are at an age when we are still trying to find our place in the world.

When inadequacy, self-worth, and beauty are just words. This has been highlighted lately through the viral TikTok of mothers who showed their black daughters dissolve into cries of shock and even tears of joy at The Little Mermaid trailer.

The beauty standards that Disney sets are incredibly powerful, for good or ill. They are standards that, despite a changing society, still glorify a certain body type, skin colour and face shape.

And in my opinion, they are standards that desperately need to change in order to accommodate a world that is starting to recognise them as exclusive to those who feel like they don’t prescribe to them. My hope is that The Little Mermaid is the start of that conversation.

Have you watched the latest adaptation of The Little Mermaid?

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Source: dailynorthwestern.com/2023/06/16/ae/reel-thoughts-disneys-live-action-remake-of-the-little-mermaid-makes-a-splash/#

Reel Thoughts: Disney’s live action remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ makes a splash


Illustration by Danny O’Grady

Ariel, old and new. Disney’s new live action remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was released on May 26.

Alyce Brown, Print Managing Editor
June 16, 2023

First released as an animated film in 1989, the story of the free-spirited Ariel has been a classic for decades. Thirty-four years later, its live action re-release is capturing a new generation with a bright and vibrant retelling of the mermaid’s aquatic adventures.

The remake of the Disney classic follows Ariel, (Halle Bailey) a young mermaid who falls in love with the reigning prince of the nearby human town after rescuing him from a shipwreck. Tailed by her sea creature friends Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Ariel makes a deal with Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), a sea witch, to exchange her voice for legs in an effort to see Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) again. Despite the best confounding efforts of many, Ariel eventually finds her happy ever after with the prince.

Bailey gave a radiant performance as the bubbly protagonist. While it can often be difficult to adapt an animated character, Bailey’s portrayal perfectly captured the young mermaid’s curiosity and passion that shone through in the original animation, creating a unique version of the beloved character.

Fans of the 1989 rendition will be happy to hear that the live-action remake rarely departed from the original’s plotlines and character arcs, electing to stay true to the contours and classic music numbers (with a few original songs included).

The most notable departure concerned Prince Eric’s backstory, whose increased character development added a new layer to the relationship at the center of the film.

Far from just the pretty face that seldom appeared in the animation, Eric’s character in the remake longs for the sea and to explore beyond the walls of his castle. His character arc painted him as nearly a mirror-image of Ariel herself – complete with a room dedicated to his treasures from the ocean to match Ariel’s cavern of treasures from the human world.

Eric’s development made the film more of a two-lane story. Viewers followed Ariel’s journey in tandem with Eric’s, and when the two finally collided in the second half of the film, it felt more like the joining of two beloved protagonists rather than simply the introduction of a love interest.

As expected for a film of this caliber, the CGI and visual effects were stunningly executed to reflect a realistic version of Ariel’s underwater world.

These visuals were built upon, both above and below sea level, by intricate costume design that brought the human and mermaid worlds to life. Created by Colleen Atwood, the storied Hollywood designer whose recent credits include Wednesday and the Fantastic Beasts series [CQ][CQ], the vibrant costuming of Prince Eric’s subjects gave his kingdom detail and character that it had not had in the past.

The world above ground was given much more screen time and development in the remake, as the bright, playful costumes and set designs focused more on the culture and joy of the town and created an enthusiastically positive view of life above the sea.

Little Mermaid fans can rest easy knowing the classic story of Ariel has been upheld, and the film’s few character tweaks have now turned a beloved story into a robust film that will continue to attract viewers for generations to come.

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Source: pelhamexaminer.com/57960/entertainment/remake-of-disney-classic-the-little-mermaid-breaks-barriers-in-hollywood/

Remake of Disney classic ‘The Little Mermaid’ breaks barriers in Hollywood
By Cameron Wanuga, Staff Reporter|June 20, 2023

Halle Bailey and the rest of the cast of “The Little Mermaid” took the theaters by storm in the creation of an awesome live-action remake of the 1989 Disney classic. Featuring new songs written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken, as well as some awesome acting from Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, this movie brought everything the fans desired from the original movie but never got.

