The Little Mermaid (2023)

The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall from the screenplay written by David Magee and Jane Goldman, and the story written by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, Marc Platt Productions, and 5000 Broadway Productions, this film is a live-action remake of Disney's 1989 animated feature film of the same name, which itself is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale of the same name. This film is produced by Marshall, DeLuca, Marc Platt, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the latter of whom co-wrote new songs for the remake as the lyricist, Alan Menken is set to return as the composer for both the score and the songs. This film featuring the voices of Halle Bailey in the titular role as Ariel, along with Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Noma Dumezweni and Melissa McCarthy, with Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina in voice roles. This film follows mermaid princess Ariel who makes the deal with the treacherous sea witch Ursula to trade her voice to human legs in order to impress Prince Eric, who is saved from the shipwreck, before the time runs out.
Plans for a remake of The Little Mermaid were confirmed in May 2016. Marshall joined this film as director in December 2017, and much of the main cast signed on from June to November 2019. Production was expected to begin in London between late March and early April 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming ultimately took place primarily at Pinewood Studios in England and in the island of Sardinia, Italy, from January to July 2021. Composer Alan Menken, who worked on the original movie's soundtrack, returned to compose the score and write new songs alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, who serves as the producer with Platt, John DeLuca and Marshall. This film is dedicated to the late Howard Ashman, who co-produced and co-wrote the songs from the original movie.
The Little Mermaid premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023, and was released in the United States on May 26 in RealD 3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema and 4DX formats, as well as in conventional theaters, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Critics praised the performances of the cast (particularly those of Bailey, McCarthy, and Diggs) and the musical sequences, but criticizing its visual effects and character designs.
==Plot==
Ariel (Halle Bailey) is the mermaid princess and the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), ruler of the merpeople of Atlantica. She is fascinated with the human world despite never having seen it, as Triton forbid all merfolk from going to the surface after Ariel's mother was killed by the human. Ariel collects human objects with the support of her best friend, Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), the sergeant major, and Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina), the Northern gannet.
Ariel misses the Coral Moon meeting that she was supposed to attend with her sisters, and is scolded by Triton. Afterward, she sees fireworks above the ocean and surfaces to see it up close. The fireworks come from the ship of Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), a prince of a nearby Caribbean island kingdom. Ariel overhears Eric telling the Prime Minister, Grimsby (Art Malik), about his wish to explore the unknown and help the people of his kingdom. The storm arrives and the ship crashes against the rocks, forcing all to go for the lifeboats. Ariel rescues Eric and brings him to shore, where she sings with her siren voice to help save his life. She flees before he can regain full consciousness. After Eric recovers, his adoptive mother Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni) forbids him from sailing again.
Ariel's absent-minded behavior is commented on by her sisters. Overhearing this, Triton questions his advisor Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs) the crab and learns that she saved a human's life. Triton travels to Ariel's grotto to confront her, when she refuses to swear to never go to the surface again, Triton destroys her collection of human objects in anger. After Triton leaves, Ariel is approached by a pair of moray eels who show her an image of the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), Triton's estranged younger sister and Ariel's aunt who was banished from Atlantica 15 years prior and she offers to help Ariel.
Ariel follows the eels to Ursula's lair, where she presents the deal: she will transform Ariel into the human for three days, during which Ariel must receive the "true love's kiss" from Eric to remain human permanently. If she fails, she will transform back into the mermaid and Ursula will claim her. To become human, Ariel must give up her tail, the ability to breathe underwater, and her siren voice, the last of which Ursula will keep in a nautilus shell. Ariel accepts the deal and is given human legs. She is taken to the surface by Flounder and Sebastian, and is rescued by a fisherman, who takes her to the island kingdom and to Eric's castle. Eric, who has been frantically searching for the woman who saved his life, rushes to meet Ariel when he hears of her arrival. Ariel is excited, but her lack of voice has Eric immediately turning away. Later that evening, Ariel explores the castle and finds Eric's collection of items he'd accumulated over his travels. Eric and Ariel spend time together poring over his collection.
