Disney kicked off the summer blockbuster season on Memorial Day weekend with its newest live-action remake of an iconic classic. This time up? The Little Mermaid. Emerging from a storm of racist backlash, its stars put the Fox News pundits and social media trolls to shame, but in the end can’t break free from the creative void these movies are mired in, where corporate strategists steal a move from Ursula to rob artists of their voice.
The fault for the forgettable results certainly doesn’t fall on the cast. Halle Bailey is simply stunning as Ariel, perfectly embodying her dueling naivety and determination and immediately endearing the audience to this new take on the classic princess. And most importantly, she nails the songs. Disney shakes off a hit-and-miss casting track record here by hiring a powerhouse singer, whose passionate belting manages to stir up the emotions of the old, familiar tunes all over again.
Opposite her is Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. A relative newcomer, he ably steps into the role with major charisma, enough so to forget the needless and ultimately unresolved backstory the remake has thrust onto the character. His chemistry with Bailey’s Ariel is dazzling; when they share the screen, it’s easily the highlight of the movie. Several new scenes show off their dynamic, particularly a moment in which Ariel uses the constellations to reveal her name to Eric. It’s in those small, human moments that the talent at play shines through. When the CGI takes over, though…
We’ll get to that later, as I’d be remiss to neglect praise for Melissa McCarthy’s turn as Ursula. She’s clearly having a blast embodying one of the Mouse House’s greatest villains, and dominates all of her scenes, especially when paired with the usually-great Javier Bardem as King Triton, who seems to be sleep-walking his way to collecting this paycheck. As a core trio, though, Bailey, Hauer-King and McCarthy were the perfect actors to deliver a memorable take on the tale. But sadly, that’s not what we got.
The primary interest of any good remake is one of two things: To fulfill parts of the story that were impossible to realize in the original film or to take a new perspective in approaching the source material. Disney’s remakes have consistently done neither of these things. The only new question The Little Mermaid asks about the classic story is “What if Flounder looked like a real fish?” That isn’t a creative inquiry. It’s the sort of unimpressive novelty answer-in-search-of-a-question dreamt up in the type of corporate boardrooms that brought us such unsolicited technical wonders as “Carvana - The Car Vending Machine.”
And so, when we’re emerged in the fantastical undersea world Sebastian sings so passionately about, the wonder is missing. Director Rob Marshall’s usually kinetic theatrical eye meanders aimlessly in these moments, unsure of what to do with a wholly digital environment. But he has little to work with from a production less interested in testing the bounds of imagination than showing off the real-life creatures they’ve managed to make photo-realistic renderings of. Sebastian may still be hyping up a nautical band in his climatic verse, but under this sea, the fish hold no instruments. Instead, they hold wikipedia links to the specific species they were modeled after.
As the credits roll, it simply doesn’t feel like what has transpired was an artistic endeavor at all. It’s a movie produced by cold, calculating formula - enforcing narrative beats to minimize risk while offering supposed innovation that holds no real emotional appeal. Disney has sought to replicate their past successes without any of the creative spirit that made them beloved to generations of fans.
But whereas Ariel, even voiceless, remains full of spirit and passion, these remakes are rendered soulless husks, destined to be forgotten the moment they’ve wrestled their last dollar from the box office. In a sea this dry, one can only hope Bailey, Marshall and the rest of the gifted artists involved can chart a path to brighter waters where their voices can truly be heard, free from the grasp of boardroom sea witches.
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