The Little Mermaid (2023 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by David Magee. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, DeLuca Marshall, and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name, which itself is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale. The film stars Halle Bailey as the title character, with Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy in supporting roles. The plot follows the mermaid princess Ariel, who is fascinated with the human world; after saving Prince Eric from a shipwreck, she makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to walk on land.
The Little Mermaid
- Marc Platt
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- John DeLuca
- Rob Marshall
Wyatt Smith
- Walt Disney Pictures
- DeLuca Marshall
- Marc Platt Productions
- May 8, 2023 (Dolby Theatre)
- May 26, 2023 (United States)
135 minutes[1]
United States
English
$240.2 million[2]
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, Hauer-King, McCarthy, Bardem, Diggs, Tremblay, Awkwafina, and the rest of the cast joined between July and November 2019. Production was expected to begin in London between late March and early April 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, before ultimately took place from January to July 2021, primarily at Pinewood Studios in England and on the island of Sardinia, Italy. Composer Alan Menken returned to augment 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 film is Disney's second-most-expensive to date.
The Little Mermaid premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023,[5] and was released in the United States on May 26. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $569 million worldwide, $298 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2023 and the seventh-highest-grossing amongst Disney's live-action adaptations.
Plot
Ariel is a mermaid princess and the youngest daughter of King Triton, ruler of the merpeople of Atlantica. She is fascinated with the human world despite never having seen it, as Triton forbids all merfolk from surfacing there after Ariel's mother was killed by a human.
One night, Ariel sees fireworks above the ocean and surfaces to see them better. They come from the ship of Eric, the prince of a nearby island. When a storm arrives, the ship crashes against rocks, forcing all to go for the lifeboats. Ariel rescues Eric, brings him to shore, and sings with her siren voice to help save his life. She flees before he can regain full consciousness.
Noticing Ariel's absent-minded behavior, Triton questions his advisor Sebastian the crab, who reveals that she saved a human. Outraged, Triton travels to Ariel's grotto to confront her; when she refuses to swear to never return to the surface, he destroys her collection of human objects. Ariel is later approached by two moray eels sent by the sea witch Ursula, Triton's estranged sister and Ariel's aunt who was banished from Atlantica 15 years prior.
At Ursula's lair, Ariel is presented with a deal: she will turn into a human for three days, during which she must receive a "true love's kiss" to remain human permanently. If Ariel fails, she will transform back into a 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. After receiving human legs, she is taken to the surface by Sergeant Major Flounder, her best friend, and Sebastian. In the human world, she is rescued and taken to Eric's castle. Eric, who has been searching for the woman who saved his life, rushes to meet Ariel. However, her lack of voice has him immediately turning away. While exploring the castle, Ariel finds Eric's collection of items he accumulated over his travels. Eric spends time with her poring over his collection.
The next day, Eric takes Ariel sightseeing around the kingdom. Sebastian, who has followed Ariel, realizes that Ursula has put a cheat in the spell that is causing Ariel to forget that she needs to kiss Eric. Along with Scuttle, a northern gannet, and Flounder, Sebastian takes it upon himself to get the pair to kiss. They are almost successful but are thwarted by Ursula's eels. Enraged by the close call, Ursula turns into a human and uses Ariel's siren voice to hypnotize Eric. Back at Atlantica, Triton has the kingdom search for Ariel and begins to regret the way he treated her.
The next morning, Ariel and her friends discover that Eric will be announcing his engagement to "Vanessa" (Ursula's alter ego) later that day. Ariel rushes to the engagement party, confronts Ursula, and breaks the shell. She gains back her voice, and the enchantment on Eric is broken. However, before they can kiss, the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. Reverting to her original form, Ursula drags Ariel back into the ocean.
Wanting to save Ariel, Triton confronts Ursula. However, the deal that she made with Ariel is unbreakable. Triton trades himself for Ariel and is turned to dust by the eels, much to her horror. Ursula claims Triton's trident when Eric arrives; in the ensuing melee, Ursula accidentally kills her eels. Enraged, she uses the trident to grow in size and summons a storm to threaten Ariel and Eric. As Eric distracts Ursula, Ariel gets on a surfaced ship and impales Ursula with its splintered bowsprit. Once Ursula dies, Triton comes back to life; he and Ariel recognize the other's sacrifice for them.
Ariel returns home, where she is unhappy without Eric. On Sebastian's advice, Triton transforms Ariel into a 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.
