Anthony's Film Review - The Little Mermaid (2023)

Disney delivers another great live-action remake of an animated classic...

If you look at the history of Disney animated films, you will undoubtedly notice a late 20th-century golden age period during which the studio produced four outstanding films over six years: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). The last three of these were already remade as live-action movies. I loved the live-action Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, and the live-action Aladdin was good though not the same as the animated version. At last, The Little Mermaid has been remade into live action, completing the remaking of that Disney golden age. The results of this one are outstanding.

I'm not really going to compare any similarities or differences between the 1989 animated film and the 2023 live-action remake. It's probably not necessary. Plus, as I'm writing this, I barely remember the 1989 movie. Anyway, the important thing is that there is a fantastic story, a great cast, wonderful music, and dazzling special effects. On top of that, I want to silence the bigoted haters who are complaining that the title character is played by a black actress, Halle Bailey. My message is simple: ignore the haters, then enjoy her wonderful performance as Ariel the little mermaid. She's incredible as both an actress and a singer.

Ariel lives under the sea, with a family that currently comprises six sisters and her father, King Triton (Javier Bardem). But she also has a fascination with the world on land, something her father forbids her to think about. It doesn't matter. She is given an opportunity to become human and experience being out of the sea, through some dark magic provided by the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy). The catch: Ariel has to give up her voice. But that doesn't stop her from saying yes. Afterwards, she soon meets a handsome young prince named Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). The two strangers spend time together, though with a communication barrier given that Ariel is forced to be mute.

I should make sure not to forget about the three animal sidekicks in this movie: Sebastian the crab (Daveed Diggs), Flounder the fish (Jacob Tremblay), and Scuttles the sea bird (Awkwafina). These characters provide the humor and music that add emotion and fun to the tale. I especially loved the performances of the songs "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea." There's also a new song in this movie, performed mainly by Scuttles, that was not in the original animated film, and it's an interesting one, too.

Ultimately, this is a very good movie. I fell in love with the character of Ariel and rooted for romance between her and Eric. King Triton and Ursula, plus other characters, also had memorable on-screen performances. And I loved the musical sequences and visual effects. At this point, maybe I shouldn't judge Disney too harshly about doing live-action remakes. They made some good ones, and I did enjoy this one a lot. In my opinion, The Little Mermaid is the one that has the best 21st-century live-action remake out of the four animated films of the Disney golden age mentioned above. Go see it.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about The Little Mermaid, visit the Internet Movie Database.