The MontyVerse

The Disney live-action remake train (or ship if you will) has encountered many bumps along the way with maybe enough good films to count on one hand. With the latest one, an adaptation of 1989’s beloved The Little Mermaid, Disney treaded more dangerous waters as they brought this classic back to the big screen. However, does this adaptation swim or is it already dead in the water?

The film mostly follows the original’s story: the titular little mermaid, Ariel (portrayed by Halle Bailey, best known as one half of the music duo Chloe x Halle), yearns to learn about humans, despite the strict orders of her father, King Triton (Javier Bardem) to never so much as swim above water. His cautions about humans, who are outright stated to have killed her never-seen mother, don’t make a dent in her fascination, as she one day comes across Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and saves him from drowning in the aftermath of a shipwreck. After her father destroys her precious treasure trove, she comes face to face with the vicious sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), her father’s sister, who presents a deal to her to allow her to become the very species she fawned over for so long. However, this comes at the cost of her voice and with the caveat that she becomes Ursula’s should she fail to gain true love’s kiss in three days’ time, a deal Ariel accepts to experience the life she always dreamt of, but was maybe viewing through a rosier lens than she realized.

In the realm of the Disney live-action remakes, this one firmly stands above the majority and delivers a heartfelt adaptation that differentiates itself just enough while also paying tribute to the original. The absolute, definitive standout of this film is the titular mermaid herself. Bailey brings a warmth, innocence, and sweetness to Ariel reminiscent of Jodi Benson, along with a showstopping voice to boot. Her gorgeous rendition of “Part of Your World” was barely done justice in the first trailer; the entirety of the scene, played a little more despondently than in the original, captures her yearning and desperation. I’m quite a fan of her new riffs as well.

Hauer-King is a very pleasant surprise as Eric. The character was already one of the more memorable princes to begin with, but with a slightly retooled backstory making him an orphan taken in by royalty, the character pops off even more, largely in part due to Hauer-King’s charm and sincerity in this role. His chemistry with Bailey carries a large portion of this film as we watch Ariel and Eric’s relationship blossom. For a large portion of their interactions, Bailey doesn’t speak a word, but her physical acting is so effective and Hauer-King takes it in stride, resulting in the strongest scenes in the entire movie.

A devilishly fun McCarthy effectively brings one of the most iconic Disney villains of all time to life with a wickedly entertaining, albeit strangely chopped up, rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Bardem and Noma Dumezweni of Cursed Child fame play the perfect serious, stone-faced parental figures as Triton and Eric’s adoptive mother, Queen Selina, but neither have the opportunity to get as fleshed out as their cinematic children. Rounding out the cast are the vocal talents of Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay as Ariel’s aquatic friends Sebatian, Scuttle, and Flounder, all of whom provide much of the laughs in this film. However, Diggs most certainly deserves the biggest plaudits of the three as the trepidatious crustacean, delivering a fun, energizing rendition of “Under the Sea” that shows how you’re supposed to adapt one of the most iconic songs for a reimagined adaptation (looking at you, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Be Our Guest”).

Speaking of the musical numbers, the same praise can mostly be heaped upon this film’s renditions of the classic Menken and Ashman songs. Perhaps the strongest number of the bunch can be found in “Kiss the Girl.” Some may wince a bit at the lyric change, but the set design, the atmosphere, and possibly the funniest shot of the entire film make this not just a standout song, but overall scene in the film.

Sadly, the same acclaim cannot be levied towards the new songs written for this film. “Wild Uncharted Waters,” a new solo number for Eric that has already been largely compared and memed to the hamminess of Zac Efron in High School Musical 2, is adequate, but has the misfortune of following the far superior “Under the Sea.” Ariel receives another solo number in the form of “For the First Time” (completely unrelated to anything Frozen). The lyrics are corny and over-explain the montage it overlays, giving off major Yentl vibes. This montage showcases Ariel’s first time on land and experiencing things like fire and corsets firsthand. A song like this could have been charming, but only feels bizarrely placed, out of sync, and unnecessary when this montage would’ve worked just as effectively by just showing and not telling. Lastly, and most groan-inducing, is “The Scuttlebutt,” a jarring lighthearted rap that doesn’t quite exude the gravity of the situation it discusses. Instead, its minor callbacks to “Kiss the Girl” are a reminder of how much better the music preceding this was.

Lastly, and perhaps most disappointing, is the design of the aforementioned under the sea. The movie has to grapple with a strange mishmash of live-action realism along with the portrayal of mermaids, sea witches, and magic. These aspects don’t marry well in a few places, particularly in the scenes taking place underwater. While some of the more darkly lit locations work to set an effective vibe, such as “Part of Your World” or within Ursula’s lair, they often just make the already lackluster underwater CGI even less aesthetic. Some of the CGI character designs are somewhat impressive, such as Sebastian’s expressiveness, while some are more lackluster, especially Flounder. And the underwater hair is glaringly obvious at times, even more so when a character, such as Triton, goes from having a head full of digital effects under the sea to an unimpressive wig above water. The scenic design exponentially improves once the story moves to land and stops relying as heavily on effects, and the scenes that do incorporate them are done effectively and add to the ambiance, such as the previously mentioned “Kiss the Girl” when night falls and a cascade of water flows around the new lovebirds. But regardless, the film had a huge upward task of living up to the worldbuilding of the original, which it only partially succeeds in doing. I’m not surprised, but I’m still disappointed.

The live-action Disney remakes have been largely hit-or-miss (though predominantly misses) in how well they recreate the magic of their predecessors. For The Little Mermaid’s case, it’s lighter on the magic in some aspects and I wouldn’t recommend rushing to the theater to see it immediately (especially if you can wait for Disney Plus). However, a star-making performance by its leading lady and some charming supporting characters propels it near the top, allowing the film to just about swim.