Plans for a remake of 1989'sThe Little Mermaid were confirmed in May 2016. In December 2017, Disney announced Marshall was being courted to direct the film. Bailey, Hauer-King, McCarthy, Bardem, Diggs, Tremblay, Awkwafina, and the rest of the cast joined between July and November 2019. Production was expected to begin in London between late March and early April 2020 but was delayed by theCOVID-19 pandemic, before ultimately took place from January to July 2021, primarily atPinewood Studios in England and on the island ofSardinia, Italy. ComposerAlan Menken returned to augment the score and write new songs alongsideLin-Manuel Miranda, who serves as a producer with Platt,John DeLuca, and Marshall. The film is dedicated to the lateHoward Ashman, who co-produced and co-wrote the songs from the original film. The film is Disney'stwenty-third most expensive to date.
The Little Mermaid premiered at theDolby Theatre inLos Angeles on May 8, 2023,[5] and was released in the United States on May 26. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $569 million worldwide.
Plot
Ariel is a mermaid princess and the youngest daughter ofKing Triton, ruler of themerpeople of Atlantica. She is fascinated with the human world despite never having seen it, as Triton forbids all merfolk from surfacing there after Ariel's mother was killed by a human.
One night, Ariel sees fireworks above the ocean and surfaces to see them better. They come from the ship ofEric, the prince of a nearby island. When a storm arrives, the ship crashes against rocks, forcing all to go for the lifeboats. Ariel rescues Eric, brings him to shore, and sings to him, fleeing before he can regain full consciousness.
Noticing Ariel's absent-minded behavior, Triton questions his advisor Sebastian the crab, who reveals that she saved a human. Enraged, Triton travels to Ariel's grotto and demands that she swear to never return to the surface. She refuses and he destroys her collection of human objects. Ariel is later approached by twomoray eels sent by the sea witchUrsula, Triton's estranged sister and Ariel's aunt who was banished from Atlantica fifteen years prior.
Ariel makes a deal with Ursula: she will turn Ariel human for three days in exchange for her voice, which Ursula will keep in anautilus shell. During these three days, Ariel she must receivetrue love's kiss to remain human permanently. If Ariel fails, she will transform back into a mermaid and Ursula will claim her soul. After receiving human legs, she swims to the surface with Sebastian and her friendFlounder. In the human world, she is rescued and taken to Eric's castle. Eric, who has been searching for the woman who saved his life, rushes to meet Ariel. While exploring the castle, Ariel finds Eric's collection of items he accumulated over his travels. Eric spends time with her poring over his collection.
The next day, Eric takes Ariel sightseeing around the kingdom. Sebastian, who has followed Ariel, discovers that Ursula has rigged the spell to make Ariel forget that she needs to kiss Eric. Along with Scuttle, anorthern gannet, and Flounder, Sebastian takes it upon himself to get the pair to kiss. They are almost successful but are thwarted by Ursula's eels. Enraged by the close call, Ursula turns into a human and uses Ariel's voice to hypnotize Eric. Back in Atlantica, Triton has the kingdom search for Ariel and begins to regret the way he treated her.
The next morning, Ariel and her friends discover that Eric will be announcing his engagement to "Vanessa" (Ursula's alter ego) later that day, believing she is the woman who saved him and sang to him on the beach. Ariel rushes to the engagement party, confronts Ursula, and breaks the shell. She gains back her voice, and the enchantment on Eric is broken. However, before they can kiss, the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. Reverting to her original form, Ursula drags Ariel back into the ocean.
Wanting to save Ariel, Triton confronts Ursula. However, the deal that she made with Ariel is unbreakable. Triton trades himself for Ariel and is turned to dust by Flotsam and Jetsam before losing his authority over Atlantica, much to her horror. Ursula declares herself the Queen of the Seven Seas and claims Triton's trident when Eric arrives with a harpoon. Ursula attempts to kill Eric, but Ariel intervenes and attacks Ursula who accidentally kills Flotsam and Jetsam. Enraged, Ursula uses the trident to grow in size.
