The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[Disney Duster]

Oh, I see, Divinity. You only hope it bombs. Ok.

I never thought if Disney made Cinderella (2015) more like the 1950 one it would have done better, but you may be right. I am glad we got a straight, non-musical live-action one just because that hasn't been done as much, but what I also would have loved would have been a musical with all new music by Alan Menken. Sorry, I just don't like the 1950 soundtrack that much!

The version Mark Romanek was going to direct was a dark interpretation where Cinderella is left for dead and then gets taught swordfighting to save the Prince from an evil marriage plot. It didn't sound good lol. Mark Romanek left the project when they decided to go with a more faithful version. I must thank God for that because, well as you know, the finished 2015 Cinderella was a dream come true for me. Yes, it's boring and not as good as Ever After, but it's also so picture perfect and I love every piece of it. If only it could somehow be what it is and less boring!

I don't feel like this Little Mermaid is really that much like the Broadway show, I mean it won't even have the same new songs that one got, but we'll have to see. I'm actually still extremely excited about this film!

[Disney's Divinity]

I never thought if Disney made Cinderella (2015) more like the 1950 one it would have done better, but you may be right. I am glad we got a straight, non-musical live-action one just because that hasn't been done as much, but what I also would have loved would have been a musical with all new music by Alana Menken. Sorry, I just don't like the 1950 soundtrack that much!

Oh, you know I would love to have an Alan Menken version of Cinderella (or The Princess and the Frog for that matter!), but the original film's songs are very well-remembered except perhaps the mice song--"Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" being the most memorable of them. I do think audiences would've reacted to the film more strongly if those songs were present and in trailers, for example. I do love "Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale."

[Disney Duster]

Yes, an Alan Menken Cinderella or Princess and the Frog would be dreams come true!

It is true the 1950 Cinderella has beloved and well-remembered songs, especially "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo". Even the mice song is well-remembered. My one friend who hated Cinderella even remembered a little of that song! My favorite is "Sing Sweet Nightingale" as well. I just...I dunno, the songs are not as good as Snow White's, Bambi's, or the Disney Renaissance ones.

[Vlad]

What I appreciated the most for Cinderella's remake is that it had that fairy tale quality. It felt like a classic fairy tale. I do think that the lack of songs was felt quite strongly. I was almost expecting the characters to break into song during certain scenes. I loved Lily James humming "Sing Sweet Nightingale", her voice is quite lovely, and she really showcased her talent in the second Mamma Mia! movie. I also think that "Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo" is the most memorable in the original movie, but I also love "Sing Sweet Nightingale" and, of course, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"

[Disney Duster]

I wouldn't have minded a musical. I am just glad we got a straight version one time. I probably would have preferred an Alan Menken musical movie, though, to be honest. It would have been great to hear Lily James' voice put to some really great music, just like in Mamma Mia 2, for sure!

I'm glad you feel it felt like a fairy tale. I agree!

[D82]

Rob Marshall talks about the film in a new interview:

His last five movies were filmed in London and his most recent effort, May 2023’s live-action Disney musical “The Little Mermaid,” concluded its five-month shoot filming exteriors in Sardinia, Italy, in July 2021.

“The Little Mermaid,” which Marshall directed/produced and DeLuca produced, is in an extensive post-production process that’s required because most of the movie takes place underwater.

“It’s the most complicated movie we’ve ever done,” Marshall said. “So much of it is shot up in the air with everything on wires and the actors on this apparatus called a ‘tuning fork’ and teeter-totters so they swim and move and turn and flip. Everything is choreographed within an inch of its life.”

Good thing Marshall was a choreographer before he was a film director.

Even the characters’ hair has to be added in post-production to make it float the way hair underwater would. And the mermaid halves of mer-characters’ bodies are computer-generated, as are the tentacles on Melissa McCarthy’s villainous sea witch, Ursula.

“The Little Mermaid” is slated for a theatrical release

“It’s tricky because I think we all became very used to watching television and streaming services during the pandemic and it did become very comfortable. I get it,” Marshall said. “The thing you miss, especially with an event movie like ‘The Little Mermaid,’ is engaging not only with other people to enjoy the experience, but to see it in this massive way on the big screen, which this film is created for. It will also be shown on Imax and in 3-D because it’s that kind of movie that wants to be in that environment that you just can’t get in a streaming service movie.”

Source: https://triblive.com/aande/movies-tv/tv ... rks-debut/

[Disney Duster]

Wow, I love how in-depth and extensive they are being to get the underwater and merpeople parts right and dynamic! And yes, Marshall's choreographic background must help! This is going to be in IMAX and 3D?!! Looks like I'll be seeing each of those versions, probably in addition to a standard screen version, so, yeah, they'll really get my money!

[Farerb]

https://twitter.com/HalleBailey/status/ ... 7850369024

[Vlad]

The Expo is in September, not in August?

[D82]

Apparently, Flotsam and Jetsam might not be in the movie:

In the latest episode of the Like A Virgin podcast, comedian Matt Rogers appeared as a guest. Throughout the episode, both and the two hosts discussed a variety of topics including Disney and the upcoming live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. It was during this conversation that Rogers mentioned that he had somehow gotten to hear the film’s (and Melissa McCarthy’s) version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” early. That’s not all.

Despite some minor critiques of the song – and discussion of how someone like Lady Gaga might have done it – Rogers confirmed that he asked his manager reach out to Disney to see if they needed two actors to take up the roles of Flotsam and Jetsam. He wanted to pitch himself and SNL‘s Bowen Yang for the roles.

