The Little Mermaid (2023)

[Spartan Girl]

I think it’s high time we gave this it’s own thread.

And let’s leave all racist crap OUT of this thread, shall we?

[andromeda331]

I'm not sure what people are expecting from a crab. It's a crab. There's not too much they can do with a real crab.

[Guest]

I really, really hope they expand on the Ariel and Eric scenes. And please, someone, give the girl a pencil and a piece paper. The beginning and end of the movie can hold up just fine in live action but the parts where they fall in love really need help. 

[Spartan Girl]

5 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I'm not sure what people are expecting from a crab. It's a crab. There's not too much they can do with a real crab.

 

I’m so sick of hearing that complaint. Sea creatures in real life aren’t that cute. Sorry, but it’s true.

I know people hated The Lion King remake because of that reason, but there were no humans in that movie and ergo there was no need for a realistic CGI remake. Do prefer the animated Sebastian? Yes. But again, he’s a freaking crab. I didn’t expect much.

And some know-it-alls are pointing out that that kind of crab couldn’t survive underwater in real life. Yeah, and mermaids aren’t real either, so stfu.

[TigerLily20]

I am excited for it, and I'm not going to lie, yes the crab took me back a bit.  I know it's realistic and making him too animated would be weird....but for whatever reason hearing it talk just struck me. I had no problem with Skuttle or Flounder, but oh well it's a small thing honestly and I can't wait to see it.

[BooBear]

I didn't like it. The music is great but how many times has great music made a trailer seem great.

I hate the color and the drab look to it. Even the start was GOT levels of hard to see. 

[heatherchandler]

3 hours ago, BooBear said:

I didn't like it. The music is great but how many times has great music made a trailer seem great.

I hate the color and the drab look to it. Even the start was GOT levels of hard to see. 

I thought it was just me!  Too murky.

And we didn’t need a remake.

[Bill1978]

I just hope when the movie is released there are bubbles. And that they were still adding them when this trailer was cut.

[Sarah 103]

I think visusually it looks stunning, but I'm not sure if that's enough to carry the movie. I have doubts because overall, I've been dissapointed with the live action remakes with the exception of Aladdin. 

[Morrigan2575]

With the exception of The Jungle Book, all the Live Action remakes have been lacking. Disney won't get my money for this, anymore than the last batch of crap movies.

[Trini]

It looks like this remake will be fleshing out some of the characters. I'm glad about that for Eric; even though I already thought he had more personality the princes that came before him. The visuals are okay - could be better - but I'm really coming for the performances; excited about what Halle Bailey will bring, because I love what I've seen so far.

---

So the marketing push has begun with articles, etc. in EW. And if certain people were upset about Ariel's casting, they probably don't want to know about Prince Eric's mother:

 

Another change is that Ursula is King Triton's sister -- I think that works.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

Another change is that Ursula is King Triton's sister -- I think that works

That was in the musical too.

Shallow note: I’m glad they kept the detail of Eric’s shirt being *ahem* askew in this scene.

 

[Trini]

New footage of Ursula in this featurette:

 

[Spartan Girl]

I’m just gonna say it: I think the guy they cast as Eric is cute and I’m GLAD Harry Styles didn’t get the part.

[tv echo]

'The Little Mermaid' Gets a Record-Breaking Runtime
BY AREZOU AMIN   PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO
https://collider.com/the-little-mermaid-runtime/ 

Quote

Ever since revealing the first glimpse at Halle Bailey in the sneak peek at The Little Mermaid at D23, fans have been eagerly awaiting their chance to take a trip "under the sea" and rediscover the world and characters first introduced in Disney's 1989 film. Now, according to the film's listing on AMC's website, it looks like we're in for a prolonged stay in Ariel and Eric's (Jonah Hauer-King) kingdoms, as it's reported the film will be 2 hours and 15 minutes long.

[Bill1978]

Holy Moses! Why? Anybody else here remember when 120 minutes meant the movie was an epic? They've added nearly an hour of extra stuff and I'm struggling to think what needed to be added. I'm guessing the final battle will be a 30 minute war epic.

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Bill1978 said:

Holy Moses! Why? Anybody else here remember when 120 minutes meant the movie was an epic? They've added nearly an hour of extra stuff and I'm struggling to think what needed to be added. I'm guessing the final battle will be a 30 minute war epic.

I haven't been following the production and marketing religiously, but I know they've added a couple of new songs, and they're fleshing out the characters in general; also it seems like they want to expand on Ariel and Eric's romance to make it more than 'love at first sight'.

Animated films tend to be shorter by necessity, because animation is such a time and labor intensive process.