The next day, Eric takes Ariel around the kingdom. Sebastian, who has followed Ariel on land, realizes that Ursula has put a cheat in the spell that's causing Ariel to forget that she needs to kiss Eric. Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder take it upon themselves to get the pair to kiss. They are almost successful, but are thwarted by Ursula's eels. Ursula is enraged by the close call, and transforms herself into the guise of a beautiful young woman named Vanessa (Jessica Alexander), and uses Ariel's siren voice to hypnotize Eric.
The next morning, Ariel and her friends discover that Eric will be announcing his engagement to Vanessa later that day. Scuttle discovers Vanessa's true identity and informs Ariel, who rushes to the engagement party and confronts Ursula to break the nautilus shell around her neck. Ariel's voice is restored to her and the enchantment on Eric is broken. But before they can kiss, the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into the mermaid. Ursula reverts to her original form before grabbing Ariel and diving back into the ocean.
Ursula is confronted by Triton, but reveals that the deal that she made with Ariel is unbreakable. Triton trades himself for Ariel and is turned to dust by Ursula's eels. Ursula claims Triton's trident just as Eric arrives to help, in the melee, Ursula accidentally kills her eels. Enraged, Ursula uses the trident to grow to the monstrous size and summons the storm to threaten Ariel and Eric. In this storm, Ariel pulls herself onto the surfaced ship and turns the helm at the right moment to impale Ursula with its splintered bowsprit. Once Ursula is killed, Triton comes back to life; he and Ariel recognize the other's sacrifice for them. Eric manages to return home, where Selina acknowledges that Eric and Ariel's love was real.
Triton eventually accepts that although Ariel has returned home as he wanted, she is unhappy without Eric. On Sebastian's advice, Triton transforms Ariel into the human permanently, and she reunites with Eric. The pair decide to travel together, with the blessing of both their parents and the support of people from both their worlds.
==Cast==
*Halle Bailey as Ariel, a curious and headstrong mermaid princess and King Triton's youngest daughter who is fascinated with the human world. Bailey was announced to have been cast on July 3, 2019. In the early stages of the film's development, Lindsay Lohan expressed interest in playing the role. Zendaya was reported to have been offered the part in August 2018, but she herself eventually stated that this was "just a rumor". Bailey was the first to audition for the role after Rob Marshall saw her perform Donny Hathaway's 1972 single "Where Is the Love" at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. According to Marshall, hundreds of other girls also tried out for the part, but she "set the bar so high that nobody surpassed it."
*Jonah Hauer-King as Eric, an adventurous and free-spirited human prince whom Ariel falls in love with after saving him from drowning. Hauer-King was announced to have been cast on November 12, 2019. Hundreds of candidates auditioned for the role, including actors Asher Angel, Gavin Leatherwood, Christian Navarro, Jack Whitehall, and Cameron Cuffe, with the latter, along with Hauer-King, doing a screen test alongside Bailey. Harry Styles was in early negotiations to play the part, but ultimately turned it down in favor of doing a concert tour to support his then-upcoming album, Fine Line. Marshall later elaborated that Styles also refused because he wanted to do darker, non-musical roles. Hauer-King described his character as "restless and inquisitive about where he is in the world, like Ariel… He’s quite isolated and sensitive."
*Javier Bardem as King Triton, Ariel's overprotective father and the King of Atlantica, who is prejudiced against humans due to the death of his wife at hands of one of them. Bardem was announced to have been cast on July 17, 2019. He described his character as "a little bit less grumpy than the original because we were intending to bring more conflict to his behaviour, like his fear and insecurity as a father. Being scared of letting his last daughter leave home ends up translating into being angry or too controlling." Prior to Bardem's casting, Terry Crews expressed interest in the role.
*Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, a treacherous and conniving sea witch and King Triton's estranged sister, with whom Ariel makes a deal to become a human, which is secretly part of Ursula's plan to conquer Atlantica. McCarthy was announced to have been cast on June 28, 2019. She described her character as "so funny. There's wit, there's manipulation. She's a great broad and at the same time, I have to think about what armor does she put in? And I don't think her mental health is great." Prior to McCarthy's casting, Lizzo auditioned for the role.