Ariel and Eric reunite on the surface just before a gigantic Ursula separates them. She then gains full control of the ocean, creating a storm and bringing sunken ships to the surface before Ariel gets on one. Just as Eric is about to be killed, Ariel commandeers a wrecked ship and impales Ursula with its splinteredbowsprit. Once Ursula dies, Triton comes back to life; he and Ariel recognize the other's sacrifice for them.
Ariel returns home, where she is unhappy without Eric. On Sebastian's advice, Triton transforms Ariel into a human permanently, and she reunites with Eric. As Eric and Ariel are on the beach, the pair decide to travel together, with the blessing of both their parents and the support of people from both their worlds.
Halle Bailey asAriel,[6] a curious, adventurous, and headstrongmermaid princess and King Triton's youngest daughter who is fascinated with the human world.
Jonah Hauer-King asEric,[7] an adventurer and free-spirited human prince whom Ariel falls in love with after saving him from drowning. Hauer-King described his character as "restless and inquisitive about where he is in the world, like Ariel... He's quite isolated and sensitive."[8]
Melissa McCarthy asUrsula,[9] a treacherous and connivingsea witch and King Triton's estranged sister, with whom Ariel makes a deal to become a human, which is secretly part of Ursula's plan to conquer Atlantica. McCarthy described her character as "so funny. There's wit, there's manipulation. She's a great broad and at the same time, I have to think about what armor does she put in? And I don't think her mental health is great."[10]
Jessica Alexander as Vanessa,[11] Ursula's humanalter ego, which she uses to sabotage her deal with Ariel. Alexander described her character as "a seductress, a temptress, the definition of a femme fatale and a sexy female villain."[12]
Javier Bardem asKing Triton,[13] Ariel's strict and overprotective father and the ruler of Atlantica who isprejudiced against humans due to the death of his wife at the hands of one of them. Bardem described his character as "a little bit less grumpy than the original because we were intending to bring more conflict to his behavior, like his fear and insecurity as a father. Being scared of letting his last daughter leave home ends up translating into being angry or too controlling."[14]
Noma Dumezweni asQueen Selina,[15] Eric's adoptive mother and the ruler of aCaribbean island kingdom. She is a new character for the film.[16] Dumezweni described her character as a "loving queen and a mother queen and a parent and a land lover learning about herself through letting go of her children."[17]
Art Malik asSir Grimsby,[18] the prime minister of Selina's kingdom and Eric's loyal confidant who acts as a father figure to him.
Awkwafina asScuttle,[22] a dimwittednorthern gannet and a friend of Ariel's to whom she provides inaccurate descriptions of any human/surface world object Ariel finds. The character is portrayed as a femalediving bird instead of a male seagull as in the original to feature the character in underwater scenes.
Additionally,Martina Laird appears as Lashana, one of the maids in Eric's castle, who is based onCarlotta from the animated film;Emily Coates appears as Rosa, a young girl who works as a maid in Eric's castle;Christopher Fairbank andJohn Dagleish appear as Hawkins and Mulligan, two of Eric's shipmates;Jude Akuwudike appears as Joshua, a fisherman who discovers Ariel in her human form; and Russell Balogh and Adrian Christopher appear as two of King Triton's guards.[23] Also appearing as thedaughters of Triton and Ariel's sisters (renamed for the film) areLorena Andrea as Perla,Simone Ashley as Indira, Karolina Conchet as Mala, Sienna King as Tamika, Kajsa Mohammar as Karina, and Nathalie Sorrell as Caspia.[24][25][26]
Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula'sgreen moray eel minions appear.Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel in the animated film, cameos as a market vendor who hands Ariel a dinglehopper during her tour of the kingdom.[27][28][29] Eric'sOld English Sheepdog Max appears, portrayed by Gary and Edna respectively, with the latter being uncredited.[30]
Production
Development
Rob Marshall directed the film.
