Special Features, Some Acting Are The Saving Graces For Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Reboot
- Philip Sayback
- July 29, 2023
- Movie and TV Reviews and News
- Daveed Diggs, Halley Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney Studios
- 0 Comments
Memo to the people at Walt Disney Studios: Stop. Please. Just stop. For a number of years now, the studio has shown anything but originality by churning out nothing but live action/CG reboots of movies already released by the company. Case in point are updates to movies, such as The Lion King, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast and even Aladdin. Only recently news came that yet another Disney flick — Moana – is going to get the live action/CG reboot treatment in the not-too-distant future, too. Before it hits though, yet another Disney classic recently released to theaters – The Little Mermaid – will come home to 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. The movie is streaming now through all digital outlets and is scheduled for physical release Sept. 19. This latest reboot offers little for audiences who are familiar with the studio’s original 1989 animated feature, as its story reveals. This will be discussed a little later, as it really is a major detractor for the presentation. While the story presents a number of problems that simply cannot be ignored, the bonus content that comes with its home release offers at least a little bit of engagement and entertainment. It will be addressed shortly. The work of at least some of the cast also makes for some interest in this presentation and will also be discussed later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of Disney’s reboot of The Little Mermaid. All things considered they make this movie even more proof of why Disney needs to just stop. Otherwise, its continued cannibalism of itself is eventually going to lead to its downfall.
Walt Disney Studios’ recent reboot of its 1989 animated feature, The Little Mermaid, is a work that many audiences will find quite disappointing. As with so many of the studio’s reboots this presentation – which made its theatrical debut May 28 – the movie does so little to improve on its source material. The one real positive that the movie offers at least in its forthcoming home release is its bonus content. The bonus content in question takes audiences behind the scenes of how the movie came to life. Viewers will be interested, for instance, to learn that the boat that was used in the movie’s opening scenes was in fact a real boat. Given the boat was on a mechanical lift in a sound stage that also included a machine that tossed water at the cast, but even with this in mind, it is interesting to learn that the movie’s creative forces went at least to that length to address the realism in the movie’s look. Just as eye-opening is the amount of CG that was used throughout the rest of the movie. This was briefly discussed by director Rob Marshall. He stated that obviously it would be impossible to make a movie underwater and he is right. Thanks to all of the CG used throughout the movie, the overall look of this movie is easily comparable to that Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies as well as to that of Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released last year through 20th Century Studios, a Disney subsidiary. That is both good and bad. It is good in just how clear it looks, but at the same time, that similarity in style also conjures thoughts of its being somewhat cookie cutter in its design.
On yet another note, viewers learn through the bonus feature focusing on the movie’s music that none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda – who has worked on other Disney movies, such as Encanto, Moana, and Mary Poppins Returns – also played a creative role in this movie. That is honestly not a good thing. That is because as audiences know, he has a tendency to lean way too heavily in the musical direction, and this movie was no exception to that rule. At least three new songs were added to the movie this time around. One was sung by star Halley Bailey, one by star Awkwafina (who also starred in Disney far better 2021 CG flick, Raya and the Last Dragon), and the other by Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women, A Dog’s Way Home, Postcards From London), who played the role of Princ Eric in this take. Those songs all add their own amount of extra time to the movie’s two-hour, five-minute run time. On a side note, the original animated take of The Little Mermaid ran on hour, 23 minutes in length. So between the extra songs that more than likely were the work of Miranda and the extra story elements added into the story, the extra time added to the movie is a lot. This will be examined at more length shortly. Getting back to the matter at hand, the bonus content that accompanies the movie in its home release clearly gives audiences an interesting look at how this movie came to life, just sadly never why it came to life. Either way, that content is the saving grace for this movie.