**Jessica Alexander as Vanessa, Ursula's human alter ego, which she uses to sabotage her deal with Ariel. Alexander was announced to have been cast on March 1, 2021. Kacey Musgraves was also considered for the role.
*Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Eric's adoptive mother and the ruler of a Caribbean island kingdom. She is a new character for the film. Dumezweni was announced to have been cast on January 5, 2021. She described her character as a "loving queen and a mother queen and a parent and a land lover learning about herself through letting go of her children."
*Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, the prime minister of Selina's kingdom and Eric's loyal confidant who acts as a father figure to him.
*Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, loyal crab and King Triton's trusted servant who watches over Ariel. Diggs was announced to have been cast on October 8, 2019.
*Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, a dimwitted northern garnet and a friend of Ariel's, to whom she provides inaccurate descriptions of any human/surface world object Ariel finds. The character will be portrayed as a female diving bird instead of a male seagull as in the original in order to feature the character in underwater scenes. Awkwafina was announced to have been cast on July 1, 2019.
*Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, an anxious yet noble sergeant major who is Ariel's best friend. Tremblay was announced to have been cast on July 1, 2019.
*Emily Coates as Rosa, a young girl who works as a maid in Eric's castle. She is a new character for the film.
*John Dagleish as Mulligan, one of Eric's shipmates. He is a new character for the film.
*Martina Laird as Lashana, one of the maids in Eric's castle. She is based on Carlotta from the animated film.
Additionally, Martina Laird appears as Lashana, one of the maids in Eric's castle, who is based on Carlotta from the animated film; Emily Coates appears as Rosa, a young girl who works as a maid in Eric's castle; Christopher Fairbank and John Dagleish appear as Hawkins and Mulligan, two of Eric's shipmates; Jude Akuwudike appears as Joshua, a fisherman who discovers Ariel in her human form; and Russell Balogh and Adrian Christopher appear as two of King Triton's guards. Also appearing as the daughters of Triton and Ariel's sisters (renamed for the film) are Lorena Andrea as Perla, Simone Ashley as Indira, Karolina Conchet as Mala, Sienna King as Tamika, Kajsa Mohammar as Karina, and Nathalie Sorrell as Caspia.
Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's green moray eel minions, and Max, Eric's pet dog, also appear. Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel in the animated film, cameos as a market vendor during Ariel and Eric's tour of the kingdom.
==Production==
===Development===
On May 25, 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Disney is in early development for a live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. On August 16, 2016, it was announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, a fan of the original film, will co-produce the film with Marc Platt.
On December 6, 2017, it was reported that Rob Marshall was being courted by the Walt Disney Company to direct the film, while Jane Goldman will serve as screenwriter. On December 5, 2018, Marshall revealed that he, along with John DeLuca and Marc Platt were hired to begin developing the project for film adaptation, and said that "John and [Marshall] have begun our work trying to explore it and figure it out", as he felt that "it's a very complicated movie to take from animation to live-action. Live-action's a whole other world so you have to be very careful about how that's done, but so we're starting the exploration phase". Later in December, Marshall was officially hired as director for the film. During an interview on December 21, 2018, Marshall revealed that the film is in very early stages of development, stating that the studio is trying to explore ways to translate the original film's story into live-action. On July 3, 2019, David Magee, who previously wrote the screenplay for Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns, was revealed to have written the script with Goldman. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that rehearsals for the film had already begun.
===Casting===
Both Lindsay Lohan and Chris Evans had expressed interest in starring in the adaptation, while some fans wanted Ariana Grande to play the role of Ariel. Zendaya was rumored to have been offered the title role from late 2018 to early 2019, but continuously stated that it was "just a rumor".
On June 28, 2019, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy was in talks to play Ursula in the film. Two days after, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay were rumored to have been cast in the film voicing a now gender-bent Scuttle and Ariel's sidekick Flounder, respectively, on July 1 this news was confirmed by Variety.
