The animated version of The Little Mermaid, released in 1989, captured hearts, crashed box office and led to a spectacular renaissance at Walt Disney Studios (which included a string of high-quality hits such as Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Mulan). The live-action remake of the film, on the other hand, is devoid of charm or uniqueness, and it's hard to believe that anyone will talk or think about it in a few years (or months).
Creatively and artistically, Rob Marshall's film is a dismal and unnecessary failure, and like all the other nostalgic Disney remakes released in recent years, it offers no improvement over the original. If anything, quite the opposite.
The Little Mermaid - Official Trailer
Most of its human actors aren't impressive, the non-human supporting characters – especially Flounder the Fish and Sebastian the Crab – have undergone a significant downgrade in the transition from animation to live-action, the underwater world (created with the most groundbreaking effects) is dark and depressing, the performance of the musical narrators doesn't come close to the original performance, and there's really no way to justify the excessive length (135 minutes, compared to the 84 minutes of the animated version).
In terms of changes made to the original, you've probably heard that now the mermaid, Ariel, is played by a brown-skinned actress (singer Halle Bailey, who actually leaves a positive impression), and the lyrics of some of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's wonderful songs have been slightly updated (with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda), in order to "reflect the spirit of the times" and not hurt anyone's feelings.
Leaves a positive impression. Halle Bailey from The Little Mermaid,
However, it is hard to say that these modifications can make the new version vital, innovative or fresh. For apart from a more ethnically diverse casting, there is almost complete adherence to the original version throughout, and the new film fails to convince the viewer for a moment that it will not be fun for him to simply go back and watch the good old animated version.
The 2023 "Little Mermaid" is nothing more than another cynical attempt by Disney to play her sensitive and caring, hoping to extort a few hundred million more from the uninspired recycling of a well-known and beloved brand. What's sad is that it will again be a huge success for them.
Score: 4
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