In May 2016,Walt Disney Pictures began developing alive-actionadaptation ofHans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid".[31] Three months later,Lin-Manuel Miranda andMarc Platt signed on to produce the film, which was confirmed to be aremake of the Disney's1989 animated film of the same name.[32] On December 6, 2017, it was reported thatRob Marshall was being courted by the Walt Disney Company to direct the film, whileJane Goldman would serve as screenwriter.[33] On December 5, 2018, Marshall revealed that he, along withJohn DeLuca and Marc Platt were hired to begin developing the project for film adaptation, and said that "John and [Marshall] have begun our work trying to explore it and figure it out", as he felt that "it's a very complicated movie to take from animation to live-action. Live-action's a whole other world so you have to be very careful about how that's done, but so we're starting the exploration phase".[34] Later in December, Marshall was officially hired as director for the film.[35] During an interview on December 21, 2018, Marshall revealed that the film is in very early stages of development, stating that the studio is trying to explore ways to translate the original film's story into live-action.[36] On July 3, 2019,David Magee, who previously wrote the screenplay for Marshall'sMary Poppins Returns, was revealed to have written the script with Goldman.[37] Magee would receive sole credit for the screenplay. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that rehearsals for the film had already begun.[38]
By March 2021,Jessica Alexander was cast in an undisclosed role, which was eventually revealed to be Vanessa.[54]Of her casting, directorRob Marshall stated it was a conscious decision to cast a relatively unknown actress as Vanessa since McCarthy was already portraying Ursula. He also said: "She's just a beautiful, beautiful actress, and she went there. It's sort of rare for someone that beautiful and charismatic to be able to then turn into the sea witch literally in front of you and just lose it. It was exciting to see that change."[11] Alexander enjoyed playing the role, commenting that she "love[s] being demonic, and just going crazy on screen, so this was a perfect opportunity for that".[55]Kacey Musgraves was also considered for the role.[56]
Filming
Filming was originally scheduled to begin in London between late March and early April 2020; however, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[57][58][59][60] Set photos atPinewood Studios in London, England leaked a few weeks after the production was shut down, it showed aerial images featuring Prince Eric's ship as well as indoor images of what seemed to be his castle. On July 29, 2020, based on a social media post, Jacob Tremblay began recording his lines for the film.[61] Filming was scheduled to re-commence on August 10, 2020.[62]By November 2020, Disney's new CEOBob Chapek announced that filming on all films that had been postponed during pandemic shutdowns had resumed filming, and in some cases completed principal photography.[63]
In December 2020, McCarthy stated that she would hopefully begin filming in January 2021.[64] The following month, Diggs discussed the large amount of work he had to do when it came to preparing for and recording dialogue for the role of Sebastian.[65]
Principal photography officially began at Pinewood Studios in Iver, England on January 30, 2021.[67] Filming for McCarthy's scenes eventually began in April 2021.[68] On April 6, it was announced that additional filming would be happening in summer inSardinia, Italy, for a total of "roughly three months".[69] In June 2021, production was temporarily halted due to multiple crew members of the film contracting COVID-19.[70] Filming resumed about a week later and officially wrapped on July 11, 2021.[71][72] On December 30, 2021, Bailey shared some new behind-the-scenes photos of the set, including a glimpse of her portrayal of Ariel. The actress took to Instagram to wrap up her year and shared photos of moments of shooting the film. The first photo showed the film's script, which was blurred to avoid spoilers, but still showed her character name "Ariel" in bold print. One photo showed her swimming in Sardinia's waters, while another showed the process of film-making using CGI.[73] In February 2023, Marshall revealed that he hopes post-production work on the film will be completed by March, saying:
"I'm very proud of the film. It's the most challenging film I've ever done, for sure. No question... Using complicated, cutting-edge techniques to make this work. I don't think anybody's ever done an underwater musical before. I have to say every single moment of the film had to be choreographed in advance so that we could have a flow to the whole piece. It's crazy the apparatuses we worked with from wires to things called tuning forks to teeter-totters. Thank God we had the rehearsal time. You always need it on a musical anyway."
