The Joy of the Little Mermaid (2023 Version)
Not a huge Disney movie fan, but went to see the new live action Little Mermaid to see what all the fuss is about. You’ll find a fun movie with charismatic leads and disturbingly crafted underwater sidekicks. Here’s why you should consider watching and becoming a part of Ariel’s underwater and island world…
Much has been made of the ethnicity, character changes, voices, hair, Lin Manuel Miranda song additions etc etc. Non-stories! Apart from showing my age by wondering about Halle Berry being a singing mermaid when the news was first released (!) it’s a really engrossing story and not too sappy. Throughout Hallie Bailey has a lot of charm, charisma and a beautiful voice as the inquisitive, human stuff hoarding mermaid Ariel who just wants to know, and perhaps even grow legs, walk about and talk. She is a lot more scientific and active, than just a teen having a moment. Javier Bardem is King Triton who lost his wife to murdering humans and now wants nothing to do with the upper world. He has many daughters who rule over different ocean kingdoms and clear up the mess and environmental damage created by human sailors and ships. They are personalities rather than fillers, although on the screen for a brief time as before.
As the youngest sister, Ariel is no longer just the youngest daughter, but a curious, thoughtful collector — a proto-type curator who seeks to know and understand. Ursula the sea witch is now her estranged auntie, at war with her powerful brother and out to revenge herself on him and his rulership — which makes Ariel’s listening to her less random. Still not sure why Ursula is a squid not mer-person, but Disney…
My uncertainty is about Flounder as his fishy self is rendered in a realistically squelchy way (and he can’t swim fast enough, almost being literally fed to the sharks due to curator Ariel’s inquisitive and risk taking nature). Although she is sweet throughout and less in conflict with her family than her previous animated incarnation, she has her faults — she doesn’t think through consequences, is inconsiderate — always late and disregards her father’s requests, is somewhat selfish — endangering her friends lives and never ever listening to poor old Sebastian (who’s very much caught in the middle of this mer-family).
Rather than a lovable, cheery looking all singing, all dancing crab (or perhaps rock lobster), here Sebastian is very much a crab with eyes on stalks and he is (like Flounder) somewhat creepy looking. But he can still put on a show and his ‘Under The Sea’ moment is Ziegfeld impressive. Particularly love the singing and dancing starfish and other squelchy aquatic flora and fauna. Daveed Diggs provides a great voice! (and you can’t help but feel for Flounder as he’s captured and almost runs out of air, or struggles to swim after whizzy Ariel).
The shark attack in the old wrecks is thrilling, as is Ariel saving her prince from death (though her lifeguarding skills are questionable). The rendering of the sea, particularly in this storm scene is a wonder. Here the prince’s dog is given more of a role as he is rescued by both the prince and Ariel to safety, and the prince’s doubly sacrificial nature (in saving dolphins from harpoons, dismissing unscientific talk and superstition amongst his ship’s crew and in returning to a burning, sinking to save his dog Max) is highlighted.
Jonah Hauer-King is a better kind of Disney prince — as Prince Eric he is also a curator and collector of scientific stuff and has integrity, seeking to promote the betterment of his isolated island kingdom through exploration and knowledge, and good trade routes. Shipwrecked and adopted, Prince Eric struggles with feeling different, misunderstood and extreme royal helicopter parenting. Restored to life on the beach, Eric immediately seeks to find the woman who rescued him, dismissed and locked down by his parent — whilst Ariel moons about on a rock lovelorn (even having a Denmark statue moment) as Sebastian tries to keep everyone’s secrets secret.
Melissa McCarthy relishes her villain role, creating potions, keeping her moray eel minions in check and manipulating Ariel in a dastardly trade — she can have legs, but no voice, no song, (something about siren song to beguile here — no idea!) and if they haven’t had true love’s kiss in three days she’s back as a mermaid and Ursula's minion…Nor is Ursuala going to play fair at any point.
Literally rocking up to Prince Eric’s island, it is unfortunate and sad once again corset cliches are perpetuated. Sigh — discomfort, sigh — can’t breathe - cliché, ditto — sigh, boots are uncomfortable, sigh — lack of hair up or hairpins cos not like the other girls and clearly ahead of her times by going shoeless and corset-less! (Though she does, for once, have a shift under her corset!) Designers you all need to watch priorattire’s all the things you can do in a well fitted corset! https://youtu.be/mLOJL5TFsT4 But as this is the 18th century (ish) they’d be stays and so no tight lacing issues as they merely gripped and strengthened the body. Furthermore, it also perpetuates the myth that our ancestors were stupid and ignorant unlike modern sophisticated us, which just isn’t true given the sheer hard graft that the majority of the population were doing up until bra-burning times. This myth may be true of Sissi; probably no-one else and is more of a fake new health hysteria than anything.
Anyhow, once this tedium is overcome and Ariel is stopped from eating soap! there’s an Enchanted-style community dance off ! ‘Kiss The Girl’ is delightful as Sebastian and Flounder try to set the mood for romance. (Nor is it a Tangled reprise, but uniquely delightful in itself).
Day 3 and Ariel is running out of time — unfortunately due to being unable to speak, sing, siren song or remember her mission, she has no clue that her days are literally numbered. Determined to thwart any potential romance, Ursula uses a potion to transform herself into a siren and ensnares Prince Eric — who immediately kicks off imminent wedding plans. This part of the movie just doesn’t work particularly as Ursula is costumed in full evil Queen from Enchanted mode rather than following the semi-18th century Caribbean styles adopted by the rest of the cast. Another part that doesn’t work is the appearance of the seafolk at the end — they are so clunky in real life compared to their underwater renderings that the comparison is jarring. The moment when Ariel chooses to save her father (magicked to smithereens by his evil sister) and restore him rather than rescue drowning Eric is also glossed over — awkward…Nevertheless there is father/daughter reconciliation — having saved each other, they really do care for each other; true love’s kiss (finally) and married travel adventures happily ever after, as all the parents learn to let them go!
Even so, no more spoilers from me! Ignore all the sniping and carping and griping, go and watch it — it is fun and engaging! Whilst Awkwafina is in danger of becoming some people’s musical Jar Jar Binks or Marmite, her voicing of gannet Scuttle — including a Hamilton style rap battle with Sebastian in the Scuttlebuck is no bad thing. Just don’t listen to her character’s advice! Hidden gem is Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina and deeply over protective parent — she lights up every scene she’s in as well as being comforted by Art Mailk’s delightful Sir Grimsby, who spends all of his time trying to safeguard all these troubled royals from themselves. Excellent too is Martina Laird as Lashana, looking after Ariel as she struggles to navigate her way in a walking, non-talking world, what to touch when and even what to eat!
Though it’s skipped over in the movie itself, more could have been said about being seen as disabled in ableist world and this world ruled over by over protective, fearful parents. It’s really about adults learning to let go of their grown children and trust them to make good decisions! Voiceless, Ariel is a bit passive — although she mostly gets distracted and intrigued by all the elements of her new world than trying to get the prince to love her.