To me, it's signaling that Disney is at least adding stuff to justify the remake; and that it's not going to be exactly the same as the original -- which I think is a good thing.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Trini

[Tenshinhan]

Has there been any word on the reasoning behind the interracial casting?  Like why there are Black parents with white children and vice versa?  Is this suppose to be like a Bridgerton-type thing or something? (I don't follow that genre).

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Tenshinhan said:

Has there been any word on the reasoning behind the interracial casting?  Like why there are Black parents with white children and vice versa?

No but we only know who is playing Ariel’s father and Eric’s mother so it may be that both character are multiracial.

The actresses that are playing Ariel’s sisters are different races and Javier Bardeem and Melissa McCarthy are playing brother and sister so I am guessing they are going with fantasy creatures that don’t follow real world rules. There has been speculation that Triton’s daughters will represent the seven seas and their design will be reflective of that. 

[twoods]

Aladdin’s run time was over 2 hours, and for me the movie flew by so quickly, so hoping that Little Mermaid will be similar.

[Sarah 103]

8 hours ago, Tenshinhan said:

Has there been any word on the reasoning behind the interracial casting?  Like why there are Black parents with white children and vice versa?  Is this suppose to be like a Bridgerton-type thing or something? (I don't follow that genre).

My guess is they (Ariel and Eric) are the offspring of interracial couples. Eric's father was probably white, but his mother is black. 

[Spartan Girl]

5 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

My guess is they (Ariel and Eric) are the offspring of interracial couples. Eric's father was probably white, but his mother is black. 

Actually, according to the novelization, Eric is adopted. 

Spoiler

He was a survivor of a shipwreck when he was a baby and the queen took him in. Which makes it even nicer that Eric lets Ariel stay at the palace because he thinks she’s a shipwreck.

I don’t know if Ariel’s sisters have the same mother, but having this version of Triton be someone whose been around the seven seas would be amusing.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Actually, according to the novelization, Eric is adopted.

That’s interesting. I really hope they flesh Eric out more as a character. He got more development than the Disney classic princes but way less than the later ones. 

[Bill1978]

Are Eric's parents alive in this movie or are they just flashbacks? Cause I always assumed in the original that Eric was the head of his little kingdom (or principality to be technical). Like Prince Albert of Monaco. Honestly thought Eric was a stereotypical Disney characters -  parentless.

[tv echo]

 

[Trini]

The sisters look so good!

---

UK Vogue article: 'Making Waves: Halle Bailey On Reinventing The Disney Princess In The Little Mermaid'

^ Mainly about Bailey, but discusses a bit about the movie as well; with a few quotes from the director.

[Spartan Girl]

“Life’s full of tough choices…in’t it?” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Halle sounds so much like Jodi it’s scary (in a good way).

And this Scuttle is a gannett, which can dive under water to hunt, so no, Disney did not change the laws of physics and biology here.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Spartan Girl]

God DAMN, now THAT is how you do the song justice!

[Sarah 103]

Halle Bailey is an amazing singer. Her version of "Part of Your World" is impressive. Lin Manuel Miranda creating new songs also gives me hope. 

However, these remakes are so tricky. They either find a way to add something new like Aladdin (I think they made Jasmine a more fully realized character and I liked the Genie's love story/subplot. It was basically Hitch, but it worked. Also, Carpet has more personality and I can't explain why), or it feels like an overly long demo reel for new technology like The Lion King.

[starri]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

God DAMN, now THAT is how you do the song justice!

Anyone tells you Howard Ashman wasn't a genius, just point them towards these lyrics.

[Trini]

Finally! I've been waiting impatiently for these; character posters:

Edited April 27, 2023 by Trini

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

God DAMN, now THAT is how you do the song justice!

 

The ability to pull off Part of Your World was the most important aspect of Ariel for me and they nailed it. The song is perfection.  Bonus points that Halle has the perfect features to play an animated character in live action.

Also, I have to give the marketing department credit for knowing that releasing the full version of the song is probably a bigger selling point than any trailer could ever be. 

[starri]

12 minutes ago, Trini said:

I'm sold.

Her pulling off "Poor Unfortunate Souls" (speaking of genius lyrics...) is still an unknown, but I'm confident she's not just here for a paycheck.

[Spartan Girl]

27 minutes ago, starri said:

I'm sold.

Her pulling off "Poor Unfortunate Souls" (speaking of genius lyrics...) is still an unknown, but I'm confident she's not just here for a paycheck.

Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel said “we’re not ready” for Melissa. And that’s enough to get me psyched. Her cackle is PERFECT.

I don’t care if this is unnecessary, this has to smash the box office. Otherwise, the “get woke, go broke” crowd is going to be insufferable.

 

[twoods]

I don’t think it will pull off Mario Brothers numbers but hoping it’s close.

