Like a fish on land – review of the movie “The Little Mermaid”

The Little Mermaid was first published in 1837 in Hans Christian Andersen’s collection of fairy tales. The story of a mermaid who fell in love with a human prince is one of the most famous and beloved love stories.

More than 100 years later, Walt Disney Pictures produced an animated film based on Andersen’s fairy tale. The cult animation captured the hearts of viewers all over the world and remained in their minds for decades. No wonder fans have high expectations for the live-action remake that just hit theaters.

Waves of nostalgia

Thinking of The Little Mermaid floods me with warm waves of memories. Water has been my element from an early age, which is why Ariel was my favorite Disney princess. Although I could never understand why she wanted to leave such a beautiful and colorful world of the ocean.

I think everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid very well . Ariel, the mermaid of the title, is fascinated by the land, not the depths of the sea. When one day he saves the drowning prince Eric, he decides to go to the world of people at all costs. He makes a deal with the sea witch to meet his beloved again.

The live-action version of The Little Mermaid uses nostalgia just like other cinematic remakes of classic animations. Minor changes were made that did not add anything significant to the plot. Well, except for one.

Director Rob Marshall decided on a slightly different ending, which definitely emphasized the message of the story. The film was about chasing dreams as if Ariel and the prince’s lives depended on it… because it did! The story teaches the recipients that despite the logs thrown at their feet (or fins), it is worth persistently pursuing the goal. The little mermaid found happiness by bonding with a prince and finding her place on earth.

Fortunately, Eric’s character was more developed and he was no longer just a prince looking for a candidate for a wife. He too could feel fulfilled – he finally got out of the castle walls to discover unknown lands with his beloved by his side. In my opinion, the wedding of a mermaid and a human, presented in the famous animation, did not have such a strong and satisfying overtone as the finale of the remake.

There is no fish without bones

Disney is increasingly boldly introducing political correctness and woke culture into its productions , which relate primarily to social justice. The casting of the main character caused a lot of controversy among Internet users. They didn’t like the fact that Ariel was played by a black actress, Halle Bailey. With historical adaptations, I’d understand the outrage, but with fiction, I don’t think the color of an actress’s skin matters.

I was only disappointed that Ariel didn’t have red hair, which made her stand out from the Disney princesses. However, Halle made up for this mistake with her appearance, which is a perfect match for the carefree and somewhat naive Ariel, as well as with a powerful, “siren” voice, especially impressive in the song Part of Your World . For this moment, it’s worth watching the subtitled version.

Fantasy films allow you to use the unlimited imagination and fulfill the fantasies of the creators, but realism should also be preserved as far as possible. The example of a black queen with a pale-skinned son and birth sisters of different ethnic backgrounds reinforces my belief in how inconsistent Disney is. And yet it is possible to represent minorities in a logical and coherent way.

The sound of the sea

The musical scenes were faithful to the original, although the songs had slightly refreshed content. The creators wanted to convey feminist values, and a fragment of Urszula’s Confession “The men there don’t like chattering. The gossip actually bores them enough. Women are expected to conserve their larynx. It is better to remain silent than to smoke something pointless,” he clearly prevented them from doing so. In my opinion, the change was not necessary because Urszula was clearly trying to manipulate Ariel.

In addition to the well-known and loved songs, new ones have also appeared. In my opinion, they were not as catchy as the old songs, although Blaga’s rapping seagull in Zwrotki gossip captivated me very much. Despite the screeching voice, the song wasn’t annoying.

Of course, in favor of new compositions, some old ones have been omitted. I missed Triton’s Daughters . It is true that the names of the sisters were changed and probably the song would have a completely different connotation. But what prevented you from writing a new song for mermaids like in the Broadway musical She’s In Love ?

Another installment of Sharknado ?

It was an extremely difficult task to present the underwater world so that it would seem realistic and at the same time take the viewers’ breath away. I was surprised that the creators were not quite ready for this challenge. After all, Walt Disney is a big-budget studio that can afford impressive special effects. What particularly caught my attention was the unsuccessful design of the animal characters. At the sight of Florek or Sebastian’s crab, I wanted to burst out laughing … through bitter tears. I think leaving the animals animated, like in Alvin and the Chipmunks or Space Jam , would have been a better solution.

I have the impression that the creators had a problem with the appearance of the hair underwater. The hairstyles of the mermaid sisters and King Triton floated too weakly and waved in the water, and at times seemed dry. Perhaps the natural effect of the hair would disturb the aesthetic image of the character, but I am convinced that you can always achieve a golden mean.

However, I must admit that coral reefs with schools of fish, stingrays, jellyfish, seahorses and turtles fueled the magic in the film. The stronghold of the sea witch was also well done, and I felt uneasy entering it with Ariel.

They say fish have no voice

I had the opportunity to watch the film in the Polish language version. The voice of the mermaid is one of the most important elements of the fairy tale, and Sara James did a great job playing the role of Ariel. The actor who played Florek (Olivier Derkacz) was also well suited. Despite the beautiful, melodic voices, I got the impression that the dubbing was sometimes not adapted to the movement of the lips or was slightly delayed.

The Little Mermaid provides the viewer with a whole range of emotions – through nostalgia, amusement, as well as deep emotion. But is it enough? The film was unimaginative and stuck rigidly to its source material. Disney should take the helm and keep sailing for new ideas. Nevertheless, The Little Mermaid is a production that will delight younger viewers and evoke childhood nostalgia in older ones who remember the original perfectly.

We invite you to the movie The Little Mermaid at the Cinema City cinema chain !