Walt Disney Pictures
Three decades later, Disney takes the story of The Little Mermaid to its live-action version, of which we share our review and criticism
In 1989 Walt Disney conquered audiences of all ages with The Little Mermaid, the animated adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, The Little Mermaid. More than 30 years away, Walt Disney Pictures adapted this live-action animation into a film directed by Rob Marshall.
Although Disney’s live-action remakes date back to 1996 with 101 Dalmatians, in the last fifteen years efforts have been redoubled to bring these animated classics to a new era, triumphing in cases such as Cruella, Aladdin, although luck has not been with them. like in Peter Pan or Pinocchio.
The Little Mermaid tells us about the adventures of Ariel, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, who wants to know what lies beyond the seven seas, when she rescues Prince Eric, with whom she falls in love, but to get to him she must do a deal with Ursula, which could lead her to lose everything forever.
an ocean of surprises
When the making of this adaptation of The Little Mermaid was announced, the opinions were not the most favorable, but the team led by filmmaker Rob Marshall manages to silence the vast majority of these critics with good reasons to see the film on the big screen.
The one that stands out the most is the appearance of the young actress and singer Halle Bailey, who managed to capture the essence of the animated version in Ariel, moving from adventure to innocence and landing on heroism, dispelling all doubts about her work.
Bailey manages to shine in this live action, with his charisma, grace and his great voice, when interpreting the songs of Marc Platt and the new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
It would not be unusual to see Bailey in future projects of Disney affiliates. How would this actress look like the new version of Storm for Marvel Studios’ X-Men?
Experience that brings, although…
Two actors who show tables in this film are Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy, who plays Úrsula. Compared to the animation, in this version Ursula is the sister of Triton, who expelled her from her kingdom 15 years ago.
McCarthy delivers a Úrsula who at times steals the camera for her performance as the Sea Witch, using revenge and sarcasm as effective weapons to carry the leading role.
While Bardem shows that he is an old sea lion (ha!) and also captures what we met in the animated version of the inflexible monarch of the oceans, who seeks to protect his daughters and his kingdom against the threat of humans.
Even supporting characters like Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle have their moments of brilliance within the film, although they fall short of the grace of their animated versions.
Unfortunately, the person who fails to live up to the production is Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, who left aside the charisma of this character in the animated version, and his performance became an ordeal.
SMASH Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Little Mermaid manages to evoke the magical moments of the animated film, becoming a pleasant surprise for adults, while the little ones will find in this live-action a pleasant experience at the cinema.
The music and the special effects round off a film that, although it threatened to sink in the storm of controversy, managed to overcome the waves to present itself as an interesting option for summer releases.
The Little Mermaid will arrive on May 25 in movie theaters in the Mexican Republic and on May 26 in complexes around the world.
Source: SMASH