The next month, on July 3, Halle Bailey was officially announced through Disney's official social media accounts to play the title role of Ariel, with the director stating:
 
On the same month, Javier Bardem joined the cast as King Triton, while Harry Styles and Jack Whitehall considered the role of Prince Eric. However, in August 2019, it was revealed that Styles has turned down the part; he revealed in a November interview with Capital FM that there were a "few things" that they couldn't work out, he also stated: "I think it's obviously going to be an amazing film, but they shoot for so long and I wanna tour next year, maybe. I haven't announced that yet, but yeah, it just didn't quite line"; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Styles' tour was postponed, and the role of Prince Eric eventually went to British actor Jonah Hauer-King.
Director Rob Marshall said that the film is about "[Ariel] finding her voice ... And that immediately just felt like an interesting, timely piece that resonated with [the production crew]". Bailey said that she wanted to bring "freshness" to the character. She also said that "[i]t's amazing that the directors have been so forward in asking [her] to show [her] true self… that's been a really fun growing experience". Co-star Daveed Diggs said that the remake will give "some more power" to Ariel than the original film.
In October, Daveed Diggs, who previously worked on Miranda's musical Hamilton, joined the cast as the voice of Sebastian the crab. By November 2019, Jonah Hauer-King had been cast as Prince Eric. Cameron Cuffe was also in the running for the role, before Hauer-King was cast; both of which had already screen tested alongside Bailey.
On February 18, 2020, McCarthy confirmed her casting as Ursula during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show: "I play Ursula, the sea witch. It is so fun, we're just in rehearsals. It's been an absolute blast. Stepping into the world of Rob Marshall, it's like a fever dream, I just went to London for a week, I was like, 'I don't get to go to dance camp for a week.' All day he's like, 'Do you want to slide down this 40-foot clam shell?' I'm like, 'Yes! Of course I do. What are you, crazy?' It's been wildly creative."
In December 2020, Disney officially announced seven principal actors while also debuting the film's official logo.
On January 5, 2021, Noma Dumezweni was announced to have been cast in an undisclosed role. In a March 29, 2021, interview with Marie Claire Magazine, when asked about her role in the upcoming film, Dumezweni stated, "I can tell you that I'm doing it. I can tell you I'm very excited. I can tell you I had a chat with hair and makeup the other day and it was like, Yay!". On December 29, 2021, during an interview on Facebook's Talks with Mama Tina, Bailey recalled being scared and nervous while auditioning for the role of Ariel.
===Filming===
Filming was originally scheduled to begin in London around late March or early April 2020, however, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Set photos at Pinewood Studios in London, England leaked a few weeks after the production was shut down, it showed aerial images featuring Prince Eric's ship as well as indoor images of what seems to be his castle. On July 29, 2020, based on a social media post, Jacob Tremblay began recording his lines for the film. Filming was scheduled to re-commence on August 10, 2020. By November 2020, Disney's then-new CEO Bob Chapek announced that filming on all film that had been postponed during pandemic shutdowns had resumed filming, and in some cases completed principal photography.
In December 2020, McCarthy stated that she would hopefully begin filming in January 2021. The following month, Daveed Diggs discussed the large amount of work he had to do when it came to preparing for and recording dialogue for the role of Sebastian.
Principal photography officially began at Pinewood Studios in Iver, England on January 30, 2021. Filming for McCarthy's scenes eventually began in April 2021. On April 6, it was announced that additional filming would be happening in summer in Sardinia, Italy, for a total of "roughly three months." In June 2021, production was temporarily halted due to multiple crew members of the film contracting COVID-19. Filming resumed about a week later and officially wrapped on July 11, 2021. On December 30, 2021, Bailey shared some new behind-the-scenes photos of the set, including a glimpse of her portrayal of Ariel. The actress took to Instagram to wrap up her year and shared photos of moments of shooting the film. The first photo showed the film's script, which was blurred to avoid spoilers, but still showed her character name "Ariel" in bold print. One photo showed her swimming in Sardinia's waters, while another showed the process of film-making using CGI. In February 2023, Marshall revealed that he hopes post-production work on the film will be completed by March, saying: "I'm very proud of the film. It's the most challenging film I've ever done, for sure. No question … Using complicated, cutting-edge techniques to make this work. I don't think anybody's ever done an underwater musical before. I have to say every single moment of the film had to be choreographed in advance so that we could have a flow to the whole piece. It's crazy the apparatuses we worked with from wires to things called tuning forks to teeter-totters. Thank God we had the rehearsal time. You always need it on a musical anyway."
