Daveed Diggs provides an incredibly humorous Sebastian, Melissa McCarthy’s performance is also strong and her rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is fairly strong, even though half is spoken (for reasons I was confused about, because Melissa has a really nice voice). She is meek, but not weak, and when she sings my mouth dropped, especially on “Part of Your World.” Her version of this classic is tasteful yet not overly flashy, just enough of her own touch to make it her own. For example, Halle Bailey truly shined in this role. When it comes to the overall performances, some actors/actresses really shined and some fell flat. It goes far deeper into the character’s individual internal conflicts, it provides backstories to characters who, truthfully, needed it in the animated film, and yes, there are a few new musical numbers that strengthened the film. While on the outside, many aspects of the original still exist in this film, on the inside this live-action tackles what the animated version didn’t and honestly couldn’t. In truth, “The Little Mermaid” (2023) surprised me on every level. Going into the screening I wondered how true to the original, musically and performance-wise, they were going to be. Shortly before attending my screening, I watched the original 1989 animated “The Little Mermaid.” There were three things I truly appreciated about the original: the passion every actor/actress put into each character, the appropriate use of instruments in each song and the smooth pacing of the film. As I am a fan of the original, I wanted to ensure that this remake did the original justice. Their music could be found sporadically and helped ignite what was called the “Disney Renaissance,” where, as other critics pointed out, Disney started to go back to its roots in animation and created many more animated classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” etc. These men were, and continue to be, some of the most iconic film composers in the history of film music. As both a movie buff and a music teacher, I am a huge fan of both Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s music. Now she really is part of their world…įirst off, I’m a fan of “The Little Mermaid,” not simply the story but also the music. The deal is struck and Ariel becomes a human. “Fine, then you’ll never be with your true love,” shouts Ursula. If she can’t get him to kiss her, however, she’ll turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. All Ariel has to do is get Prince Eric to kiss her in three days, without her voice, mind you, and not just any kiss… true love’s kiss, for if she can, she’ll remain human forever. So Ursuala approaches Ariel and offers her to fulfill her great desire, to become human. It just so happens the sea witch has secretly been spying on Ariel, believing Ariel might be the key to seizing King Triton’s trident and taking control of Atlantica and the seas. “If only I could live among humans, just for one day.” Careful for what you wish for Ariel. Overtime, she becomes more and more enamored with Prince Eric. “He’s really different from the rest,” she thinks to herself. Ariel, however, sees a different side of humanity, particularly in one human who catches her eye, Prince Eric. The rest of the family see humans as savage selfish, horrible creatures only out to kill and destroy with no regard for marine life. She’s always been the black sheep (fish?) of the family. The creatures of Atlantica, as well as the sea itself, are ruled by the mighty King Triton who lives with his daughters: Perla, Indira, Mala, Tamika, Karina, Caspia and then there’s Ariel.Īh, let’s talk about Ariel. It is the home of all living aquatic creatures, including the merfolk (mermen and mermaids). Original animated version: The Little Mermaid (1989) - G-RatedĪtlantica is a pretty special place. Sophie Carmen-Jones (Sophie Carmen Jones) … Dancer Sasha Watson Lobo (Sasha Watson-Lobo) … Dancer Cameron Valentina (Cameron Valentina Eyre) … Dancer
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