On March 22, 2023, Bailey revealed that she had to spend 13 hours underwater during certain days of filming and that practicalwater tanks and CGI were used to create the underwater environments, saying "I pushed myself as far as I've ever pushed myself in life... And I feel like the message from [Ariel] was to know that you've always had it in you." She also revealed that the film's themes were updated so that it is not put at the forefront that Ariel "leaves the ocean for a boy" in response to recent criticism surrounding the portrayal of that desire in the original film. On that, she added "I'm really excited for my version of the film because we've definitely changed that perspective... It's way bigger than that. It's about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants. As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above, and I'm glad that Disney is updating some of those themes."[76]
Visual effects
Visual effects were provided byIndustrial Light & Magic,Wētā FX,Moving Picture Company andFramestore.[77]DNEG also provided thestereo conversion.[78] For the "Under the Sea" sequence, Marshall called it a "big, massive musical number" and said that creating the underwater environments involved "a lot of work in advance with John DeLuca and myself creating these musical sequences, to prep it in advance from storyboards to something calledpre-visualization, which is almost like a little mini-animated film, so we know how it flowed and how it worked ... You are creating a world, you're creating creatures, but it's very important to me that it feels real – you have to believe, you have to care about them, you have to follow their journey."[79]
The Little Mermaid Ariel costume
On May 19, 2023, Marshall revealed that his work on Disney'sPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which featured a mermaid character namedTamara) helped influence his work onThe Little Mermaid, using similar live-action and CGI techniques to bring Ariel, her sisters and King Triton to life. He called it "a great launching point for us" and showed his work onPirates to the crew and visual effects team to break down the process. The colorful tails of the merpeople characters were designed by Marshall's frequent costume designerColleen Atwood, who used real fish as references to make each of the tails of Ariel and her sisters look more distinct from one another, and also designed the costumes for the human characters.[80]
Lawsuit
In August 2023, special effects artist Christine Overs filed a lawsuit against the film's producers over an accident that occurred on the film set that resulted in a broken wrist. In the lawsuit, Christine seeks compensation of 150,000 euros (US$190,000). Sandcastle Pictures, the Disney-owned production company responsible for filming, has admitted responsibility for the accident but disputes the amount Overs is seeking.[81]
Thesoundtrack album to the movie isThe Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). It features score and songs from the original film, three new songs composed by the original film's composerAlan Menken,Howard Ashman andLin-Manuel Miranda. The soundtrack was released digitally on May 19, 2023, and on physical CD and vinyl on May 26, 2023, byWalt Disney Records.[82][83] A deluxe edition of the album was released on the same date, featuring the complete original score.[84]
On September 9, 2022, Rob Marshall and Halle Bailey appeared at the 2022D23 Expo to introduce an exclusive presentation of the film's "Part of Your World" sequence, which received a positive response from the attendees, who praised Bailey's vocal performance. The film's teaser trailer was released to the public the same day.[88] On October 13, 2022, the first poster was released to the public,[89] which Bailey synchronously captioned onTwitter: "Words can't describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams."[90]
In an interview withEntertainment Weekly,Marshall says that this new take on Ariel spotlights a "modern woman". He says that the character goes back toHans Christian Andersen from another century, but at the same time in1989, that it felt in some ways like a very modern woman, someone who sees Ariel's life differently than anyone around her, and goes to find that dream.[91] On January 21, 2023,Disney Live Entertainment announced a casting call for character look-alike actresses to portray Bailey's version of Ariel as a character meet-and-greet atDisneyland in Anaheim, California near the "It's a Small World" attraction,Disney's Hollywood Studios atWalt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and the Walt Disney Studios park atDisneyland Paris in Paris, France, as part of the film's promotional campaign. It was later confirmed byDisney Parks that these meet-and-greets would run for a limited engagement throughout the summer, with the original, classic Ariel being reinstated afterward.[92][93][94]