On March 22, 2023, Bailey revealed that she had to spend 13 hours underwater during certain days of filming and that practical water tanks and CGI were used to create the underwater environments, saying: "I pushed myself as far as I've ever pushed myself in life … And I feel like the message from [Ariel] was to know that you've always had it in you." She also revealed that the film's themes were updated so that it is not put at the forefront that Ariel "leaves the ocean for a boy" in response to recent criticism surrounding the portrayal of that desire in the original film. On that, she added "I'm really excited for my version of the film because we've definitely changed that perspective … It's way bigger than that. It's about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants. As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above, and I'm glad that Disney is updating some of those themes."
===Visual effects===
Visual effects will be provided by Industrial Light & Magic, Wētā FX, Moving Picture Company and Framestore. DNEG will provide the stereo conversion. For the "Under the Sea" sequence, Marshall called it a "big, massive musical number" and said that creating the underwater environments involved "a lot of work in advance with John DeLuca and myself creating these musical sequences, to prep it in advance from storyboards to something called pre-visualization, which is almost like a little mini-animated film, so we know how it flowed and how it worked ... You are creating a world, you're creating creatures, but it's very important to me that it feels real – you have to believe, you have to care about them, you have to follow their journey."
On May 19, 2023, Marshall revealed that his work on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which featured a mermaid character named Tamara) helped influence his work on The Little Mermaid, using similar live-action and CGI techniques to bring Ariel, her sisters and King Triton to life. He called it "a great launching point for us" and showed his work on Pirates to the crew and visual effects team to break down the process. The colorful tails of the merpeople characters were designed by Marshall's frequent costume designer Colleen Atwood, who used real fish as references to make each of the tails of Ariel and her sisters look more distinct from one another, and also designed the costumes for the human characters.
===Casting controversy===
After the announcement of Halle Bailey as the role of Ariel in July 2019, and after the first trailer was released in September 2022, the film gained both positive and negative responses from the public for casting a black actress as Ariel, who was originally white in the 1989 animated film. Arguments for the negative response have included that a black mermaid does not adhere to historical accuracy (Hans Christian Andersen's description of the mermaid is that "her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea"), that the adaptation should be as close to the original as possible, and that mermaids allegedly can not be black as they are underwater creatures. Criticism of the casting after the teaser trailer release became viral and elicited the hashtag #NotMyAriel. Many media outlets as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film's producer and lyricist, criticized the negative response and described it as being racist. Stuart Heritage of The Guardian argued, "The boring spat over the Disney trailer makes idiots of us all – whether Ariel is black or white, it is clearly a film that should rightfully be ignored then forgotten forever", suggesting instead that there should be a "grotesque scaly mutant as the lead".
During an interview in August 2019, Bailey said that "[she doesn't] pay attention to the negativity", while Auli'i Cravalho, who played Ariel in a musical presentation as a part of The Wonderful World of Disney, expressed excitement at watching Bailey's portrayal of the character. Jodi Benson, the voice actor for Ariel in the 1989 film, praised Bailey, stating, "I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters". Brandy Norwood, the first woman of color to play Cinderella in the 1997 Disney television film of the same, and Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana (Disney's first official African-American Princess), also both praised the casting of Bailey as Ariel. Rachel Zegler, who played Maria in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film version of West Side Story and will play the titular role in Disney's 2024 live-action remake of Snow White, also voiced her support for Bailey. In February 2023, after another first look of the film was released online, which had some negative reactions, Bailey revealed that she was trying during the film's promotional campaign to ignore the criticisms shown by racist trolls on social media and instead focus on the positives of the anticipation for the film's release. In a cover story for The Face, Bailey further added "I know people are like: 'It's not about race.' But now that I'm her... People don't understand that when you're Black there's this whole other community... It's so important for us to see ourselves."
