Halle Bailey is a perfect Ariel in an otherwise paint-by-numbers Disney remake that could've delivered more for Ursula
- Warning: There are mild spoilers for "The Little Mermaid."
- Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy steal the show in one of Disney's better remakes.
Don't be surprised if Halle Bailey earns an Oscar nomination for her delivery of "Part of Your World" in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" remake.
The singer executes the iconic song masterfully in a performance so rich and so captivating that it's difficult to not feel chills when she holds onto one of the final notes for six seconds, showing off her impressive range.
Her desire to explore the shore up above is palpable.
From director Rob Marshall ("Mary Poppins Returns," "Into the Woods"), Disney's latest live-action remake reimagines the 1989 Oscar winner, following the youngest of King Triton's seven daughters, Ariel, who becomes infatuated with the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) after saving his life, much to the dismay of her human-averse father, (played by Javier Bardem).
Longing to be human, Ariel makes a hasty deal with the sea witch, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), trading her sea legs for human ones at the price of her voice.
Just like in the animated film, Ariel and Eric must share true love's kiss before the sun sets on day three to remain human — or it's back to the sea where she's at Ursula's mercy.
Bailey is a perfect Ariel, building upon Jodi Benson's original performance, making the character stronger, bolder, and a bit wiser than the original's lovesick protagonist who was caught up in pursuing a kiss simply to break a spell. The actor's delivery will silence naysayers who critiqued her initial casting in 2019.
Disney's latest remake is one of its best, but that's not saying much. Fantastic performances and a few smart updates aside, Marshall largely delivers the same paint-by-numbers story in a longer movie that should've pushed the bar more with its antagonist instead of wasting time on forgettable new songs.
A better, more believable love story for Ariel and Eric
There was always something creepy once you realized 16-year-old Ariel met, fell "in love" with, and married a guy within days of meeting him in the original movie.
The remake does a much better job at pacing Ariel and Eric's relationship, forging a bond of friendship between the two over common interests (they both share a knack for collecting) to make their love story less shallow and more genuine. (She's also an adult here; according to production notes, live-action Ariel is 18.)
The best update is a change to the deal Ursula makes with Ariel. In the remake, unbeknownst to the mermaid, Ursula makes it so she can't remember she needs to kiss Eric to stay human. Rather than view Eric as an object to throw herself at, Ariel's encouraged to get to know the man who holds her affection.
It's a better message to send to children instead of chasing boys for kisses.
As a result, the pair spend a day "warm on the sand," fulfilling Ariel's desire from her "Part of Your World" ballad to dance with humans on the shore, something the original never did.
However, the couple still winds up married in a rushed ending that Disney tries to vaguely and oddly gloss over.
Bailey and McCarthy carry the film with incredible vocals. The three new songs are largely forgettable.
Melissa McCarthy makes a deliciously evil Ursula who's all too eager to take advantage of Ariel's infatuation. Her rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is the remake's second-best musical number apart from "Part of Your World."
It's frustrating that the movie bothers introducing Ursula as King Triton's sister (a plot line teased in a deleted scene from the original) and fails to dive deeper into that relationship.
I expected the remake's additional 40-minute runtime to include some sort of explanation as to why Ursula was exiled to make her a more empathetic villain. (Perhaps Disney's waiting to mine that material for a prequel.)
Despite online backlash over the realistic designs of Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle, Ariel's trio of friends are standouts in the film. Daveed Diggs gives a particularly hysterical performance as the lovable crustacean, chasing down the teenager.
Bailey also wows in a new song, "For the First Time." A clever number sung in her head after losing her voice, it's the best new addition of the three songs.
Sorry not sorry, but no one asked for a forgettable Prince Eric song. (Although this would be a different story if it had been sung by Harry Styles, who turned down the role).
And as fun as Lin Manuel-Miranda's "Scuttlebutt" rap is on an initial listen, it's too juvenile to necessitate repeat plays.
'The Little Mermaid' is one of Disney's best remakes, but the original is still better
When Sebastian sang about a "carp playing a harp," "the lings on the strings," and "the trout rockin' out" in 1989's performance of "Under the Sea," a song that garnered the animated film an Oscar, each of those lyrics was tied to a specific colorful visual of each fish playing instruments.
In the remake, those same lyrics and more ring hollow when they don't match what's happening on-screen.
And that's where this movie and other remakes start to fall short. No matter how many of these reimaginings Disney makes ("The Little Mermaid" is the 18th since 2010, including straight-to-streaming releases), there will always be animated moments you simply can't manufacture in the real world.
Bailey looks stunning and graceful when flipping gorgeous fins that'd make animated Ariel jealous, but the iconic rock scene with a wave crashing from behind looks forcibly produced compared to artist Glen Keane's instantly recognizable image.
Ursula's third-act transformation into an enormous monster is difficult to see in a poorly lit scene that renders her a blurry CGI monstrosity. And they couldn't even create an actual underwater palace for King Triton. His throne — more of a sad seat here — appears to sit in the middle of the ocean without protection.
Other than easy box-office wins, Disney uses these remakes to refine some moments that haven't aged well and they're mostly well-executed, but it's becoming more difficult to justify these projects as anything more than nostalgic cash grabs and subscriber bait if you can't match or outdo the moments that made it iconic.
But at least this one is mostly well done.
"The Little Mermaid" is in theaters on Friday.