Susan Granger’s review of “The Little Mermaid” (Disney)
Why this live-action remake of Disney’s beloved 1989 animated classic? Because it’s “woke” 2023 – when audiences may want to see a more dutiful, diversity-aware approach to race and gender in “The Little Mermaid.”
Sweetly guileless Ariel (Grammy-nominated Halle Bailey) is one of King Triton’s (Javier Bardem) many, multiethnic mermaid daughters. Despite her widowed father’s disapproval, she avidly collects artifacts from the human world that she scavenges from shipwrecks with the help of her fish friend Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) and Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina), a squawking seagull.
One night when a storm decimates a birthday celebration aboard a fishing vessel, Ariel rescues Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from drowning. She sings to him while swimming him safely to shore. But when other humans approach, she dives back under the waves.
Yearning to frolic with Eric on his Caribbean island, Ariel falls prey to Triton’s wicked sister, the banished sea witch/half-octopus Ursula (bold ‘n’ brassy Melissa McCarthy), who offers to change her tail into legs in exchange for her voice.
Beguiling yet mute, Ariel will then have three days to convince Eric that she’s, indeed, his true love; if she fails, she will enslaved to diabolical Ursula forever.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fantasy with character backstories added by screenwriters David Magee, John DeLuca and director Rob Marshall, it’s actually a misnomer to call this a ‘live-action’ film since Flounder, Scuttle and the irascible crab Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs), along with Triton’s ‘merpeople,’ are all computer-generated.
Adding to the score by Alan Mencken and Howard Ashman, there’s new music by Lin-Manuel Miranda…and several glimpses of Ariel sitting on a rock, like the “Little Mermaid” statue in Copenhagen’s harbor.
FYI: Since Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey she identifies with the mermaid falling in love with a prince and, because of that, loses her voice, it may be a total coincidence, but when Eric tries to guess Ariel’s name, his first choice is Diana. His second is Catherine. Seeing Ariel’s disgust, he deduces, “OK, definitely not Catherine.”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Little Mermaid” is a scuttling, sentimental 7 – running a long 2 hours, 15 minutes – playing in theaters.