A poll conducted from July 8–10, 2022, from Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult found that just under half of Americans supported the idea of minorities playing the roles of characters who had been cast as white. When asked "Thinking about live-action movie remakes of classic cartoons, do you support or oppose actors who are racial and ethnic minorities playing characters who have been white in past films?", 48% answered "strongly" or "somewhat" support, 21% said "strongly" or "somewhat" oppose, while 31% either did not know or had no opinion. On the other hand, the same poll also found a majority in support of remakes that are "as close to their original as possible, including sticking to the race and ethnicity of each character."
Furthermore, after the casting of Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, a portion of fans expressed disappointment that the character would not be portrayed by a drag queen, since she was inspired by American drag queen Divine. McCarthy would eventually soften the criticism regarding her casting by revealing that she did look to drag queens for inspiration on how she would portray the character. After the release of character posters for the film, fans took aim at the character designs for Flounder and Sebastian, criticizing the filmmakers for making the characters look "too realistic" in comparison to their original counterparts, a common issue seen in Disney's previous live-action remakes of their animated films. Jacob Tremblay, the voice of Flounder, later clarified that he first saw his character's design during the auditions, saying that it "works out perfectly" and that the filmmakers "were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing."
==Music==
On March 17, 2017, it was announced that Alan Menken, who previously scored and co-wrote songs for the original film, would return as the film's composer and to write new songs alongside producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Three months later, Menken stated that his work on the film's music had been put on hold due to Miranda and Marc Platt's schedules with Mary Poppins Returns. On May 20, 2019, Menken stated that The Little Mermaid would be his next project, following the release of the live-action adaptation of Aladdin, and on July 9, he and Miranda started working on new songs for the film. On replacing the original film's lyricist, the late Howard Ashman, Miranda felt that "[he] will definitely fall short" to Ashman's work, arguing that "no one can write like him". On January 16, 2020, Halle Bailey confirmed that the song "Part of Your World", from the original film, will appear in the remake. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that he and Menken wrote four new songs for the film. On February 19, 2021, Menken said that the new songs would be a "blend" of his and Miranda's styles. He elaborated that the songs would feature "some rapping" in the vein of Miranda's previous works, as well as a closer style to his usual work.
On September 22, 2021, Menken sat down with Disney's For Scores podcast and confirmed that the film will feature four new songs. He also recalled that Miranda was "daunted" by the prospect of following on in the footsteps of the late Howard Ashman, the lyricist who worked with Menken to write the original film's songs. On November 24, 2021, in a recent interview with Collider, Miranda talked about his admiration for The Little Mermaid and how Ashman and Menken helped shape his childhood. He said:
On January 20, 2022, Halle spoke with Stylecater, saying that she was so emotional while filming "Part of Your World". She said:
On February 17, 2022, during a podcast interview with Variety, Miranda revealed that one of the new songs for the live-action film will take place when Ariel is on land in her human form. He also revealed that star Daveed Diggs might rap in the film. This was confirmed later on March 31, 2023 by Menken, revealing the title of the new rap song as "The Scuttlebutt". He described it as a "harebrained" song for Scuttle and Sebastian "…trying to figure out what's going on because they hear rumors that the prince has decided to marry. They think it must be Ariel but of course it's Ursula in the form of Vanessa. It's all this delicious imagination. Lin’s lyrics are to die for."
Menken then provided more details on the new songs, revealing that the first of the four that was written during the film's development was a solo for Prince Eric, "Wild Unchartered Waters", resulting from Marshall wanting "…a new song for this moment of waves and all the wildness of what's out there in the ocean… [Ariel] represented that to [Prince Eric]; she being the girl who saved his life. Live action films are really a director's medium." He then revealed that the fourth song did not make the final cut and was supposed to be a new song for King Triton entitled "Impossible Child", as he and the filmmakers felt that it "dramaturgically" was not needed, but did say that the song would be released to the public at a later date, possibly on the film's home media release. Some of the lyrics for "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss the Girl" were updated as well, with Menken explaining that for "Kiss the Girl", it was because "people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel]," while that for "Poor Unfortunate Souls", it was because of "…lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn't speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice."
