‘The Little Mermaid’ is worth the 2-hour nostalgia

CEBU, Philippines — Disney live-action remakes are a mixed bag. There are a few great ones like “Cinderella” and “Aladdin”, so-so ones like “Maleficent” and “Beauty and the Beast”, and disappointing entries like “The Lion King” and “Mulan.” So where does 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” fall among these categories? Thankfully, the latest reimagination of the tale of the mermaid princess can be considered part of the great Disney retreads.

We’re all familiar with the story of Ariel, the mermaid fascinated with the world beyond the ocean. She makes a deal with Ursula who can give her human legs temporarily in exchange for her voice. Ariel meets Prince Eric and they fall in love. Ursula wreaks havoc both on land and underwater, leaving Ariel to save her beau and her family.

This remake mostly feels like a copy-and-paste as most of the plot from the original animation was shown here. What makes this different is the changes in the characterization of the leads.

Ariel and Eric are explorers who want to see the world beyond, which is a refreshing change from their depicted in the original. By giving them some common values and interests, it provides the viewer a reason to root for their pairing as they want a more interesting princess who isn’t boy-crazy. This is strengthened by the chemistry of Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.

While the casting of Ariel garnered strong reactions, Bailey’s performance is the movie’s best element. She has the potential to become a big film star if she can balance acting and pop star duties (as one-half of the R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle). Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula is worthy of praise for her pitch-perfect rendition of the iconic villain, as well as Daveed Diggs as Sebastian who puts a fresh spin on the beloved crab.

Alan Menken, who composed from the original, wrote four new songs with Hamilton’s Lin Manuel-Miranda, which contributed to its slightly longer running time of two hours and 15 minutes. One’s feelings for the new songs might depend on whether you enjoyed Manuel-Miranda’s trademark theatrical singing and rapping. Songs such as “The Scuttlebutt” performed by Awkwafina as Scuttle and Diggs as Sebastian are very Hamilton-like given its rap nature, with the former being a rapper and the latter being a “Hamilton” alum.

“Wild Uncharted Waters” performed by Hauer-King is the best one of the four as it added a fresh layer to Prince Eric. However, “Part of Your World” remains the film's standout in the soundtrack with Bailey's strong vocal performance that earned praise from the original voice actress, Jodi Benson.

“The Little Mermaid” introduces the colorful world of Ariel to a new generation of fans. It’s reassuring that a Disney live-action remake knows how to tell a good story and encourages its actors to put effort into their performances so as not to appear like just another cash grab. Three and a half stars out of five.