“The Little Mermaid” is an unforgettable story about a young mermaid named Ariel who wishes to live a life above the water, where the humans resided. Through hardships and conflicts, Ariel is given the opportunity to live amongst the humans when encountered by Ursula, the Sea Witch. After falling into her trap, Ariel is doomed to become one of Ursula’s pets, but with a little help from Ariel’s friends Scuttle, Flounder, and Sebastian, we see Ariel break away from evil and by the end of the story, she falls in love with Prince Eric and live happily ever after.

While just debuting in theaters on May 26, “The Little Mermaid” has already made an astounding 328 million dollars. Compare this to the original’s box office earnings, the new version has already surpassed the original’s profits by a margin of 117 million dollars.

Although the remake of “The Little Mermaid” has unique aspects, the overall story, plot, and setting provide good lessons to learn to any audience member, just like the original. From themes of unrequited love to alienation, “The Little Mermaid” covers controversial topics as good if not better than the original, and reminds viewers of important lessons to keep in mind while watching.

“The Little Mermaid” is an astonishing and inspiring movie to watch, and it’s catchy tunes and famous actors make it even more entertaining. With a Rotton Tomato audience score of 94%, this movie is a must-watch!

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Source: www.sbstatesman.com/2023/06/22/the-little-mermaid-makes-a-splash-in-theaters-around-the-world/

“The Little Mermaid” makes a splash in theaters around the world
SYDNEY RIDDLE JUNE 22, 2023



A graphic showing “The Little Mermaid” movie poster in a theater. The Disney live-action remake debuted on May 26. ILLUSTRATED BY BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN
The latest Disney live-action remake has been making waves throughout the world since it debuted on May 26. “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Rob Marshall, starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem is the best Disney live-action remake to have hit theaters in years. The updated storyline and modern retelling of the beloved Disney princess were well worth the five-year wait.

While the star, Halle Bailey, may have revived some unnecessary racist backlash when she was first cast, it did not stop her from putting on a spectacular performance. Her vocals single-handedly made her perfect for the role. Her rendition of the classic solo ballad “Part of Your World” was sung with grace and elegance.

The most impressive and improved part of the storyline was Prince Eric’s character and his relationships throughout the movie. Hauer-King played a more compassionate and charming Prince Eric compared to the original cartoon. In this film, Prince Eric and Ariel share the thrills of exploration and are curious about the world together. The perfect mirroring of their desires can be shown in Prince Eric’s new song “Wild Uncharted Waters,” where he yearns to explore the ocean to find the woman who rescued and sang to him. Another example of their similarities is when Ariel is going through Eric’s collection of things and they are able to connect over their interest in gathering novelties discovered during their own adventures.

Many of the reimaginings of the characters were done seamlessly; for instance, Prince Eric’s deep personality improvement made the love story between him and Ariel truly sparkle. However, Ursula’s character development fell flat compared to the enrichment of Prince Eric’s character arc. McCarthy’s vocals were not as powerful as the iconic villain’s could have been for the retelling. If Ursula’s character was enhanced with more humor, fear or better vocals, she would have been more akin to the original.

Two actors that surprised audiences with perfect, modern renditions of their characters were Daveed Diggs, who plays Sebastian, and Awkwafina, who plays Scuttle. Their chemistry and quick banter were flawless and added a much-needed comedic atmosphere. While the animators could have added more facial expressions to enhance Sebastian’s sassy attitude, the overall essence of his crabby personality was kept intact through Diggs’s voice acting.

While many audiences did not care for the new songs and lyric changes, each number added more perspective, compassion and depth to the characters involved. Prince Eric’s new song was able to showcase his deep love for exploring and his similar mindset to Ariel. In Ariel’s new song, “For the First Time,” she describes her first time on land, which adds a whimsical perspective and further shows Ariel’s childlike wonder. Rather than just showing her facial expressions, the writers decided to give her a voice during the sequence, which worked perfectly in the moment. The best rendition in the movie was the new version of “Kiss the Girl.” The slight lyric change to include “Use your words, boy, and ask her” highlights the important concept of consent while still keeping the same romantic energy of the song. The natural-looking animation in that scene was beautifully choreographed, which made it the most visually-pleasing scene in the film.

