The Little Mermaid Review
Credit to: DisneyUnder the seeea! Under the seeeeeeeeea- Sorry.
Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re taking a look at Disney’s brand new live-action film, The Little Mermaid! Been a little while, and I figured this would be the best thing to talk about after our little break here at The Wolf Den. The film is definitely controversy heavy, but after taking the time to watch it myself, I really can’t understand why. People have complained about the fact that Ariel is portrayed by an African-American woman (Halle Bailey), and honestly, my personal stance is this: Y’all have nothing better to do and it’s clear. Sorry if that hurts some feelings, but at the same time? I don’t care! She’s Ariel. This is the review of The Little Mermaid, where Ariel is played by a African-American woman. Cool? Cool. Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
Pros
When it comes to Disney’s live-action adaptations, this one is easily the most meaningful. It’s a project that has a message. Disney films have takeaways of course, but this one has the word ‘representation’ written all over it. It isn’t forced whatsoever, it’s actually extremely organic. While it really shouldn’t matter, there’s actually an explanation for why Ariel is black. Let’s just say the king has been around all 7 seas, which is apparent due to the cultural backgrounds of the rest of his daughters. The concern is that Disney is invoking woke propaganda due to Ariel being portrayed by a black actress, but I believe that for a film about a mermaid who falls in love with a human, I think it’s a little ridiculous to see that as such an issue. Back to the talk of representation, I feel like what people are missing is the fact that this film allows for children, black, Hispanic, Asian, etcetera to look at a woman of color and say to themselves, “If she can do this, so can I,” and that’s powerful. Is it truly wrong to see a child have someone to look up to? Is it wrong to have a child feel represented in something as big as a Disney film? We have a film that not only respects the work of the original, but builds upon it and sends a message. The problem that Ariel faces is a problem that people of color face, minorities face, people who are considered “different” face. The human world is looked at as evil, yet she wants to be a part of it. She wants to explore it. Learn about it. Love it. After finding the man of her dreams, Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, a human who wants to venture out to sea and find out more about it. He himself is locked away by his adopted mother, Queen Selina, played by Noma Dumezweni, who believes she’s protecting her son from danger. She has her own fear of a sea god and the horrors beneath the surface of the sea. These are two very beautiful worlds that separate themselves from one another based on misconceptions. King Triton, played by Javier Bardem, has a deep hatred of humanity, for reasons that I won’t spoil, and it impacts the relationship that he has with his very curious daughter Ariel. Maybe she’s blind to danger, in fact she can be blind to it, and so can Prince Eric, but the moment they meet, the moment Ariel is able to walk on her own two feet, we see how well the two worlds can combine. How with love, things can truly be okay. With understanding, patience, and open-mindedness, can these two different people connect and learn to coexist. There’s two standout moments in this film that really drive home the importance of representation. One scene in the middle, which shows all kinds of different cultures combining with their dancing, their food, their songs, their lives, and most importantly, their willingness to be together, and the other scene which takes place at the end, where we see merpeople in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and skin tones. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a while. People can watch this film identifying with it one way or another, and that’s truly amazing.
Now let me tell y’all something. This movie is so visually pleasing to look at. Shot for shot, we’re treated to gorgeous environments, both practical and those done with visual effects. The ocean world was so bright and colorful, and the creatures are gorgeous and amazing. The designs of Ariel and the rest of the merpeople, including King Triton and his other daughters are absolutely amazing. Their long, majestic tails and fins are such beautiful works of art. I can’t comment too much about the designs of Ariel’s friends because while they too look very realistic and great, well, they’re just a crab, fish and a bird. But they look good! The set design is fantastic. This movie has a lot of singing and movement for the characters that are performing, so it was important to have them in environments that not only looked familiar in comparison to the original, but they had to pop. They had to look pretty, had to look fun and inviting. The ocean world was great to be in, but even on the surface world, we get some great scenery. Prince Eric’s ship, his castle, and the rest of the land are all beautifully designed. The ship has clearly served for quite some time, but the old girl still keeps going strong, strong enough for a lively crew to dance around and sing plenty of sea shanties. The castle looks old yet elegant, and each room is so unique from one another. The world around them is filled with people of different cultures, who come together as I mentioned before and live in this diverse community together. The environment around them is full of lush greenery and pretty wildlife. Perfect for a certain couple to fall in love. Overall, this was a stunning film to look at. Beyond the visuals, it’s the SOUND for me. Sure sure, the sound design is great when it comes to the sounds of the ocean and things like that, that’s something you’d expect out of Disney. But this title is famous for its songs, and man. Man, man, man. The music in this movie is just so damn good. There’s the classics that you’d expect which sound phenomenal with these new voices and takes on them, but there’s even some newer songs that really do add on to this project. Visuals? Check. Sounds? CHECK CHECK CHECK. Phenomenal.
