My Review of The Little Mermaid (1989)

 

Written And Directed by John Musker And Ron Clements

Ariel: "But without my voice, how can I..."

Ursula: "You'll have your looks, your pretty face. And don't underestimate the importance of body language!"

A few years ago, I reviewed the live action version of this beloved Disney classic and I was always meant to get back to reviewing this one. I guess better late than never.

Anyways, let's look at this story. It's based on the Hans Christian Anderson story and it naturally took some creative difference, seeing as it's a Disney classic. Those differences of course actually worked in this adaptation's favour.

Under the sea, specifically the Atlantic Ocean and in the kingdom of Atlantica, there was a mermaid named Ariel (Jodi Benson). She's the youngest of seven sisters and clearly the favourite of her father, King Triton (Kenneth Mars). Ariel might love being a mermaid but she's also tempted by the land.

Her desire for the land was there to begin with but rescuing a handsome prince name Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes) had her clashing with Triton and he easy to manipulate by vengeful sea witch (and all around icon herself), Ursula (Pat Carroll). Of course Ariel would give up her voice to become human and win her man's heart.

In fact, Ariel's goal was actually going swimmingly, even with disapproving from her friends such as Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright) and Flounder (Jason Marin). She didn't have to do much to get Eric to fall in love with her, so of course Ursula had to make herself into Vanessa to try and ruin things.

As a protagonist, Ariel's likeable and sympathetic but as a villain, it's Ursula who stole the show. She's so gloriously over the top, got one of the best villain songs and on top of that, her grudge towards Triton had some merit. Of course shed defeated and both Ariel and Eric get their happy ever after but she's such a memorable presence throughout.

- Prior to the live action remake, this spawned a sequel, prequel and animated show.

- All of Ariel's sisters had names beginning with the letter A and had different coloured tails. 

- Standout music: Part Of Your World, Poor Unfortunate Souls and Kiss The Girl.

- Chronology: It does seem to be set in the same era as the original story itself.

The Little Mermaid might have removed the bittersweet ending of the original story but it's a gorgeous adaptation from the best era of Disney movies. Absolutely one of my favourites.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of The Little Mermaid (2023)

 

Written by David Magee

Directed by Rob Marshall

Ariel: "I wish I could be .... part of that world."

Disney Live Action adaptations have been a source of contention for a while now. Some see them as soulless cash grabs while everyone would concede that they're simply not as good as the animated versions that came before them.

I bring this up because this adaptation of The Little Mermaid definitely does fall into the latter category. While some online have made defending this movie into their life's mission and others have purposely misconstrued it in a negative light, the reality is that isn't a bad take on the beloved fairytale for a modern audience.

Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel has been a widely debated topic when it never needed to be in the first place. She's undoubtedly the best thing about the movie and a perfect fit for Ariel. Everything I liked about the character back on 1989, Bailey encapsulated perfectly for 2023. She's actually a revelation in the role. 

Ariel's story followed the same trajectory here as well. She's growing up and yearning for the world above the sea, much to the distress of her father, Triton (Javier Bardem). Saving the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King)  also informed her difference of opinions of humans, compared to her father and his mistrust of them.

Of course the divide between father and daughter on the topic of humans gave Triton's estranged sister, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) the perfect opening to get Ariel on side. Same deal as the animated movie with a human made and mute Ariel having three days to get Eric to fall in love with her.

Fortunately for Ariel while Eric's adoptive mother, Selina (Noma Dumezweni) shared her own mistrust of the underwater world, there was Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and a gender swapped Scuttle (Awkwafina) to help push the budding couple together. Even Ursula's temporary transformation into Vanessa (Jessica Alexander) wasn't enough to deter the cross species romance.

There really aren't that many radical changes to the animated movie made here and even Ursula's fate is mostly the same, along with Triton's change of heart. Ariel and Eric end the movie and both the underwater and surface worlds are united. 

 - All of Ariel's sisters have had their names changed and there's a cross section of casting. They still don't do much, despite the long run time.

- Original Ariel herself Jodi Benson appeared briefly as a market vendor. I also liked Art Malik's character, Grimsby who was definitely shipping Ariel and Eric.

- Standout music: Part Of Our World, Poor Unfortunate Souls, Under The Sea and Wild Uncharted Waters. The less said about The Scuttlebutt the better.

- Chronology: Let's assume 1837 near the Carribbean.

The Little Mermaid might not be the best live action take on a Disney classic but there's actually a lot to like here. The underwater scenes are nice, most of the new songs work and Halle Bailey's performance definitely made sure this adaptation didn't sink. The original however will remain the best but this was worth the watch.

Rating: 7 out of 10