He said he wanted to play one of the characters so badly that, “It got to the point where our managers actually reached out and asked, and [Disney] told us we’ll Flotsam and Jetsam aren’t in the movie.”

That’s right. Those two sidekicks will not be appearing in the live action version – at least according to Rogers and according to what he says Disney told him.

Source: https://thedisinsider.com/2022/05/26/do ... id-remake/


Here's a clip of the moment in the podcast where he mentions it.

Actress Noma Dumezweni also talks a bit about the film in a new interview:

"I'm not allowed to say who I'm playing yet," she said, "but I have filmed it and my character is a landlubber. It is going to be magical and I love [director] Rob Marshall. It's apparently going to be out in June 2023. It looks marvelous. Something I can say, I think, is about King Tritons daughters, of whom Ariel is one. I had that kumbaya thing in my heart on the first day of rehearsals meeting them. They're all so beautiful. The representation is wonderful. It's going to be incredible."

https://virginradio.co.uk/the-graham-no ... le-mermaid

[Sotiris]

Not pleased about Flotsam and Jetsam gettng cut, but at least we'll have two less ugly CG characters to worry about in the film. With Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle, there will be enough horror to go around. And did Noma imply she's playing Ariel's mom in that interview or is it just me? Isn't she supposed to be Eric's mom?

[D82]

And did Noma imply she's playing Ariel's mom in that interview or is it just me? Isn't she supposed to be Eric's mom?

Do you mean because she said her character is a landlubber? I thought that meant her character is not a mermaid or a sea creature, but a human.

[Sotiris]

No, I meant the way she inserted King Triton into the conversation. Saying the movie is "about King Triton's daughters, of whom Ariel is one" seems like a strange way to phrase it. Eh, she probably didn't mean anything by it.

[Disney Duster]

Flotsam and Jetsam need to be in the movie for this to be the true Little Mermaid done in live-action. Yes, I know, an Ariel with brown hair isn't truly The Little Mermaid either, but this is even worse, it's whole characters being cut.

[Sotiris]

You don't get it, Duster. They had to be cut to make room for Scuttle's new rap song.

[Disney's Divinity]

This film is gonna be garbage just like the musical, we've known that for a while. I had zero faith in Marshall or Miranda from the moment their involvement was announced, and that turned out to be the correct expectation. Personally, I'd rather F&J be cut than be wrongly depicted as electric eels yet again. At least we can be grateful our complaining spared us the even greater monstrosity that would've been Zendaya as Ariel opposite Lady Gaga as Ursula--two horrible actors in the pivotal roles, neither of whom looked anything like the character they were supposed to be playing. Lady Gaga even being thrown around as a possibility was the first sign they were doing the musical not the animated film--Gaga looks a great deal like Sherie Scott, who was also a total misfire for Ursula. I wish we could've got a remake of the divine animated film instead. They should've called this The Little Mermaid: The Musical: The Movie.

Yeah, I think she's Ariel's mother, that's why she can't say who she's playing. They wouldn't have secrecy about it otherwise--I mean, we already know Eric has parents here, they didn't hide that, why would they hide anything if it wasn't a story reveal late in the movie?

[Thumper_93]

I have the feeling that people is having the same issues that they had with Mulan's live action. They are changing lot of things and They're talking about it all the time. It's not a good way to promote the movie.

[Sotiris]

Yeah, I think she's Ariel's mother, that's why she can't say who she's playing. They wouldn't have secrecy about it otherwise--I mean, we already know Eric has parents here, they didn't hide that, why would they hide anything if it wasn't a story reveal late in the movie?

Good point.

I have the feeling that people is having the same issues that they had with Mulan's live action. They are changing lot of things and They're talking about it all the time. It's not a good way to promote the movie.

Mulan changed more important elements than TLM remake. At least, from what we know so far. Mulan cut out Mushu, removed the songs, and changed the central conceit of the heroine--she was turned from an average girl into a superhero. I don't see such radical changes happening with TLM. Keeping the songs forces them to remain relatively faithful to the basic story structure and the characters. Or at least I hope so!

[D82]

No, I meant the way she inserted King Triton into the conversation. Saying the movie is "about King Triton's daughters, of whom Ariel is one" seems like a strange way to phrase it. Eh, she probably didn't mean anything by it.

Oh, OK. But if she was Ariel's mother, why would she be on land? Did she also make a deal with the sea witch and left Triton and her daughters to live in the human world? Or was she always a human Triton met and fell in love with?

Yeah, I think she's Ariel's mother, that's why she can't say who she's playing. They wouldn't have secrecy about it otherwise--I mean, we already know Eric has parents here, they didn't hide that, why would they hide anything if it wasn't a story reveal late in the movie?

I think it's not uncommon for actors not to be allowed to reveal who they're playing until their characters are formally announced. I remember it happened, for example, with supporting characters in Encanto or Lightyear. As for the latter, I think it hasn't been announced whether or not Eric has parents in this version. We just assumed he does based on the leaked pictures.

[Farerb]

Oh, OK. But if she was Ariel's mother, why would she be on land? Did she also make a deal with the sea witch and left Triton and her daughters to live in the human world? Or was she always a human Triton met and fell in love with?

It leads back to my theory that Ariel isn't going to turn into a human for Eric, but in order to search for her mother.