[Bill1978]

I'm not a massive fan of these Disney live action remakes. I understand why they exist from a business standpoint but I generally just find it lazy moviemaking. But the one thing I am excited about with this particular remake is hearing all the songs with a fuller orchestra. While I may have some issues with some of the creative choices they gave Halle in singing some of the words (I will never like that above-ove-ove-ove at the end), it was wonderful to hear Part Of Your World with such a rich sounding orchestra. Looking forward to what Menken does with the score.

[Guest]

On 4/26/2023 at 9:24 PM, Trini said:

Finally! I've been waiting impatiently for these; character posters:

 

Well whatever else people might snipe about with this remake, they can't deny that Eric looks appropriately clueless.

[Trini]

On 4/27/2023 at 6:31 PM, twoods said:

I don’t think it will pull off Mario Brothers numbers but hoping it’s close.

I think Mario Bros. is benefiting a lot from just being the only kids/family film out there at the moment.

In that category, TLM's closest competition is Across the Spider-verse which comes out a week later. So I think that could affect the numbers.

[Spartan Girl]

This makes me ridiculously happy:

I love that they both wore something that looks like the sea foam dress in the original cartoon.

[Athena]

These live action Disney movies have an atrocious record since Cinderella. I stopped after watching Beauty and the Beast. This is the only one that looks promising because of the casting. They got someone who can sing really well and charismatic enough to play the role of a Disney princess. Eagerly waiting for the reviews here to see if this will do well.

[Guest]

New clip released. 

Realistic looking animals talking and singing is always going to be a mental hurdle for me. I’m guessing that I am going to prefer the Ariel as a human sections more.  

[Trini]

Fashion highlights of the premiere blue carpet: https://www.gofugyourself.com/halle-bailey-dressed-thematically-for-the-little-mermaid-05-2023

 

[Spartan Girl]

12 hours ago, Dani said:

New clip released. 

Realistic looking animals talking and singing is always going to be a mental hurdle for me. I’m guessing that I am going to prefer the Ariel as a human sections more.  

Daveed sounds perfect though! And at least it’s vibrant and colorful.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Daveed sounds perfect though! And at least it’s vibrant and colorful.

He does. The movie looks so pretty. I just need to stop watching the mouths. That’s what always bothers me with realistic looking animals talking.

The soundtrack is releasing on the 19th and I have a feeling I will have it on repeat. I love the music from the original and based on everything I’ve heard this cast is nailing their vocal performances. 

So far, toy sales are strong which is a really good sign. 

[Ms.Moon]

I wasn’t interested in this movie but I might have gone to see it in theaters but then I saw Javier Bardem is playing King Daddy and now I have to go see this movie in theaters.  Disney knows how to snatch my $$$.

[Guest]

‘The Little Mermaid’ First Reactions Praise Halle Bailey’s ‘Astonishing’ Ariel, Question if Remake Lives Up to Animated Original

It’s also tracking to open slightly higher than Aladdin. 

[maggiegil]

On 5/10/2023 at 1:26 AM, Athena said:

These live action Disney movies have an atrocious record since Cinderella. I stopped after watching Beauty and the Beast. This is the only one that looks promising because of the casting. They got someone who can sing really well and charismatic enough to play the role of a Disney princess. Eagerly waiting for the reviews here to see if this will do well.

The only one I've really liked since Cinderella was the remake of Lady and the Tramp, it was excellent but it was only released on Disney+ and not a lot of people seemed to watch it which was a shame. Just looked it up and it only has a 50% audience score on rotten tomatoes so it must be hit and miss for others but I really enjoyed it

The remakes of Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, the Lion King and Aladdin were all poor shadows of the original animated films.

Fingers crossed The Little Mermaid will be good.

Has anyone seen photos of the premieres they've been having, Melissa McCarthy must have pissed off her stylist, every outfit is more of a tent than the last, such a shame, shes worn some lovely clothes to premieres before but every single one shes worn for these premieres are just atrocious

[Spartan Girl]

Poor Unfortunate Souls:

Melissa is definitely serving camp. Yes, I know the real expression, and she’s serving that too.

[Trini]

20 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Poor Unfortunate Souls:

It's not bad; but for me, it doesn't top the original.

But speaking of songs; from one of the many articles out now, two songs from the original that won't be in the re-make: “Daughters of Triton", and “Les Poissons.” I figured about 'DoT', but I was wondering if they'd keep 'LP' for the kids.

[Spartan Girl]

37 minutes ago, Trini said:

But speaking of songs; from one of the many articles out now, two songs from the original that won't be in the re-make: “Daughters of Triton", and “Les Poissons.” I figured about 'DoT', but I was wondering if they'd keep 'LP' for the kids.

Well considering how many people are “traumatized” by how Flounder and Sebastian look, I doubt they’d want to keep that song considering it describes how to kill and eat fish in graphic detail.