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.[23] 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.[24][25][26]
Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's green moray eel minions appear. Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel in the animated film, cameos as a market vendor who hands Ariel a fork during her tour of the kingdom.[27][28][29] Eric's Old English Sheepdog Max appears, portrayed by Gary and Edna respectively, with the latter being uncredited.[30]
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.[133] After the release of the trailer in September 2022, videos of Black girls positively reacting to it went viral.[134][135][136] 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.[137]
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.[138] It is now among the most watched trailers for any reimagined title in Disney's growing stable of live-action adaptations, and the biggest for a Disney live-action title since the 2019 remake of The Lion King.[139]
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.[140]
Box office
The Little Mermaid grossed $298.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $271.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $569.6 million.[3][4] Disney received a total of £46.6 million ($56.8 million) in COVID-19 insurance payouts related to the film from the UK government.[2]
In the United States and Canada, The Little Mermaid—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.[141] The film made $38 million on its first day, including $10.3 million from Thursday night previews.[142] It went on to debut to $95.6 million in the traditional three-day weekend, and $118.8 million over the four-day frame, topping the box office and making it the fifth highest Memorial Day opening in history[118][143][144] (20th after inflation adjustment).[145] In its second weekend, the film declined 57% to $41.4 million while finishing in second place to newcomer Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.[146][147] The film then made $23.2 million in its third weekend, finishing third behind newcomer Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Across the Spider-Verse.[148][149] It remained in the top ten for five more weeks.[150]
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, the opening weekend box office results fell short of expectations, grossing just $68.3 million.[151] A financial insider described the film's opening weekend to Deadline as "not a huge disappointment, but a disappointment, nonetheless."[117] The film's biggest markets were Mexico ($8.5 million), the United Kingdom ($6.3 million), Italy ($4.7 million), Brazil and Australia (both around $4 million).[151] The film also grossed $415,672 in India and $184,214 in South Africa during its opening weekend.[3]
The film's biggest markets in gross value were the United Kingdom ($34.1 million), Japan ($23.9 million), Mexico ($20.9 million), Brazil (17.3 million) and Australia ($15 million). In the Philippines, the film earned more than The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at the box office.[152] Its performance in China and South Korea was considered disappointing; it grossed only $3.6 million in China, and $4.4 million in South Korea in first 10 days.[153][154] In contrast, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film had achieved success in Japan after it had earned $10.3 million in its first two weeks of release.[152]
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics.[155][156] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 346 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. 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."[157] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[158] Audiences polled 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.[118]
Brian Lowry of CNN wrote that the film "holds up nicely under the weight of those expectations, preserving the original's essence while updating undernourished aspects of it and riding a warm, hard-to-resist wave of nostalgia."[159] Ross Bonaime of Collider wrote that it "might not match the greatness of the original, but it's the rare remake that feels worthy of being part of our world."[160] Lex Briscuso of TheWrap called it "a fresh take on a beloved classic that isn't afraid to take a fairy tale and make it as real as it can, inviting its audience to dive into uncharted waters alongside its engaging and charming central characters."[161] 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."[162] 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."[163]
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."[164] 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."[165] 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."[166] 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.[167] 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."[168]
Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post called it an "on-the-other-fin mixed bag of a movie that honors its source material with a big, color-saturated production, while never precisely proving that it ever needed to exist."[169] 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."[170] Helen O'Hara of Empire called it "Another 'live-action' remake that's darker and less compelling than the animated original, but it's saved by Bailey's charming performance, McCarthy's sass and the story's own eternal magic."[171] Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times praised Bailey's performance, saying that "her singing voice has both sweetness and power, and her smile is the sort on which dreams dance."[172]