It is sad that the bonus content for the new take of The Little Mermaid is saved primarily by its bonus content. The story featured in this movie hurts its presentation so much. As noted already, Disney’s original 1989 animated take of the movie ran a total of 83 minutes. It got the story started, ran solidly and then ended just as solidly. This movie in this case adds 42 minutes of story and song to the mix. The result is that it gets lost in itself more often than not in unnecessary items. From Prince Eric trying to locate Ariel after she saves him, not knowing she was the one who saved him (can we say throwback to Cinderella, what with the prince there trying to find the girl who wore the glass slipper?), to Ariel’s little personal journey of discovery after she is rescued (following her transformation into a human), to so many other minor added moments, the story just allows itself to get lost in itself far too many times. The result is that the story ends up suffering quite noticeably from a pacing standpoint just as much as from a writing standpoint. The addition of the noted extra musical numbers adds even more to the concern. Simply put, from beginning to end, the story lacks any real focus, feeling like items were added to the story just to be added. The overall result is that many viewers will likely find themselves wanting to fast forward through the movie at many points, again showing the issues raised by the story.
There is no doubt that the story featured in this movie dramatically hurts the reboot’s presentation. As a matter of fact, the damage that it causes will likely ultimately result in the movie being anything but memorable for most audiences. Thankfully as much as it damages the movie’s presentation there is at least one more positive to note here. That positive is the work of at least some of the movie’s cast. Star Melissa McCarthy, best known for her work on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, really leads the way in the role of Ursula. It is a welcome change of pace from McCarthy, who is normally known for so much dumbed down comedy, to see her take on a more “serious” role. She somewhat echoes the performances of one Bette Midler during her few times on screen, in the best way possible. That is because the role does not allow her to be as over-the-top as she is in most of her roles. It forced her to show a different side of herself that maybe she needs to exhibit more often.
Just as notable in regard to the acting is Daveed Diggs (Wonder, Blindspotting, Hamilton), who takes on the role of Sebastian the crab this time out. Diggs had some big shoes to fill, considering the memorable performance by Samuel E. Wright in the original 1989 movie. Considering that Diggs is rather well-known for his work on Hamilton (which is the brainchild of Miranda), it becomes less a surprise that he landed the role here. His performance is clearly different than that of Wright but is still endearing in its own right. He does at least make a viable attempt to live up to the legacy set by Wright but he also works to make the role his own. That balance results in a performance that is deserving of its own applause.
Ms. Bailey, the movie’s star, deserves her own credit, too. She sang her own songs throughout the movie and was subdued even in the movie’s more overly romantic moments. There were so many moments throughout the movie in which she could have chewed the scenery so to speak but she kept herself in check throughout. That ability obviously comes from a resume that is already deserving of praise, having worked on the likes of ABC’s grown-ish (ABC being a division of Disney, too), Last Holiday and Disney’s adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. It will be no surprise if this movie helps to enrich her resume even more with even more roles being offered, even despite the problems raised by the story (including all of its plot holes and other concerns). Between her work, that of her noted cast mates and the bonus content featured in the movie’s forthcoming home release, Disney’s new reboot of The Little Mermaid proves at least somewhat worth watching, but ultimately forgettable in the end.
Walt Disney Studios’ forthcoming home release of its reboot of The Little Mermaid does little to improve on the presentation, which only made its theatrical debut only two months ago. Its primary saving grace is its bonus content, which takes audiences behind the scenes of the movie, which allegedly cost somewhere in the range of $250 million to make. According to figures from boxofficemojo.com, the movie has more than recouped that cost to date, bringing in $561 million globally. While the bonus content in the forthcoming home release does help the viewing experience, the story itself is problematic. It is loaded with plot holes, asides, and extra musical numbers that may well leave many viewers wanting to fast forward through the movie at multiple points. The work of at least some of the cast does help offset the issues in the writing. That acting work pairs with the bonus content to give viewers at least some more reason to watch the movie. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the presentation. All things considered they make The Little Mermaid worth watching at least once, but ultimately leave the movie largely another forgettable and unnecessary reboot from the people at Walt Disney Studios.
The Little Mermaid is scheduled for release on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD Sept. 19. More on this and other titles from Wal Disney Studios is available at:
Website: https://waltdisneystudios.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaltDisneyStudios
Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneystudios
