The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[lord-of-sith]

I wouldn't take Bailey seeming "wooden" in a couple clips much to heart. The premiere reactions all indicate she is the standout performance of the movie (with McCarthy following her), so I'm guessing her performance all works within the context, and just doesn't pop in a single short clip.

[Disney's Divinity]

Bailey's doing about as well as you'd expect considering they cast a pop star rather than a good actress. That's why you all hated Beyonce in TLK, right? Personally, I didn't mind Beyonce being a tepid actor since Nala isn't a very strong character anyway (even more uninteresting than Eric and Jasmine in the original films)--same reason Harry Styles would've been fine as Eric, too, at least he's cute. And Beyonce did do a much better job of sounding theatrical on TLK's and Dreamgirls' songs than Bailey did on POYW, that's for sure.

Unlike those names, Cynthia Erivo is a great actor first as well as a great singer. A shame she got a smaller role with the Blue Fairy though.

[D82]

The "Poor Unfortunate Souls" clip has been officially released. Someone has already made a side-by-side video comparison with the original.

The soundtrack tracklist has also been revealed:

1. Triton’s Kingdom – Alan Menken (2:32)
2. Part of Your World – Halle (3:34)
3. Fathoms Bellow – Jonah Hauer-King, John Dagleish, Christopher Fairbank & Ensemble (1:28)
4. Part of Your World (Reprise) – Halle (2:37)
5. Under the Sea – Daveed Diggs & Cast (3:04)
6. Wild Uncharted Waters – Jonah Hauer-King (2:59)
7. Poor Unfortunate Souls – Melissa McCarthy (4:42)
8. For the First Time – Halle (4:08)
9. Kiss the Girl – Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay & Ensemble (3:16)
10. The Scuttlebutt – Awkwafina & Daveed Diggs (2:01)
11. Eric’s Decision – Alan Menken (2:21)
12. Vanessa’s Trick – Alan Menken (1:03)
13. Part of Your World (Reprise II) – Halle (1:33)
14. Kiss the Girl (Island Band Reprise) – Alan Menken (2:17)
15. Finale – Alan Menken (2:25)

Source: https://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/05/1 ... m-details/

[DisneyFan09]

New Trailer with Poor Unfortunate Souls:
https://youtu.be/uzljkahx7OQ

I liked that trailer. Especially the shot with Ariel at the rock. But Flotsam and Jetsam looks just as uncanny as Flounder and Sebastian does. As for Poor Unfortunate Souls, it sounds fine, but it does sounds a little reminiscent of Arabian Nights in orchestration

[UmbrellaFish]

I do not like Part of Your World coming before Fathoms Below… Howard Ashman was very deliberate with the structuring of the songs in TLM. The expository song sets the stage for the “I want” song…

[D82]

New promo about Scuttle and full Korean version of "Part of Your World".

What do you mean actors aren't dubbed in live action films??? (they are... maybe not for theatrical release, but definitely for home media/tv)

Sorry, I guess I didn't make myself clear. Yes, of course they're dubbed for other countries' versions. What I meant is that an actor not speaking in their own voice in the original version of a live-action movie is not very common. They do dub the actors singing sometimes, especially in the past, if they're not good singers. And, of course, actors re-record some of their own lines if it's needed during post-production, which is called ADR, right? But their speaking voice is usually not replaced with another person's voice. I know here it's because of story reasons, but I guess what I meant is that casting someone in a role, but not using their voice is a bit weird to me, especially if Vanessa's role has been expanded here. In the original, she sings twice, but the only time she speaks in Ariel's voice is when she's attacked by the animals at the wedding.

Anyway, I've checked the leaked copy of the novelization I found online and, according to it, Vanessa does speak in Ariel's voice, so maybe the fact that she doesn't sing the reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and just hums it doesn't mean she won't do it in the movie. By the way, there's an important change in that part of the story. In this version they've replaced the wedding for an engagement party, which takes place on a terrace of the palace instead of a boat. So, that white dress we saw in the promo about the costumes is definitely the Queen's and not Vanessa's wedding dress.

That is so cool about the sticker on the VHS cover! I didn't know that part!

I've thought a bit more about that, and maybe it wasn't a sticker on the VHS and it was written on the Little Mermaid-themed movie display stand or promotional standee (I'm not sure what it's called) in the store where I bought it. My copy of the VHS does have a sticker which says "Auténtica magia Disney" that is stuck onto the cover itself and not onto the plastic case. I've always hated that, as I couldn't see the whole cover because of it. Maybe I got confused because of that sticker. Anyway, whether it was written on the cover or a standee, what I'm sure about is that it was clearly stated there when I bought it that the film had the original dub.

Agreed about the spanish voice of Ursula. Also, as far as I know, Serena Olvido made it a condition in his contract that he should only be credited by his drag name, and never his real name. Hence, "Serena Olvido".

If you are interested in facts about dubs, go to doblaje.fandom ... it's a website where you can search almost any film about the latin dubs (often has info about the spaniard ones too)

Interesting fun fact about Serena Olvido. And thanks for the website recommendation!

Isn't the Queen's name Selina?

Is it? She is only credited as "The Queen" in the film.

She's been called Queen Selina in articles and press releases, as well as in the books, but who knows, perhaps her name won't be mentioned in the movie since Eric will call her "mother" and the rest will probably call her "your majesty" o will refer to her as just "the Queen".

I do not like Part of Your World coming before Fathoms Below… Howard Ashman was very deliberate with the structuring of the songs in TLM. The expository song sets the stage for the “I want” song…

It's a bit surprising they made that change and decided not to have any song at the beginning, especially given Rob Marshall's experience doing musicals. I've read more than one reaction (like the ones below) that said the beginning was a bit boring. Perhaps if they have kept the songs there, it would've been more entertaining.

#TheLittleMermaid live action version was one of the better adaptations from Disney in a long time. Absolutely NOT perfect, but pleasing and entertaining after you get though the first 15 minutes of the movie.

Source: https://twitter.com/theFLICKpick/status ... 3301132289

#TheLittleMermaid pleasantly surprised me in so many ways. I hold the animated movie in a very high regard, and once I got past the uncanny animal CGI and the beat-for-beat recreation of the first act, it became something special. Full review coming to @ComicBook
soon!

Source: https://twitter.com/heyitsjennalynn/sta ... 5519354880

The film, at the beginning, was a bit surface level for my taste, but once it found its footing, I was really engaged.

Source: https://twitter.com/MovieFilesLive/stat ... 9386106880

[Farerb]

D82, which version of the movie do you prefer - English or Spanish?

[D82]

D82, which version of the movie do you prefer - English or Spanish?

I think the English one is superior, plus it's the original. And the songs (especially the lyrics) are always better in the original version. Whenever I listen to them, it's always in English. As for the film itself, the last few years I've seen it more times in English than in Spanish. I recently also watched the TV series on Disney+ in the original version, so I'm quite used to the original voices now. But I'm very fond of the Spanish dub too since I grew up with it and I've seen that version countless times as a child and later. And, as I said, I think it's also quite good. It's actually difficult for me to choose between the two.

What about you? Do you prefer Hebrew dub or the original one?

[Disney Duster]

Oh, ok D82, so that costume was Queen Selina's, you were right.

[Farerb]

I think the English one is superior, plus it's the original. And the songs (especially the lyrics) are always better in the original version. Whenever I listen to them, it's always in English. As for the film itself, the last few years I've seen it more times in English than in Spanish. I recently also watched the TV series on Disney+ in the original version, so I'm quite used to the original voices now. But I'm very fond of the Spanish dub too since I grew up with it and I've seen that version countless times as a child and later. And, as I said, I think it's also quite good. It's actually difficult for me to choose between the two.

What about you? Do you prefer Hebrew dub or the original one?

Pretty much the same as you. I think I prefer Ariel's voice in Hebrew, I like both Ursulas, but the English is superior in everything else. There are some things I don't like in the Hebrew dub: Eric sounds too old, Sebastian doesn't have a Jamaican / Trinidadian accent, they made a choice to include vocals of people partying during the instrumental part of Under the Sea (some people actually like it though), and I noticed they kept Jodi Benson's voice when Ursula tells Ariel to sing before she turns into a human, when Vanessa bewitches Eric and when Ariel gets her voice back.

Overall I prefer to see all Disney films in English nowadays, but sometimes I make exceptions just for The Little Mermaid because I love the voice actress of Ariel. She's actually a very famous singer here, and she participated in the Eurovision in 1981. Dubbing isn't really her profession, she only did The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid and The Swan Princess (as Odette), so she didn't return to do Ariel in the sequels or the TV series, so Ariel has four different voices here (and now with the Live Action she'll have another one).

[Sotiris]

Apparently, King Triton's cut song "Impossible Child" is included as a bonus track buying the soundtrack on HSN.com.

Exclusive Bonus Track: "Impossible Child"
King Triton’s frustrations, as a father, of raising a spirited daughter like Ariel. The song is not featured in the film, with the outtake available exclusive to HSN viewers who purchase HSN’s Disney’s The Little Mermaid CD with exclusive bonus track and poster. Performed by Javier Bardem; Written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Source: https://www.hsn.com/products/disneys-th ... t/21070634

The product in question has been removed from the website and the link no longer works. I hope the CD with the cut song hasn't been canceled the last minute.

[Sotiris]

Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King said they would both return for a potential sequel. Jonah said he'd like to be a merman in the sequel while Halle said she loves the animated sequel where the couple has a daughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQKo4-Rz5Pc

[Vlad]

Will the soundtrack be available on CD as well? Wherever I check, I only see the vinyl.

[D82]

The soundtrack is already out in New Zealand. You can hear snippets of the tracks on the country's Apple Music website. A fan has also shared instructions on how to listen to it on Spotify New Zealand from other countries.

The product in question has been removed from the website and the link no longer works. I hope the CD with the cut song hasn't been canceled the last minute.

How strange. By the way, I now see that's the same website where the world premiere was livestreamed.

Will the soundtrack be available on CD as well? Wherever I check, I only see the vinyl.

Yes, at least it's available on CD on Target.com and I've seen also on a couple of Spanish websites. I can't find the physical version on Amazon, though.

[Farerb]

I listened to the entire soundtrack, I thought the score was good, but wasn't a fan of the songs so much. The singers aren't bad, but It feels as if they sing it as if they are in a concert rather than a film, it's as if they disregard that they also need to "tell a story".

I feel that Poor Unfortunate Souls and Under the Sea lack the energy of the original songs, I know people like Melissa, but unfortunately to me it feels like she's shouting rather than singing. I liked Kiss the Girl until Awkwafina decided to ruin it

Regarding the new songs:
Wild Uncharted Waters - probably my favorite song in the soundtrack, and most likely because I don't have anything superior to compare it to from the original. I liked that they used Halle's vocals in the song, it adds to the feeling that her voice really haunts Eric.

For the First Time - I thought it was unnecessary but fine, nothing more, I guess it makes sense to give Ariel a new song and make it different than Part of Your World, but it's really not on the same level, but I guess no one expects it to be.

Out of these two, Wild Uncharted Waters should be the one submitted to the Academy Awards, but I have a feeling they'll submit For the First Time because of Halle.

The Scuttlebutt - just a mess and doesn't fit with the rest of the music (songs + score). It would have been more appropriate to put it in Encanto. Easily my least favorite song.

In addition, the Finale is just a score, so no choir in the end, not even Halle.

[Disney's Divinity]

The product in question has been removed from the website and the link no longer works. I hope the CD with the cut song hasn't been canceled the last minute.

The song's probably not that good anyway--a song for Triton with lyrics by Miranda, not something that would interest me on either count, tbh--but I can understand the desire for completion, to have everything that was on the table. Hard to believe the Diane Warren ballad didn't pan out though. The development, making, and marketing of this movie has been so weird.

I'll listen to the songs later. Not surprised there is no choral music at this point.

[Patricier21]

Regarding Triton’s cut song as well as others that may be cut, well don’t forget: deleted scenes whenever it comes to Blu-ray and even Disney+ After all, both the live action beauty and the beast and Aladdin had deleted songs as well as their deleted scenes

[Farerb]

Halle Bailey Talks Becoming 'The Little Mermaid' | D23 Inside Disney Takes a Deep Dive Under the Sea
https://youtu.be/_lO9D9ddESA

[D82]

The soundtrack is now available in the UK and other European countries. Here's a Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/40tsP3taBOC9HqNaLCZZKP

Regarding Triton’s cut song as well as others that may be cut, well don’t forget: deleted scenes whenever it comes to Blu-ray and even Disney+ After all, both the live action beauty and the beast and Aladdin had deleted songs as well as their deleted scenes

Yes, it'll probably be an extra on Disney+. Javier Bardem has said so in interviews. I thought he was perhaps referring to the video, since he also mentioned the song was shot, and the audio version would be released now, but I guess they changed their minds at the last minute.

By the way, I guess track 12, the one titled "Vanessa's Trick", is the remake's version of the "Poor Unfortunate Souls" reprise. It's clear Halle is the one humming the melody. I think I've also discovered why they didn't keep the lyrics. Part of them are about Vanessa getting married, and there's no wedding in this version, so I guess they came up with this solution instead of changing the lyrics.

And I bet "Kiss the Girl (Island Band Reprise)" is used during the engagement party, as it sounds like party music. Which would mean "Part of Your World (Reprise II)" takes place when Ariel discovers Eric wants to marry Vanessa and not later (if the tracks are in chronological order). Maybe that was already confirmed; I don't remember now if it was.

[UmbrellaFish]

The original TLM soundtrack really only has one skippable song, “Les Poissons” (maybe also “Daughters of Triton” if you’re lame). This new soundtrack removes “Les Poissons” but gives us a new song to skip: “The Scuttlebutt.” I like the quick patter, that’s impressive, but it stretches a couple lines of dialogue from the original into a two minute song and Scuttle just did not need a song. Stylistically it doesn’t fit in, either.

Everything else I liked. “Wild Uncharted Waters” is a showy vocal number for Prince Eric, “For the First Time” is like a sad version of “Beyond My Wildest Dreams” from the musical. Very poignant.

Overall, the voices were very good, nobody sounded over auto tuned. Halle Bailey is just correct in every song. I feel like Melissa McCarthy worked very hard to get “Poor Unfortunate Souls” to sound as good as it does... and that’s not faint praise, I don’t think she was a singer coming into this and she sounds great. Daveed Diggs’ numbers were great. I am very pleased with this soundtrack.

My only head scratcher moment, besides “The Scuttlebutt” was the opening “Triton’s Kingdom” score. It was not what I expected… it sounded more like Narnia than TLM. I thought the opening music would just be the original main titles score but this is not that.