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The Little Mermaid (2023) — Review: Very Pleasing to Watch
by KJ Proulx
Growing up, I watched many animated films, but I never made my way around to watching The Little Mermaid until later in life. I think maybe for that reason it didn’t do much for me. I think it’s a very well-told fantasy film, but it just never stuck with me. Well, as always, I’ll give anything a shot, so I went to check out the 2023 live-action version and I must say, this is the one that I will choose to rewatch in the future. I was very pleasantly surprised at the translation and additions. Whether you’re a fan or not, I believe this one is worth your time.
In this musical, the story plays out the same way you remember if you’ve seen the original film. Ariel (Halle Bailey) is a Mermaid who wishes to live her own life and become a human to see what life is like outside of the sea. After making a deal with Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), she gains human legs and must share a kiss with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), otherwise, she will be forced to stay in Ursula’s captivity forever. From start to finish, the story is the same, but it’s the additions that made me like the story even more. Unlike some other Disney live-action adaptations, they took care here in fleshing out the story in a richer way.
From great additional song numbers to more time given to the romance between Ariel and…
