RECENTLY VIEWED: THE LITTLE MERMAID

My 10 year old loves Disney princesses. She is my princess after all. I have never seen the cartoon version of The Little Mermaid, so I wasn't too excited about this life action adaptation, but this past weekend I went to the theatre with my daughter and was pleasantly surprised. The film was directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay written by David Magee. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name, itself loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen. The film stars Halle Bailey in the titular role, alongside Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy. The Little Mermaid follows a mermaid princess Ariel who is fascinated with the human world and makes a deal with a treacherous sea witch Ursula to trade her voice to human legs in order to impress Prince Eric, who is saved from a shipwreck, before the time runs out.

Plans for a remake of 1989's The Little Mermaid were confirmed in May 2016. In December 2017, Disney announced Marshall was being courted to direct the film. Bailey, Tremblay, Awkwafina and the rest of the cast signed on between July 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 film's soundtrack, returned to compose the score and write new songs alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, who serves as a producer with Platt, John DeLuca and Marshall. The film is dedicated to the late Howard Ashman, who co-produced and co-wrote the songs from the original film.The Little Mermaid premiered in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023.

I didn't think I would like Hallee Bailey, a newcomer in the role, but the coming attractions did not do her justice. She was great in the role. I do not like Melissa McCarthy, but she really captured the role of Ursula and made it her own. My only complaint is the costume for the sea mermaids when they came out of water. They looked really hooky, and especially the king. The king looked like an old man wearing a cheap costume in water. Despite that, the movie is quite watchable, the music and color is fun, and I was happy to be able to see a live action Disney princess with my own princess. We also saw the movie in 3D which was breath taking. I liked the 2017 live action movie "Beauty And The Beast" more, but this was a surprisingly good adaptation as well...

MY RATING: 8 OUT OF 10