On March 12, 2023, the official trailer was shown during the95th Academy Awards, introduced on stage by Bailey and McCarthy, and then released online alongside a new poster.[95]
Disney spent an estimated $140 million promotingThe Little Mermaid.[96] The film had the biggest global promotional campaign for a Disney branded live-action title at $80 million in value, with partner deals with the likes ofMcDonald's,Booking.com, andKellogg's.[97]
In the United Kingdom,The Little Mermaid topped theOfficial Charts Company'sOfficial Film Chart for the week of August 2.[101][102] It retained the No. 1 position for the week ending August 9.[103][104] The film ranked No. 2 for the period ending August 16,[105] No. 3 for the week ending August 23,[106] and No. 7 for the week ending August 30.[107] For the week ending September 6, the film placed at No. 9 on the chart.[108] In the United States,The Little Mermaid debuted at No. 1 onFandango'sVudu chart of the ten most popular films for the week of July 30.[109][110] It also topped the video-on-demand charts oniTunes andGoogle Play during the same period.[111][112] The film ranked as the No. 5 best-selling physical-media title in the U.S. for September 2023, according toCircana's VideoScan chart.[113]
The Walt Disney Company announced thatThe Little Mermaid was viewed 16 million times in the five days following its release on Disney+, making it the platform's most-streamed film during its debut week since the release ofHocus Pocus 2 (2022). The company defined views as total streaming time divided by runtime.[114][115] The film also ranked as the most-streamed live-action Disney film premiere on the platform.[116][117]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on certain American television screens, calculated that the film was streamed for 1.374 billion minutes from September 4—10.[118][119] It was the most-streamed film that week and ranked as the fourth most-streamed program overall.[120] In the following week, from September 11–17, the film recorded 588 million minutes of watch time, making it the second most-streamed film that week.[121][122]The Little Mermaid was subsequently streamed for 393 million minutes from September 18–24, remaining the second most-streamed film that week.[123][124]
Broadcast
On October 6, 2024,ABC broadcastThe Little Mermaid as part of itsWonderful World of Disney programming block.[125] The airing was viewed in approximately 1.09 million households (0.87 rating), with a total audience of 1.47 million viewers (0.46 rating), including 268,500 adults aged 18–49 (0.20 rating).[126] On June 7, 2025,The Little Mermaid aired onFreeform as part of its30 Days of Disney programming block.[127] The film reached about 126,000 households (0.10 rating) and 226,000 total viewers (0.07 rating), of which 92,000 were adults aged 18–49 (0.07 rating) and 104,000 were aged 25–54 (0.08 rating).[128]
Reception
Pre-release
Variety reported that the officialteaser trailer ofThe Little Mermaid garnered more than 104 million global views during the first weekend following its release. It surpassed recent Disney live-action releases includingBeauty and the Beast with 94 million,Aladdin with 74 million andCruella with 68 million.[129] After the release of the trailer in September 2022, videos of Black girls positively reacting to it went viral.[130][131][132] In December 2022, the film ranked number three as the "Most Anticipated Family Film" of 2023 in a poll conducted byFandango Media while Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy ranked number one as the "Most Anticipated New Performance on the Big Screen" and "Most Anticipated Villain", respectively.[133]
Following its premiere at the95th Academy Awards on March 12, 2023, the official trailer reportedly generated over 108 million global views within its first 24 hours.[134] It is now among the most watchedtrailers for anyreimagined title in Disney's growing stable of live-action adaptations, and the biggest for a Disney live-action title since the 2019 remake ofThe Lion King.[135]
An early private test screening of the film's final cut took place on April 30, 2023, at The Whitby Hotel inNew York City. The event, hosted by Marshall and DeLuca, was attended by 80 celebrities and industry professionals.[136]
Box office
The Little Mermaid grossed $298.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $271.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $569.6 million.[3][4] Disney received a total of £46.6 million ($56.8 million) in tax reimbursements equivalent to 25% of the film'sUK-based net spend, from the UK government's Film Tax Relief scheme.[2]
