Now available on digital platforms is the live action version of a Disney classic, The Little Mermaid. The film will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Ultra 4K next month (September 19, 2023).
The film stars Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, and the voice talents of Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Javier Bardem, to name a few.
The Littler Mermaid has been a long time favorite in my home. Our daughter was obsessed with the animated version the Disney film. It’s also my husband’s all time favorite Disney film.
We had it all – Little Mermaid dolls, Little Mermaid figurines, Little Mermaid dress up, and even a Little Mermaid game.
Disney has been making live action versions of their classic films for a while now, such films as The Lion King, Jungle Book, Aladdin, Cruella and Cinderella, to name a few. Some have been hits, and others misses. Personally, I am a fan of the animated classics, so it’s hard for me to give the live action remakes a fair chance.
The Little Mermaid’s live action film mirrors the animated version for the most part, but they have added more scenes, twists and turns to the storyline.
If you are not familiar with the story, Ariel is a mermaid, one of Tritone’s daughters. Ariel is very curious about humans and their world, but her father forbids it because humans killed her mother. That doesn’t stop her from being curious.
After rescuing a young man from a boat wreck, Ariel becomes very smitten with him. The young man turns out to be Eric, son of a queen.
Knowing how smitten Ariel is with Eric, Tritone’s banished sister, Ursula, devises a plan. She grants Ariel the ability to go on land and find Eric, but it comes with a price. She will not be able to speak because Ursula will have her voice. If Eric doesn’t kiss Ariel in three days, Ursula will forever have Ariel’s voice.
Will Eric kiss Ariel before it’s too late? What will her father think of her walking on land? To find out, purchase or rent The Little Mermaid. Look for it where ever you purchase or rent movies.
Admittedly, it took me a while to get used to the fact that this Ariel doesn’t have long, flowing, bright red hair. The live version does have reddish hair, but it’s not the bright, crayon-red color like in the film.
Miss Bailey did a good job at portraying Ariel, and she has a beautiful singing voice. I can see why Disney chose her for the film.
For me, it was Melissa McCarthy who “stole the show.” Her rendition of Ursula was fantastic. I was super impressed by it. I would have never thought to cast her in this role. She never even came to mind. She was an excellent casting choice.
Even though the film changed things a little bit, and added new songs, over all I enjoyed it. My only negative would be is that it was a wee bit too long. The film is two hours and fifteen minutes long. I think they could have cut out a few things here and there and got the film down to ninety-minutes or so. I felt like there were a few times it was too drawn out.
The CGI imagery of the ocean and underwater world is beautiful. It looks SO REAL! I applaud the movie makers for how realistic they made the underwater world. It made me want to dive in and join them. Ha Ha.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment. Please note that the film is no longer in theaters.
*I received a free copy of the film in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed is my own and not influenced in any way.