One last thing I want to touch on are the characters. Ariel feels like the same old Ariel we all know and love, but with a new take on her. Halle Bailey brings a performance that’s full of energy, and she does great at showing the curious side of the teenage mermaid. Prince Eric has his classic, boyish charm, while also maintaining his hard-headedness and somewhat ignorant personality. Beyond this, he still treats Ariel with all the respect in the world, and goes to many lengths to see her again and to defend her. King Triton is a powerful and stubborn king, who possesses an arrogant personality, but also has the traits of a protective father that you can understand from a certain point of view. Queen Selina is a calm, gentle queen, but she too can be as controlling as King Triton. But, with that said, she supports Eric in any way that she can. We then have the supportive friends of Ariel. Sebastian, voiced by Daveed Diggs, who absolutely carries the movie with his humor and his wisdom, Flounder, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, is adorable and brave, even when he’s scared. Then there’s Scuttle, voiced by Awkwafina, who is very annoying in a pretty humorous way, but she does her best to support Ariel and friends. Together, they all stay by Ariel’s side from beginning to end. Then we have Sir Grimsby, played by Art Malik, who is the absolute definition of a ride or die. This character is loyal to the queen and Eric, but does what he can to make sure that Eric gets away with certain things when it comes to finding his true love. This man is wingman of the year. Finally, we have one of the most famous Disney villains of all time, Ursula, played by Melissa McCarthy. This is literally the Ursula we all know and love. She’s her same old dastardly self, and she’s got the classic sass we all know and love. We even have an interesting connection between herself and the king, which was a cool addition. On top of this, she’s pretty funny here. All together, we have a wonderful cast that work combine their talents to make this absolutely wonderful film. This was a fantastic watch.
Cons
I have one major issue and one minor ones. The major one, is that the world feels very small. There really isn’t much of an Atlantis honestly. We have King Triton’s throne room, Ariel’s room, the shipwreck area, aaaand the ocean floor. That’s basically it. The scenery in this big open sea gets very repetitive. The same thing applies to the surface world. Besides Prince Eric’s castle, we get a village, the jungle area, and out at sea. There’s not much else that goes on here. It would’ve been nice to get more from these areas. Let’s see where other merpeople live, let’s see more of the world of man, things like that. Then, my minor issue with Ursula. They underused her. Not only that, but they made her less scary here. We don’t see the full extent of Ursula’s Garden the way we do in the original. No unfortunate souls except some skulls here and there, but come ooon. We should’ve seen the transformed merpeople who couldn’t complete their end of a deal stuck inside her garden, wailing and groaning. Are those gripes minor, maybe even a bit too much? Probably, but I can’t help but stand by them.
Final Thoughts
This movie was fantastic, and I do mean fantastic. It was fun, full of good energy, and has a powerful message. This is something I’d watch with my kids one day, and I mean that. Flounder looks weird, but boy he’s still cute in his own way. I think that with this movie, we’re seeing Disney take a step in the right direction when it comes to their live-action adaptations, especially after seeing Peter Pan & Wendy. This is how you stay faithful to a project while also adding onto it, not necessarily taking away from it (besides Ursula’s Garden). But what did you all think? Let us know on our Instagram, and make sure you’re following us there to stay up to date with the latest and greatest entertainment news and reviews. But that’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den!