In a first for the live-action remakes of Disney's animated musical films, two songs from the original film were cut: "Daughters of Triton," sung by Ariel's sisters and "Les Poissons," sung by the character of Eric's french cook Chef Louis, who also was cut from the film. Menken explained the reasons for cutting the former, saying that it felt "not needed" given the new approach the filmmakers gave to the sisters, and that they wanted the film to begin "with a much more of a live-action feel of the ocean and meeting Ariel, and then we wait a little bit, make you wait until we get to 'Part of Your World.' And I think that was, you know, it was an amazing choice because it just builds the power and anticipation." On cutting the latter, Marshall explained "It's literally a Saturday morning cartoon section. If we had filmed it – I don't know how we would've filmed it –- it never would have played. It's also a vacation from the story and has nothing to do with the story, so you can't do that in a live-action film."
The soundtrack album was made available to pre-save and pre-order on March 13, 2023, and was released digitally on May 19, and on CD and vinyl on May 26, 2023, by Walt Disney Records. Bailey's version of "Part of Your World" was released as a digital download single on April 26, 2023, one month before the film's release, as well as the Korean version by Danielle of NewJeans.
==Release==
The Little Mermaid held its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023, followed by the London premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15. It was released theatrically on May 26, 2023, in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
===Marketing===
On September 9, 2022, Rob Marshall and Halle Bailey appeared at the 2022 D23 Expo to introduce an exclusive presentation of the film's "Part of Your World" sequence, which received a positive response from the attendees, who praised Bailey's vocal performance. The film's teaser trailer was released to the public the same day. On October 13, 2022, the first movie poster was released to the public, which Bailey synchronously captioned on Twitter: "Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marshall says that this new take on Ariel spotlights a 'modern woman'. He says that the character goes back to Hans Christian Andersen from another century, but at the same time in 1989, that it felt in some ways like a very modern woman, someone who sees Ariel's life differently than anyone around her, and goes to find that dream. On January 21, 2023, Disney Live Entertainment announced a casting call for character look-alike actresses to portray Bailey's version of Ariel as a character meet-and-greet at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Disneyland in Anaheim, California and Disneyland Paris in Paris, France as part of the film's promotional campaign. It was later confirmed by Disney Parks that these meet-and-greets would run for a limited engagement throughout the summer, with the original, classic Ariel being reinstated afterwards.
On March 12, 2023, the official trailer was shown during the 95th Academy Awards, introduced on stage by Bailey and McCarthy, and then released online alongside a new poster. Disney reportedly paid ABC $10 million to show the trailer during the ceremony.
A series of books based on the film were released on April 11, 2023. These include an original prequel novel entitled The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide by J. Elle; an illustrated picture book adaptation entitled The Little Mermaid: Make A Splash by Ashley Franklin and Paul Kellam; The Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolk by Eric Geron detailing this film's depictions of Ariel, her sisters and universe; and the film's novelization by Faith Noelle.
On May 7, 2023, a first-look at the "Kiss the Girl" sequence was presented during the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, introduced virtually by Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King, due to the live ceremony being cancelled in response to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. On May 14, 2023, Bailey appeared during Disney Night on season 21 of American Idol to promote the film and perform her version of "Part of Your World" live for the first time.
The Little Mermaid had the biggest global promotional campaign for a Disney branded live-action title at $80 million in value, with partner deals with the likes of McDonald's, Booking.com, and Kellogg's.
==Reception==
===Pre-release===
Variety reported that the official teaser trailer of The Little Mermaid garnered more than 104 million global views during the first weekend following its release. It surpassed recent Disney live-action releases including Beauty and the Beast with 94 million, Aladdin with 74 million and Cruella with 68 million. After the release of the trailer in September 2022, videos of black girls positively reacting to it went viral. In December 2022, the film ranked number three as the "Most Anticipated Family Film" of 2023 in a poll conducted by Fandango Media while Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy ranked number one as the "Most Anticipated New Performance on the Big Screen" and "Most Anticipated Villain", respectively. In April 2023, the film ranked fifth in another poll conducted by Fandango for the "Most Anticipated Summer Films" of 2023, behind Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Following its premiere at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, 2023, the official trailer reportedly generated over 108 million global views within its first 24 hours. It is now among the most watched trailers for any reimagined title in Disney’s growing stable of live-action, and the biggest for a Disney live-action title since the 2019 remake of The Lion King.