On the critical side, 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."[173] Hillary Busis of Vanity Fair criticized the runtime and called it an "uneasy mix of carbon copy and superfluous added material, presented in "live-action" that looks and feels (and is) as artificial as Lightning McQueen."[174] Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post wrote that "Despite real actors, CGI and brand new material, 'Mermaid' is the studio's latest flesh-and-blood cash grab that's more lifeless than far better two-dimensional painted drawings." Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times wrote that "What's on-screen too often feels like wan, second-rate imitation, and the few differences seem motivated less by a spirit of imagination than one of joyless anxiety."[175] Kat Rosenfield, writing for UnHerd, panned the film for being "propaganda" and for paling in comparison to the original, writing that "This is perhaps the worst thing about Disney's contemporary remakes: not that they are blatant cash grabs, but that they are infantilizing. The original Little Mermaid placed infinitely more trust in its intended audience of children than the new version places in those same children, now that they're grown up."[176] Kelly Lawler, writing for USA Today, panned the film and noted that the story does not translate well to live-action as it did in animation and was particularly critical of the uncanny valley CGI and murky lighting, writing that "Every change − to aesthetics, to story, to soundtracks, to length − that is required to make these films 'live action' chips away at the magic of the originals. This relentless pursuit of realism doesn't make a good kids' movie: It may be dark underwater in the real ocean, but we want to see Ariel dance properly lit on the screen. The new films are too long, too monotone, too bland and full of photorealistic talking animals that range from boring to horrifying."[177]
Lindsey Bahr of Associated Press wrote that "For all its pizazz, everything about this Little Mermaid is just more muted. Miranda's new songs are odd, too, and don't seem to fit."[178] "The Scuttlebutt" musical number was widely criticized by critics and audiences for Awkwafina's vocal performance, Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics (particularly the line "Remember the swamp? Remember my song in the swamp? When I was like 'Womp, chicka womp-womp, chicka womp-woooomp'") and its rap style not fitting in with the musical style of the other songs. Raven Brunner of Decider called the number "awkward" and that it felt "forced".[179] A. Felicia Wade of DiscussingFilm wrote that "Considering the setting, it's really out of place for the film in general."[180]
Controversies
After the announcement of Bailey's involvement in July 2019 and the release of first teaser in September 2022, the film gained mixed responses from the public for casting an African-American actress as Ariel, who was originally Caucasian with red hair in the 1989 animated film.[181] Arguments for the negative response have included the fact that a black mermaid does not adhere to the original story (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"),[182][183] the claim that the adaptation should be as close to the original as possible,[184] and the idea that mermaids should be pale, not black, as they are underwater creatures.[185] Criticism of the casting after the teaser trailer release became viral and elicited the hashtag #NotMyAriel.[186] 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.[187][188][189] 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".[190]
During an interview in August 2019, Bailey said that "[she doesn't] pay attention to the negativity", while Auliʻi 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.[186] Jodi Benson, the voice actress for Ariel in the 1989 film, praised Bailey, stating, "I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters".[191] 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.[192][193] 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 2025 live-action remake of Snow White, also voiced her support for Bailey.[194] In February 2023, Bailey said that she was trying to ignore the criticisms leveled by racist trolls on social media and focus on the anticipation for the film's release.[195] 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."[196]
In April 2023, Forbes reported that the visuals and CGI of the film, which it described as "an easy target for criticism", sparked viral discussions, criticism and memes on social media.[197]
In May 2023, an editorial from Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times accused Disney of "forced inclusion of minorities" and "lazy and irresponsible storytelling",[198] echoing the views of some social media users in China, Japan, and South Korea.[199] The Global Times similarly attributed the film's poor performance in China to "Disney turning classic tales into 'sacrificial lambs' for political correctness."[200]
Deadline Hollywood reported that the film was suffering from review bombing online, and that sites such as IMDb in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Mexico, and AlloCiné in France had added warnings to the rating pages for the film about "unusual" activity. IMDb's warning read, "Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied."[201] Deadline Hollywood cited these low user ratings as well as "backlash... over the casting of star Halle Bailey in the title role" in countries such as Korea, China, France, and Germany as contributing factors in the disappointing overseas box office.[117]
In other media
Printed adaptations
A series of books based on the film were released on April 11, 2023, by Disney Press.[214][215] It includes an illustrated picture book titled The Little Mermaid: Make a Splash by Ashley Franklin and Paul Kellam.[216][217] The guidebook The Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolk detailing the depictions of Ariel, her sisters, and universe from the film by Eric Geron.[218] The novelization of the film titled The Little Mermaid: The Novelization by Faith Noelle.[219] The Little Mermaid: This is Ariel by Colin Hosten.[220][221] And the young adult novel The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide by American author J. Elle.[222][223][224] The novel serves as a prequel.[225][226][227] It featured on The New York Times Best Seller list,[228] where it spent several weeks in the top ten and reached the fifth spot in the category "Young Adult Hardcover Books."[229][230]
Spin-off television series
In June 2023, a CGI-animated series entitled Ariel inspired by the film was announced for Disney Junior. The series is set to be released in 2024.[231]
Future
In October 2022, after the positive repercussions of black children watching the trailer, rumors emerged that Disney had contacted Halle Bailey to negotiate a possible sequel.[232] In April 2023, Marshall hinted at the potential for sequels if the film is successful: "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."[233] The following month, Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King spoke about the animated sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, saying that they liked it and they would agree to reprise their roles if it were adapted into live action.[234]