The Little Mermaid

The earliest film I remember seeing was Disney's 1989 film of The Little Mermaid. It was theatrically, even. I'd imagine Rob Marshall's live-action transplant should be as momentous to its youngest audience members as the original film was. It's just that good.

The Little Mermaid is Ariel (Halle Bailey), who is the youngest of sea King Triton's (Javier Bardem) seven daughters. Triton forbids the merpeople from going fathoms above. But Ariel does so anyway and meets the heroic Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). She's charmed by his dreams of sailing beyond his kingdom. A pesky hurricane keeps them from exchanging first words. She saves him from the storm, and while he can't get a good look at her, he's charmed by her siren's voice.

Eventually, Triton's overparenting drives Ariel into the tentacles of her aunt Ursula the Sea Witch (Melissa McCarthy). Ursula agrees to make Ariel into a human for three days. It's permanent if Ariel and Eric share a true love's kiss. If not, Ariel will spend eternity in Ursula's clutches. She also has to give up her voice for the duration. Ariel agrees to Ursula's terms, unaware that Ursula plans to cheat to victory. It's up to Ariel's animal friends - Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Scuttle (Awkwafina) and Flounder (Jacob Trembley) - to help her get a happy ending. 

Unlike the ending in Hans Christian Andersen's original tale. But that's beside the point.

This film runs nearly an hour longer than the original film. Fortunately, the additions by screenwriter David Magee compliment the story rather well. Prince Eric's new backstory is compelling, as is his new song, Wild Uncharted Waters. He and Ariel have great chemistry; how he learns her name is pretty amusing. King Triton's isolationism has a tragic explanation. We do sympathize with him despite his rough behavior, especially near the end. Ursula being Ariel's aunt originated in early drafts of the 1989 film. It's a good thing that and Ursula's "forget the kiss charm" were incorporated here. It makes her all the more menacing. All in all, the main plot points are just as profound as they were in 1989.

We now get to the musical side of these additions. Lin Manuel-Miranda collaborated with original composer Alan Menken in composing several new songs. Ariel's new song lets her inner voice sing her amazement of the human world. Wait till you hear Scuttle and Sebastian's new song. Miranda also revises Howard Ashman's original lyrics when needed. These few line additions blend well with the rest of the lyrics. Menken's new score and orchestrations are stellar. McCarthy, in particular, steals the show with her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls.

Bailey makes for a compelling mermaid as Ariel. She's quite likable when she gushes over the human world. We feel for her when she longs to be Part of Your World during that iconic song and its reprises. We cheer for her when she fights Ursula herself in the climax. Bailey's Ariel is just as memorable as Jodi Benson's one in the original film. Speaking of Benson, she gets a nice cameo as a human vendor. You can't miss her. 

Now for the visual aspects. The undersea world is impressive, particularly when we first see it as the film follows a periscope falling into the ocean. The sea life is convincing, both as creatures and as characters. Some of the most impressive effects are the CGI enhancements for the undersea characters. You'll be shocked once you see how much CGI was used to make Bailey into Ariel. These enhancements blend well with their actors. Whether CGI or real, the makeup and costume designs are stunning. It's no surprise considering that Peter Swords King (The Lord of the Rings) and Colleen Atwood helmed those departments. The only visual negative is the final battle with giant Ursula, only because it was too dark to see at times.

But the final battle is an odd complaint, for on the whole, The Little Mermaid is more than quaint. It's a natural expansion of a classic animated film and fairy tale. See it in the best screen you can find. A very packed theater forced me to watch it on the edge of the front row. Hopefully, you can find a better seat than that. But there's no shame if you can't. It's still an impressive film whether you see it in the front or back. Give it a chance.