An early private test screening of the film's final cut took place on April 30, 2023 at The Whitby Hotel in New York City. The event, hosted by Marshall and DeLuca, was attended by 80 celebrities and industry professionals.
Initial reactions to the film following the world premiere were moderately positive, with Bailey's performance receiving widespread praise. Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture felt mixed on the visuals but praised the performances of Bailey, McCarthy and Diggs, while Courtney Howard of Variety called it "charming, but incredibly spotty." Erik Davis of Fandango Media called it "one of the better live-action adaptations" and praised the cast's performances.
===Box office===
The Little Mermaid grossed $298.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $271.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $569.6 million.
In the United States and Canada, The Little Mermaid was released alongside The Machine, Kandahar, About My Father, and You Hurt My Feelings, was projected to gross $120–125 million from 4,320 theaters over its four-day Memorial Day opening weekend. The film made $38 million on its first day, including $10.3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $95.5 million in the traditional weekend, and an estimated $117.5 million over the four-day frame, topping the box office (dethroning holdover Fast X) and making it the fifth-highest Memorial Day opening in history, behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
=== Critical response ===
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 242 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-action Little Mermaid ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings." Metacritic, using a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an overall 91% positive score, with 76% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Vanessa Armstrong of /Film called it a live-action remake "done well" that "improves on the original" and had no doubt that "it will become an indelible part of many a young person's childhood, and I can't wait to watch it with my daughter."https://www.slashfilm.com/1292418/the-little-mermaid-review/ Molly Edwards of Total Film gave it four stars out of five and called it "A sparkling, enchanting new spin that out-swims the original, with a pitch-perfect performance from Halle Bailey."https://www.gamesradar.com/the-little-mermaid-2023-review/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=total-film&utm_source=twitter.com Zoë Rose Bryant of Next Best Picture praised its sense of nostalgia and called Bailey and Hauer-King the "stars of the show." She did, however, criticize the visual effects, but said that they were "far better than the oft-maligned trailers would lead you to believe."https://nextbestpicture.com/the-little-mermaid/ Peter Debruge of Variety lauded the film, saying that "Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic."https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-little-mermaid-review-halle-bailey-melissa-mccarthy-1235620560/
Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote that "Marshall has made a movie with all the magic required to pull it off and, if not replace the original in our hearts, at least has made a movie that can stand next to that one to also become a memorable part of our cinematic world."https://deadline.com/2023/05/the-little-mermaid-review-rob-marshalls-live-action-take-disney-animated-classic-1235368418/ Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly praised the performances of Bailey, Hauer-King and McCarthy, and named the "Under the Sea" sequence as the film's best musical highlight.https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-little-mermaid-review-halle-bailey/ Rachel LaBonte of Screen Rant felt mixed, saying that the film is "bolstered by deeper characterization and a grand scope, even as it grapples with flaws."https://screenrant.com/the-little-mermaid-review/ Brian Truitt of USA Today wrote that "While not everything goes swimmingly, Halle Bailey splendidly buoys this "Mermaid" as the naive underwater youngster with dreams of exploring the surface."https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/05/22/the-little-mermaid-movie-review-halle-bailey-disney-remake/70239548007/ Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture panned the film, writing that with this film, "Disney betrays its own lack of imagination and an essential misreading of what made its original children’s fare such a joy to audiences in the first place."https://www.vulture.com/2023/05/what-happened-to-the-frothy-pleasure-of-the-little-mermaid.html
==Possible sequels==
On April 25, 2023, Rob Marshall hinted at the possibility of there being sequels to the film if it is successful, saying, "It's a classic story that has a lot of characters and a lot of interesting stories. I do think it's right for certain things. But you have to see how a movie plays, and how it does... I think there's always opportunity to find stories within stories. That's always a wonderful thing." It has not been confirmed whether the potential sequels will be completely new original stories or take inspiration from the original film's direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), which focused on Ariel and Eric's daughter Melody, and direct-to-video prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008).
==Videos==
===Trailers===
The Little Mermaid - Official Teaser Trailer
The Little Mermaid - Official Trailer
===Pre-release clips===
The Little Mermaid - Wish
==References==
==External links==
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