It’s been since 1989 that The Little Mermaid flooded the big screen with its colorful animated film. The movie was filled with song and enjoyable characters and appealed mostly to young girls who idolized the image of a mermaid that found her way into being a human. Now remade as a live action film, the movie still has its charm, but now appeals to an older audience as well with live actors bringing a bit of realism.
The storyline doesn’t change much as strong-willed Arial (Halle Bailey) defies her father King Titan when saving the sailor Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a sinking ship. Mesmerized by the human form and his handsomeness, Arial seeks out Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) who grants her wish to be human in exchange for her voice. But with this wish comes a condition that Eric must kiss her without incitement showing his true love for her.
Like in most all fairy tales, the heroes always have to go through and ordeal with a lot of anxiety attached. Director and co-writer Rob Marshall who lead the making of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides, helms this move and proves his worth with an exciting sinking of a similar ship. He also does a good job of keeping as close as possible to the original storyline. However his film is not perfect as some of the characters are not formidable, the CGI gets a bit staid and it loses its charm with Ariel bring love struck, King Titan not blustery enough and Ursula overly crazed. That said, the film did make over $569 million dollars in theatrical release so far.
Songs and acting by Halle Bailey are spot on delivering the ballads as well as Jodi Benson in the original animated feature. Performing live and working with the CGI wizards, she brings more to the production than her predecessor.
Bonus Features*
”Sing Along Version” – Sing along with your favorite songs while watching the movie with on-screen lyrics.
“Hotter Under The Water” – Discover how director Rob Marshall and his team brought the story of The Little Mermaid to life with this documentary in five chapters:
“A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue” – Join Rob Marshall on the set of one of the most ambitious and challenging films he’s ever directed.
“I Know Something’s Starting Right Now” – Join cast members Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King and more and learn how they were cast in the film and what it was like to bring director Rob Marshall’s vision to life.
“Down Where It’s Wetter” – Dip your toes into the virtual ocean and learn about how the breathtaking underwater world was created with visual effects, imagination and a lot of talented artists.
“Explore That Shore Up Above” – From Prince Eric’s castle to the beach, explore the above-the-sea locations and the elaborate production design behind them.
“Do What The Music Say” – Discover how legendary composer Alan Menken teamed up with Lin- Manuel Miranda to write new songs to accompany the original classics
Song Breakdowns
“Wild Unchartered Waters” – Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, gets his own song, written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Go behind the song, from the writing to the recording, to the filming on a practical ship.
“Under the Sea” – Get a first-hand look at how professional dancers helped bring director Rob Marshall’s vision to life as they stood in for the various animated sea creatures that sing and dance in this showstopping number.
“Kiss The Girl” – Float along and get a frog’s-eye view of the beautiful set built to film the live-action version of this classic song.
“Poor Unfortunate Souls” – Join Melissa McCarthy (Ursula) as she takes us on the journey of making her character’s signature song.
“Featurettes”
“The Scuttlebutt On Sidekicks” – Dive in and meet Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle, who not only have their own song, “The Scuttlebutt,” but also fresh looks as they work hard to make sure Ariel and Eric kiss before Ursula’s deadline.
“Passing The Dinglehopper” – Ariel met Ariel when Halle Bailey worked with Jodi Benson — the voice of Ariel in the original animated movie — who appears in a clever cameo in the live-action film.
“Bloopers” – Laugh along with the cast as they have the time of their lives making The Little Mermaid
The film is now available in 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (Retail Exclusives: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code) & DVD. The 4K has excellent clarity, amazing colors and the vocals by all the loveable characters come off the screen and sound systems very good.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina
Directed and co-written by: Rob Marshall
Genre: Live Action,
MPAA Rating: PG for action/peril and some scary images
Running Time: 2 hrs. 15 min.
Opening Date: September 19, 2023
Language: English
Reviewed Format: 4K Digital
Audio: 4K Ultra HD Dolby Atmos
Video: Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Released in: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (Retail Exclusives: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code) & DVD
