LA The Little Mermaid Review

Cover Picture: Concept Art for Disney's animated The Little Mermaid, on display at Disney: The Magic of Animation, Birsbane. Photo credit: Lee Hunter @ladylee1313

Disney movies are a lot of things to so many different people. Which is not surprising. Who knew how far Disney's star would rise when Steamboat Willie chugged onto theatre screens in 1928? I doubt even Walt himself could have envisioned where his company would be a century after it's inception.

Like them or loathe them (and there are plenty of people on both sides), there is no arguing the value of Disney. Ignoring the monetary value (a staggering 165.86 BILLION US$), the company that started out as a animation studio has had great influence on the entertainment industry. An example of this is Mary Blair. After touring through South America with Walt and other members of the Disney team, the immensely talented artist in her own right, was inspired to add bright colours and new styles she had encountered in the local culture to the concept art and animations she worked on for Disney.

Cinderella, released in 1950, was the first major movie to benefit from her vision.

It was Mary who first introduced to the industry the vibrancy we are so fond of today. No doubt, if it hadn't been Blair, someone would have decided to break with tradition eventually. But how long would it have taken for someone else to be brave enough? And for an Executive to recognise the value, especially in a time when such breaks with tradition were not readily accepted?

With a history like that, it is not surprising that Disney has been right there in the mix with advances in the field of animation. Think of when computer generation took over from hand drawn animation cells or when CGI was introduced.

Wether they be pioneering them or just keeping abreast of developments in new techniques, they are right up there as industry leaders.

Disney was the first to start inserting a little humor aimed at adults (Robin Williams as the Genie in Alladin impersonating comedian Rodney Dangerfield 'I can't believe it. I'm losing to a rug'), something I really enjoy about their movies. If we look back over these changes, we see trends that keep pace with and, dare I say, set trends for society, as demonstrated by the themes we see change over time.

When Willie first appeared, viewers were entertained simply by the movement and basic plots. Today, we watch it for a nostalgic laugh.

As a result of their longevity, Walt's beloved company has become something more than just what it appears to be on the surface.

They create time capsules.

Take for example the difference between Snow White and the Seven Dawarfs, released in 1937 and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). Snow White started something I doubt anyone knew she would. An entire troup of princesses. And why? Because the concept that 'every little girl wants to be a princess' is a notion that has been around since before Mr. Disney was born. One of the earliest discussions of the little princess theme being, well, The Little Princess written by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett. Snow White was pretty, kind, well behaved and trusting. She embodied the expectations society had of girls and women at that point in time. Presenting anything else would have resulted in a loss of viewers. Fast forward to today. Many little girls still want to watch princesses in movies and dress up like them. But princesses no longer need the prince to sweep in and save them. Enter Raya. She and Namaari are both princesses who kick butt and save the world. Without a prince in sight. They are also the first South East Asian princesses in a Disney movie.

With their finger on the pulse of a changing social environment, Disney has gone to great lengths to be inclusive. Because, why shouldn't every little girl be able to see herself in a princess?

While they certainly did something spectacular with Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney don't always get it right.

I am a definite Disney fan. I dressed up as Belle for Book Week when I was a kid. I actually didn't want to be a princess when I was a little girl. I wanted to like Belle and own a massive library. But the pretty girl, who became a princess rather than being born one, was not actually my favourite character in Beauty and the Beast. I loved Mrs. Posts, Chip, Lumiere and Cogsworth. I find I tend to lean the same way for most movies. My favourites are not the main characters or the people, but the side characters. Which, barring exceptions like Beauty and the Beast (my all time favourite movie), are nearly always animals.

Imagine my absolute disappointment when Live Action (LA) Aladdin was released minus one of my favourite characters. Where. Was. Iago! Aladdin is my second favourite movie. You hurt me, Disney. You cut me deep.

When LA The Little Mermaid was announced, I had my doubts. This may not have been my favourite movie, but it was up there. Possibly ranked third. Probably because I can't sing along with the songs the way I can with my favourite two. But there are also the animal side kicks. I was really trepidatious about what they would do with Sebastion, Scuttle and Flounder. I swore if they changed Scuttle or worse left him out, I'd never forgive them!

To my immense relief, they did not. Not only did they leave Scuttle in, they cast Nora Lum (aka Awkwafina) in the role. You may recognise the voice. She also voices Sisu in Raya. She is very well known for a wide variety of acting roles (from now multiple Disney voice roles to Crazy Rich Asians to Renfield) as well as for her endeavours as a comedian and rapper. Which after hearing Scuttle sing in an attempt to set a romantic mood for Ariel and Eric (I'm not sure singing boom-chicka-wow-wow was the right mood but in the screening I attended all of us adults laughed), I'm not sure I want to go looking for her album. Joking, of course. I do love her voice. She has a distinctive sound. I may even forgive Disney for the Iago fiasco after her performance.

To be honest, I was not disappointed by the portrayal of any of the animal characters in LA The Little Mermaid. Any new spin put on a character did not detract from how much I enjoyed this version.

