Weekend Watch: The Little Mermaid

Disney double dips the oceanic fish tale

Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, head under the sea for another Disney live-action conversion job. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite

Hot on the heels of the straight-to-Disney+ Peter Pan And Wendy comes the animated-classic-to-live-action conversion Disney has been more excited about throwing whale-sized amounts of cash at and endlessly promoting (whereas poor old Pan, which is well worth a watch, arrived quietly).

It’s perhaps not tough to see why –– though the 1953 Pan is a much-admired movie, 1989’s The Little Mermaid belongs in Disney’s golden era of cartoon rejuvenation, celebrated along with the likes of Beauty And The Beast and The Lion King, and recipient of two Oscars for its music.

The story essentially follows the same tide as the animated take on Hans Christian Andersen’s story (still not as dark as the original folktale). Teen mermaid Ariel (Halle Bailey), dissatisfied with life beneath the waves as a daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), falls for a human prince, Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), who she saves from a shipwreck.

When Ariel strikes a deal with cunning sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), Triton’s jealous sister, she transforms into a human woman and has three days to convince Eric to fall in love with her. But the deal comes with a tough price –– Ariel must give up her voice, and if she doesn’t meet the deadline, she’ll revert to mermaid form and belong to Ursula.

With the help of crab Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), who serves as Triton’s chief advisor and best friends Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and Scuttle (Awkwafina), Ariel will need to navigate this strange new world even as she spends time with Eric, whose mother, Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni), who is convinced that the “sea gods” present a clear and present danger to their trade routes.

Behind the scenes for this one is director Rob Marshall (no stranger to Disney following Mary Poppins Returns and the fourth Pirates Of the Caribbean entry and a past master at musical movies including Chicago) and screenwriter David Magee. Returning from the original is composer Alan Menken, this time paired with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who collaborate on four new songs to complement the classic tunes, which are all present and correct.

It's a solid enough confection, though it rarely captures the same magic as the original. Halle Bailey makes for a serviceable Ariel and the effect of CG-heavy underwater scenes isn’t too jarring when the film transitions to the more practical land story.

Bardem largely sleepwalks through his role, his middle-distance stare giving the appearance of someone considering how his fee will pay for a child’s college education or a mortgage payment.

On the music front, famous songs such as ‘Under The Sea’ and ‘Kiss The Girl’ still have power, while the newer efforts largely fall short (aside from one exception, see below). Hauer-King proves to be an average Eric, called upon to do little but be excited about potential love with Ariel or puppy-eager to go exploring.

Highlights for this one? While Bailey is capable and charming enough, she’s overshadowed by three standout performances. Diggs is the perfect voice for Sebastian; not just because he can really sing, but his comic timing, allied to some great animation on his crabby character, really serves to make him memorable.

He also plays well off Scuttle (here portrayed as a Gannet so the scatter-brained bird can interact with the other characters beneath the sea as opposed to the seagull from the cartoon version), as voiced by Awkwafina. She brings an agreeable extra level of daffiness to the bird and is fantastic in one of the new songs that work, ‘The Scuttlebutt’ which hews more closely to Miranda’s style than Menken’s.

And Melissa McCarthy is a true delight as Ursula, making the role her own and coming across as believable nasty but also sympathetic at times. The only issue comes late in the film, with the CG recreation (spoiler alert for anyone who has not seen the original) of the giant Ursula, where the effects leave something to be desired (especially disappointing given the high level of technical skill on display elsewhere). This is the sort of performance that could be talked about in awards circles, assuming the film isn’t forgotten or ignored come that time.

Fitting into the upper echelons of Disney’s modern-day adaptations, the new film is effective enough to make it worth recommending to families and does nothing to besmirch the reputation of the original. This one swims more than it sinks.

The Little Mermaid is in UK and US cinemas now.