The Little Mermaid, review

The Little Mermaid

UK release: 26 May 2023

Director: Rob Marshall

Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy

Review by Sarah Edwards

Bold, colourful, with timeless music and endearing characters, The Little Mermaid has captured the hearts of many since it first graced theatre screens in 1989. A critical and commercial success, the film is widely considered the beginning of the Disney Renaissance and was followed by smash hits like Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). The Little Mermaid (2023) had massive shoes to fill as a live-action adaptation of the beloved story and succeeded in some ways better than others.

The film follows many of the same story beats as its animated counterpart, tracing Ariel’s (Halle Bailey) journey from mermaid princess to a life on land with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). In a departure from the original, however, this version seeks to add greater depth to Eric’s island kingdom by grounding more of the couple’s adventures outside the castle walls. Noma Dumezweni features as Eric’s mother, Queen Selina, elegant but tormented by anxiety over her son’s treacherous voyages at sea. This film also adds original music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, including a new solo song for the prince.

Poor lighting and a lack of contrast are consistent problems throughout the film, but they cause the greatest issues in the underwater scenes. The original film’s shaded backgrounds create a sense of an ocean full of life. Here, they are replaced by an expanse of blue water that feels comparatively empty and dull. Unable to rely on the tricks of animation to create contrast in the darker depths of Ariel’s cave, even her collection lacks lustre. Whatever gadgets and gizmos she’s collected are too obscured by the shadows of the deep sea to be legible here.

Ursula’s cavern is similarly robbed of all wonder by its lack of light. Though the broad outlines of the space suggest something interesting and ominous, any details that might truly bring it to life are lost in the overwhelming darkness that shrouds the space. This adaptation also forgoes Ursula’s garden of unfortunate souls and is worse for it.

Despite the intense backlash that surrounded the decision to cast Bailey as Ariel, she proves to be a phenomenal choice for this role. She perfectly captures Ariel’s intense curiosity and sense of awe and is more than capable of meeting the demands placed upon her by the film’s music. Endlessly endearing, Bailey is an absolute pleasure to watch throughout the two hours we get to spend with her. 

In casting Hauer King as the Eric to Bailey’s Ariel, The Little Mermaid is faced with the challenge of making the love between these two feel believable. Hauer King is five years older than Bailey, and with a strong five-o’clock shadow, he certainly looks it. Despite this, the days these two spend on land together feel truly magical. Ariel and Eric learn from each other and bond over their shared interests in a way that feels incredibly genuine. They stay up late pouring over maps and watching the stars, finding ways to communicate even while Ariel cannot speak. At its heart, The Little Mermaid is a love story, and on this it more than delivers. 

The relationship between Ariel and her father (Javier Bardem) unfortunately falls much flatter. Bardem’s overly restrained performance as King Triton sucks the tension out of the father-daughter scenes. Perhaps in an attempt to match the more realistic tone of this adaptation, Bailey and Bardem don’t bring nearly enough passion to their disagreements and consequently, rob their interactions of any sense of real feeling. 

Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina are certainly fine as Sebastian and Scuttle, respectively, if not breaking any new ground in their interpretations of these characters. Unfortunately for Diggs, there are only so many facial expressions available to a CGI crab, and his voice acting isn’t quite enough to sell the character on its own.

Melissa McCarthy, as Ursula, gives more comedy than camp and doesn’t quite capture either the drama or sense of danger embodied by her animated counterpart. Considering Divine’s influence on Ursula’s original character design, one could imagine many drag queens doing this role - and its makeup - better justice. (It would be too much to expect from a company like Disney, but I think Jinx Monsoon would have nailed it.)

Anyone who grew up fantasising about life in Triton’s underwater kingdom may be disappointed by this take on the world below the surface, which doesn’t live up to the vibrancy of the original. That said, there’s much to love in this take on the story and the ways it seeks to expand the world on land.