When it comes to Live Action remakes, I fully understand that some things in animation do not translate well to the new format. And I find that on the whole, fans tend to forget that the purpose of a remake is not to just produce an exact copy of the original with new actors. It is to translate to a different medium and put a slightly new spin on on the story while paying homage to what made the animation so special in the first place. Because let's face it, when someone messes with our favourites, we tend to be less than forgiving. It is a delicate balance.

Disney has also been expanding on the themes of the original animations. An example is the good dose of girl-power inserted into Aladdin. With The Little Mermaid, the themes were originally parent/child relationships (or parent/teen is probably more accurate) and the very human trait of thinking the grass (or seagrass as Sebastian so elequaintly sings it) is always greener. These themes had to stay, seeing as they are actually the main themes that shaped the plot. What is new is the theme of overcoming bigotry is really at the fore of this adaptation. Hinted at in the original, but becomes very much as obvious in the latest adaptation.

Where as previously, King Trident was the driving force behind a dislike for humans, this modern version shows clearly that the humans equally disliked the sea people. Trident's wife, Ariel's mother, was killed by fishermen who were afraid of the mermaid's 'siren song' that they believed would be lure them to their deaths. To be fair, that warbling with no words Ariel is famous for is actually a siren song in the LA. It is implied that the use of the siren call is misunderstood when she uses it in saving Eric's life. Clearly, the potential for misuse of an ability to manipulate others which is well explored in human legends colours their view of the merpeople. The human mistrust of the merpeople also stems from the belief that King Trident is the reason the island Eric's family rule is slowly eroding away and the cause of so many ship wrecks in the region. Erroneously so, as the merpeople blame the wrecks for litter and destruction of their environment.

Misunderstandings are the root of an ingrained mistrust between the merpeople and the humans, leading a sort of Romeo-and-Juliet feel to the budding romance.

The characters were generally well cast.

I've already mentioned the talented Nora. Another performance I found engaging was that of screen veteran, Javier Bardem as King Trident. There is something about his face that makes him very believable as the stern but loving dad who wants so much for his impetuous and headstrong youngest daughter to be happy - just not anywhere near the people who killed her mother.

Sadly, his love for her and his desire to protect her, is what ultimately makes her susceptible to the Sea Witch's manipulations, who (spoiler alert!!!) Is actually her father's sister. Shock horror!

There is a scene copied from the original movie where Trident feels remorse for destroying Ariel's secret grotto. It is touching. I think most parents would relate to Javier in that moment. Most of us, as parents, have spoken sharply to our children and regretted it after the high emotional state has had a chance to dissipate.

And you will not find the portrayal of the unhinged, psychopathic Ursula (played by Melissa McCarthy) wanting. She is delightfully evil and self serving. And yet somehow relatable. Come on, all you younger siblings, tell me that sometimes you don't feel like your older sibling gets preferential treatment from your parents?

Halle Bailey, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, does not disappoint as the much loved head-in-the-clouds Ariel. For a lead who spends a decent percentage of the film as a mute, she is still captivating. And why not? Communication is 55% non-verbal. She may not look like the animated Ariel, but she sounds amazing and she does the part justice.

I think the only character portrayal I was a little disappointed by was Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. There are a couple of moments that Eric shows a great promise. But for the most part, even though he is the one with lines, between Ariel and Sebastion and Scuttle, Eric's role in this adaptation seems to be a plot device to keep the story moving in the right direction. His character is eclipsed by the stronger personalities. I do wonder if this was Director Rob Marshall's intention. Especially in light of the change from Ursula meeting her demise at the pointy end of a ship wreck with Eric at the helm in the animation, Ariel seeing an opportunity to save Eric from Ursula's rage and driving the wreck to piece her heart. Disney is definitely leaning towards encouraging girls to believe that they can be heroes instead of waiting for a knight to ride in and save them. While Eric does help Ariel out of a sticky situation with Ursula, ultimately it is the princess that saves the day.

I found the LA The Little Mermaid entertaining, regardless of the changes. There are tweaks to the story, such as removing the character of the chef who tries to cook Sebastian in the original (honestly, I didn't miss him), but many of the scenes remain unaltered and recognisable. I don't think even die-hard fans of the original movie will be disappointed.

It will be very interesting to see where Disney goes in future especially seeing how far they have come since their founding on 16th October 1923. While they don't always get it right, the fact that they celebrate their one hundred year anniversary with their star still on the rise gives us a scope of their staying power.

Do Live Action versions of our favourite animated movies tell us something about the generations today? Possibly. Do we have trouble engaging with imagination, preferring to put a realistic face on things? I suspect that this is why Disney continues to release LA adaptations. First as a method of engaging younger generations of fans who are less interested in the older animated versions of their parent's favourites and second as a method of keeping some of their biggest income earners current. Make no mistake, the Disney marketing department know their stuff and would have put more money than most of us earn in a lifetime into researching the psychology of their consumers.

Will Live Action with CGI replace computer animation the way computers replaced ink and paper? Will Disney still be top of the game and innovating in another 100 years?

Only time will tell!

One thing I can tell you is this film is visually impressive, see it at the cinema if you can!