At first, the animation of the fish, water and side characters may come as a bit of a shock to audiences, but by the end of the movie, it feels more lifelike — fitting perfectly into all the other animated elements.

Not only were the added songs and lyrics different from the original, another positive element added was the influence of Caribbean culture on the island and the kingdom. This addition brought so much light and life to the movie in ways the dialogue could never have done.

Overall, the blending of elements from the original 1989 animated movie and the classic Hans Christian Anderson novel with slight modern twists made this movie an amazing, romantic, graceful and playful live-action remake.

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Source: www.philstar.com/entertainment/movies/2023/05/23/2268578/review-the-little-mermaid-live-action-drowns-racial-politics-superb-cast

MOVIES
Review: 'The Little Mermaid' live-action drowns racial politics with superb cast
Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com
May 23, 2023 | 9:24am

MANILA, Philippines — Disney tests the waters once more with a live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid" starring singer Halle Bailey as the titular character Ariel in her first leading role in a feature film.

For anyone still not familiar with the original 1989 animated film or the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale it is based on, the film follows the curious titular mermaid who longs to see what life is like on the surface where the people walk on streets with their feet.

Such an ambition is against the law of Ariel's father King Triton (Javier Bardem), so she strikes a bargain with the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) for three days above water with feet of her own.

The price for getting legs of her own is giving up her siren voice, the only thing that could allow Jonah Hauer-King's Prince Eric to remember it was Ariel who saved his life, and time slowly ticks before Ursula's evil plan muddies the waters.

The first thing to get out of the way is that Bailey is excellent as Ariel. All the hateful comments and assumptions about her casting should be flushed down the drain after the brilliant performance she phones in.

Thanks in part to script reworks by David Magee, Bailey lets Ariel become more than the young mermaid she was in 1989: wiser, more intuitive, and rebellious even which is more believable of someone wanting to explore a different part of the world.

And speaking of which, no matter how many times one has heard Bailey perform the movie's famous song "Part of Your World," she continues to amaze with just how good her voice is and give the iconic words new life.

It was a good choice for director Rob Marshall to utilize Bailey's voice throughout the movie, including the scenes where Ariel is silent, and even in those moments Halle still has acting chops worthy of a rising star.

In the same corner is Hauer-King's Eric, given more depth and songs to grow his character and not simply a prince to be adored. Every additional part to Eric's story and how Ariel connects to him is a massive step forward.

Disney and Marshall could have done a lot more with Bardem as Triton, but also stepping it up is McCarthy whose villanous take teeters between campy fun and theatrical flamboyance, the exact aspects of Ursula that made her such an icon among Disney's villains.

The beautiful music by a returning Alan Menken help ease back into the original film's belovedness. "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" are memorable segments and McCarthy does some hellish fun with "Poor Unfortunate Souls."

And then there's Lin-Manuel Miranda helping the composer spice things up through new tunes whether so obviously like in "The Scuttlebutt" or emotionally as in "Wild Uncharted Waters," "For The First Time," and "Fathoms Below."

The big dent in all of this is Disney again resorting to a live-action remake for another beloved property of theirs. Past similar endeavors have only landed on one side of a coin, and it isn't looking too well for "The Little Mermaid."

Perhaps the fact that "Avatar: The Way of Water" has set such a high bar for shooting underwater scenes that it either diminishes or disregards this film's attempts, but the overreliance of computer-generated imagery may be what brings "The Little Mermaid" down deeper.

This is not at all discouragement for the voice cast consisting of Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay — the former in particular nailing Sebastian's stress — but one look at Tremblay's Flounder and most underwater scenes says it all.

The climax in particular goes by very quick and one can tell that something is lacking visually. At least the town and market scenes are enjoyable watches; hardcore fans should keep an eye out for Ariel's original voice actress Jodi Benson.

Whatever shipwreck brought about by visual effects and beat-for-beat sections in the film is salvaged by an excellent, most of all by Bailey and her wonderful voice.

Disney should really reconsider having to resort to live-action remakes especially as it celebrates its 100th year. But if it can find gems in the likes of newcomers such as Bailey or a towering presence such as McCarthy, then strong winds will carry their sails through another century.