In the United States and Canada,The Little Mermaid—released alongsideThe Machine,Kandahar,About My Father, andYou Hurt My Feelings—was projected to gross $120–125 million from 4,320 theaters over its four-dayMemorial Day opening weekend.[137] The film made $38 million on its first day, including $10.3 million from Thursday night previews.[138] It went on to debut to $95.6 million in the traditional three-day weekend, and $118.8 million over the four-day frame, topping the box office and making it the fifth highest Memorial Day opening in history[97][139][140] (20th after inflation adjustment).[141] In its second weekend, the film declined 57% to $41.4 million while finishing in second place to newcomerSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.[142][143] The film then made $23.2 million in its third weekend, finishing third behind newcomerTransformers: Rise of the Beasts andAcross the Spider-Verse.[144][145] It remained in the top ten for five more weeks.[146] In the United States and Canada,The Little Mermaid was thesixth-highest-grossing film of 2023.[147]
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, the opening weekend box office results fell short of expectations, grossing just $68.3 million.[148] A financial insider described the film's opening weekend toDeadline as "not a huge disappointment, but a disappointment, nonetheless."[96] The film's biggest markets were Mexico ($8.5 million), the United Kingdom ($6.3 million), Italy ($4.7 million), Brazil and Australia (both around $4 million).[148] The film also grossed $415,672 in India and $184,214 in South Africa during its opening weekend.[3]
The film's biggest markets in gross value were the United Kingdom ($34.1 million), Japan ($23.9 million), Mexico ($20.9 million), Brazil (17.3 million) and Australia ($15 million). In the Philippines, the film earned more thanThe Super Mario Bros. Movie andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at the box office.[149] Its performance in China and South Korea was considered disappointing; it grossed only $3.6 million in China, and $4.4 million in South Korea in first 10 days.[150][151] In contrast,The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film had achieved success in Japan after it had earned $10.3 million in its first two weeks of release.[149]
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics.[152][153] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 67% of 349 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-actionLittle Mermaid ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings."[154]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[155] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled byPostTrak gave it an overall 91% positive score, with 76% saying they would definitely recommend it.[97]
Brian Lowry ofCNN wrote that the film "holds up nicely under the weight of those expectations, preserving the original's essence while updating undernourished aspects of it and riding a warm, hard-to-resist wave of nostalgia."[156] Ross Bonaime ofCollider wrote that it "might not match the greatness of the original, but it's the rare remake that feels worthy of being part of our world."[157] Lex Briscuso ofTheWrap called it "a fresh take on a beloved classic that isn't afraid to take a fairy tale and make it as real as it can, inviting its audience to dive into uncharted waters alongside its engaging and charming central characters."[158] Pete Hammond ofDeadline Hollywood wrote that "Marshall has made a movie with all the magic required to pull it off and, if not replace the original in our hearts, at least has made a movie that can stand next to that one to also become a memorable part of our cinematic world."[159] Vanessa Armstrong of/Film called it a live-action remake "done well" that "improves on the original" and had no doubt that "it will become an indelible part of many a young person's childhood, and I can't wait to watch it with my daughter."[160]
Zoë Rose Bryant ofNext Best Picture praised its sense of nostalgia and called Bailey and Hauer-King the "stars of the show". She did, however, criticize the visual effects, but said that they were "far better than the oft-maligned trailers would lead you to believe."[161] Molly Edwards ofTotal Film gave it four stars out of five and called it "A sparkling, enchanting new spin that out-swims the original, with a pitch-perfect performance from Halle Bailey."[162] Brian Truitt ofUSA Today wrote that "While not everything goes swimmingly, Halle Bailey splendidly buoys thisMermaid as the naive underwater youngster with dreams of exploring the surface."[163] Maureen Lee Lenker ofEntertainment Weekly praised the performances of Bailey, Hauer-King and McCarthy, and named the "Under the Sea" sequence as the film's best musical highlight.[164] Peter Debruge ofVariety lauded the film, saying that "Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic."[165]
Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post called it an "on-the-other-fin mixed bag of a movie that honors its source material with a big, color-saturated production, while never precisely proving that it ever needed to exist."[166] Rachel LaBonte ofScreen Rant felt mixed, saying that the film is "bolstered by deeper characterization and a grand scope, even as it grapples with flaws."[167] Helen O'Hara ofEmpire called it "Another 'live-action' remake that's darker and less compelling than the animated original, but it's saved by Bailey's charming performance, McCarthy's sass and the story's own eternal magic."[168] Moira MacDonald ofThe Seattle Times praised Bailey's performance, saying that "her singing voice has both sweetness and power, and her smile is the sort on which dreams dance."[169]
On the critical side,Angelica Jade Bastién ofVulture panned the film, writing that with this film, "Disney betrays its own lack of imagination and an essential misreading of what made its original children's fare such a joy to audiences in the first place."[170] Hillary Busis ofVanity Fair criticized the runtime and called it an "uneasy mix of carbon copy and superfluous added material, presented in "live-action" that looks and feels (and is) as artificial asLightning McQueen."[171] Johnny Oleksinski ofNew York Post wrote that "Despite real actors, CGI and brand new material, 'Mermaid' is the studio's latest flesh-and-blood cash grab that's more lifeless than far better two-dimensional painted drawings." Justin Chang ofLos Angeles Times wrote that "What's on-screen too often feels like wan, second-rate imitation, and the few differences seem motivated less by a spirit of imagination than one of joyless anxiety."[172]Kat Rosenfield, writing forUnHerd, panned the film for being "propaganda" and for paling in comparison to the original, writing that "This is perhaps the worst thing about Disney's contemporary remakes: not that they are blatant cash grabs, but that they are infantilizing. The originalLittle Mermaid placed infinitely more trust in its intended audience of children than the new version places in those same children, now that they're grown up."[173] Kelly Lawler, writing forUSA Today, panned the film and noted that the story does not translate well to live-action as it did in animation and was particularly critical of the uncanny valley CGI and murky lighting, writing that "Every change − to aesthetics, to story, to soundtracks, to length − that is required to make these films 'live action' chips away at the magic of the originals. This relentless pursuit of realism doesn't make a good kids' movie: It may be dark underwater in the real ocean, but we want to see Ariel dance properly lit on the screen. The new films are too long, too monotone, too bland and full of photorealistic talking animals that range from boring to horrifying."[174]
Lindsey Bahr ofAssociated Press wrote that "For all its pizazz, everything about thisLittle Mermaid is just more muted. Miranda's new songs are odd, too, and don't seem to fit."[175] "The Scuttlebutt" musical number was widely criticized by critics and audiences for Awkwafina's vocal performance, Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics (particularly the line "Remember the swamp? Remember my song in the swamp? When I was like 'Womp, chicka womp-womp, chicka womp-woooomp'") and its rap style not fitting in with the musical style of the other songs. Raven Brunner ofDecider called the number "awkward" and that it felt "forced".[176] A. Felicia Wade ofDiscussingFilm wrote that "Considering the setting, it's really out of place for the film in general."[177]
John Musker, the co-writer and co-director of the original 1989 film, disapproved of the film stating: "They didn't play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way. And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression."[178]
Controversies
After the announcement of Bailey's involvement in July 2019 and the release of first teaser in September 2022, the film gained mixed responses from the public for casting an African-American actress as Ariel, who was Caucasian with red hair in the 1989 animated film.[179] Arguments for the negative response have included the fact that a black mermaid does not adhere to the original story (Hans Christian Andersen's description of the mermaid is that "her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea"),[180][181] the claim that the adaptation should be as close to the original as possible,[182] and the idea that mermaids should be pale, not black, as they are underwater creatures.[183] Criticism of the casting after the teaser trailer release became viral and elicited thehashtag#NotMyAriel.[184] Many media outlets as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film's producer and lyricist, criticized the negative response and described it as being racist.[185][186][187] Stuart Heritage ofThe Guardian argued, "The boring spat over the Disney trailer makes idiots of us all – whether Ariel is Black or White, it is clearly a film that should rightfully be ignored then forgotten forever", suggesting instead that there should be a "grotesque scaly mutant as the lead".[188]
During an interview in August 2019, Bailey said that "[she doesn't] pay attention to the negativity", whileAuliʻi Cravalho, who played Ariel in amusical presentation as a part ofThe Wonderful World of Disney, expressed excitement at watching Bailey's portrayal of the character.[184]Jodi Benson, the voice actress for Ariel in the 1989 film, praised Bailey, stating, "I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters".[189]Brandy Norwood, the first woman of color to playCinderella in the1997 Disney television film of the same, andAnika Noni Rose, the voice ofTiana (Disney's first official African-American Princess), also both praised the casting of Bailey as Ariel.[190][191]Rachel Zegler, who played Maria inSteven Spielberg's 2021 film version ofWest Side Story and thetitular role in Disney's 2025 live-action remake ofSnow White, also voiced her support for Bailey.[192] In February 2023, Bailey said that she was trying to ignore the criticisms leveled by racisttrolls on social media and focus on the anticipation for the film's release.[193] In a cover story forThe Face, Bailey further added "I know people are like: 'It's not about race.' But now that I'm her... People don't understand that when you're Black there's this whole other community... It's so important for us to see ourselves."[194]
In April 2023,Forbes reported that the visuals and CGI of the film, which it described as "an easy target for criticism", sparked viral discussions, criticism andmemes on social media.[195]
In May 2023, an editorial from Chinese state-run tabloidGlobal Times accused Disney of "forced inclusion of minorities" and "lazy and irresponsible storytelling",[196] echoing the views of some social media users in China, Japan, and South Korea.[197] TheGlobal Times similarly attributed the film's poor performance in China to "Disney turning classic tales into 'sacrificial lambs' for political correctness."[198]
Deadline Hollywood reported that the film was suffering fromreview bombing online, and that sites such asIMDb in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Mexico, andAlloCiné in France had added warnings to the rating pages for the film about "unusual" activity. IMDb's warning read, "Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied."[199]Deadline Hollywood cited these low user ratings as well as "backlash... over the casting of star Halle Bailey in the title role" in countries such as Korea, China, France, and Germany as contributing factors in the disappointing overseas box office.[96]
A series of books based on the film was released on April 11, 2023, byDisney Press.[219][220] It includes an illustratedpicture book titledThe Little Mermaid: Make a Splash by Ashley Franklin and Paul Kellam;[221][222] the guidebookThe Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolk detailing the depictions of Ariel, her sisters, and universe from the film by Eric Geron;[223] thenovelization of the film titledThe Little Mermaid: The Novelization by Faith Noelle;[224]The Little Mermaid: This is Ariel by Colin Hosten;[225][226] and theyoung adult novelThe Little Mermaid: Against the Tide by American authorJ. Elle.[227][228][229] The novel serves as aprequel.[230][231][232] It featured onThe New York Times Best Seller list,[233] where it spent several weeks in the top ten and reached the fifth spot in the category "Young Adult Hardcover Books".[234][235]
In June 2023, a CGI-animated series inspired by the film was announced forDisney Junior.[236] The series, entitledAriel, follows a young version of the titular character whose design takes influence from Bailey's portrayal. The series premiered on June 27, 2024.[237]
Future
In October 2022, after the positive repercussions of black children watching the trailer, rumors emerged that Disney had contacted Halle Bailey to negotiate a possible sequel.[238] In April 2023, Marshall hinted at the potential for sequels if the film is successful: "It's a classic story that has a lot of characters and a lot of interesting stories. I do think it's right for certain things. But you have to see how a movie plays, and how it does... I think there's always opportunity to find stories within stories. That's always a wonderful thing."[239] The following month, Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King spoke about the animated sequelThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, saying that they liked it and they would agree to reprise their roles if it were adapted into live action.[240]
^abReid, Caroline (October 2, 2023)."Disney Sinks $300 Million Into 'Over Budget' 'Little Mermaid' Movie".Forbes.Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. RetrievedOctober 7, 2023.Its financial statements reveal that a total of $297 million (£243.5 million) had been spent on the movie by August 31, 2022 and then comes the cash reimbursement…The Little Mermaid received $56.8 million (£46.6 million) from the UK government bringing its net spending down to $240.2 million.
^"The Little Mermaid".Production List. Film & Television Industry Alliance. November 10, 2019.Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. RetrievedNovember 10, 2019.
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