DVDizzy Forum

Farerb wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 11:26 pm

This means the verified 95% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes is the accurate score.

I'm not going to put the full thing here just yet, since the %'s will still fluctuate up and down a lot over the next two months, but did want to put the combo lists:

The Little Mermaid 2023
Critics: 67% (234 reviews)
Audience: 95% (1,000 "Verified Ratings")


Audience Ratings Ranked:
Cruella 2021 97%
The Little Mermaid 2023 95%
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 2019 95%
Aladdin 2019 94%
The Lion King 2019 88%
The Jungle Book 2016 86%
Christopher Robin 2018 82%
Beauty and the Beast 2017 80%
Cinderella 2015 78%
Pete's Dragon 2016 72%
Maleficent 2014 70%
Mary Poppins Returns 2018 64%
Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 56%
Alice in Wonderland 2010 55%
Lady and the Tramp 2019 50%
Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016 48%
Dumbo 2019 48%
Mulan 2020 47%
Pinocchio 2022 27%
Peter Pan & Wendy 2023 11%

Critics Ratings Ranked:
The Jungle Book 2016 94%
Pete's Dragon 2016 88%
Cinderella 2015 83%
Mary Poppins Returns 2018 80%
Cruella 2021 75%
Mulan 2020 72%
Christopher Robin 2018 72%
Beauty and the Beast 2017 71%
The Little Mermaid 2023 67%
Lady and the Tramp 2019 66%
Peter Pan & Wendy 2023 62%
Aladdin 2019 57%
Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 56%
Maleficent 2014 2014 54%
The Lion King 2019 52%
Alice in Wonderland 2010 51%
Dumbo 2019 45%
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 2019 39%
Pinocchio 2022 29%
Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016 29%

I'm glad the critics score went down because now it's going to match Aladdin and TLK more directly as far as being popular with the audience and hated by the critics. Hopefully it will hit a billion after all to complete the comparison.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 4:08 am Apparently, there's another controversy surrounding the film. Disney is criticized for not hiring a make-up artist from the LGBT community for the film, resulting in the person who was hired trying to defend himself on social media. How ridiculous. As if someone's sexuality magically makes them more skilled than an Oscar-winning artist who has tons of experience.

The Little Mermaid makeup artist reacts to 'offensive,' 'ridiculous' criticism of Ursula's look
https://ew.com/movies/the-little-mermai ... la-makeup/

No matter how noble their intentions are to be inclusive and to have as much representation as possible, it is impossible for every film to represent everyone. This is an absurd criticism. Are we really getting to the point where every film made must have representation for everyone or else it will be criticized?

Vlad Sicoe wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 3:47 am I saw online that a deluxe edition of the soundtrack was released yesterday. Is it just digital or will it have a physical release in a digipack like with Beauty and the Beast and Into the Woods?

Re-posting this on this page, maybe someone knows. If I am going to end up buying the soundtrack, I'd like to go ahead and get the one that includes the score as well--even if does end up being digital only.

Disney's Divinity wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 5:59 am @Atlantis: I kind of disagree on the brother and sister stuff not being expounded on being a bad thing. Personally, I was sort of dreading too much talk of "Your Auntie Ursula," something about that phrase makes my skin crawl, but they left it just vague enough that it didn't end up nails on chalkboard for me. I also thought I'd hate Ursula reaching out to Ariel rather than F&J, but it worked out pretty well.* I've always liked M&C's villains because they're always these sort of shadow versions of the protagonist's own desires in a lot of ways, and they sort of amped it using the family connection. By that I mean, Ursula talking about the harm Triton has done to both her and Ariel, and sort of posing herself as a cautionary figure in a way of what Ariel's life may be if she doesn't do anything (miserable) and putting on an attitude of "I can't save myself from what Triton's done to me, but maybe I can help rescue you from sharing my fate, my poor niece" was probably the best way they could've framed it if they were going to use it.

For me, just a flashback to Ursula being ousted of the "kingdom" (her place looks cooler than Atlantis does...) and answering the age old question of "So you are now Tritons sister again.....so you were a mermaid before all of this?" Just for me, to ensure that they talk about Ursula/Triton as siblings but to then really do nothing with it beyond that was a lost opportunity.

The_Iceflash wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 8:19 am

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 4:08 am Apparently, there's another controversy surrounding the film. Disney is criticized for not hiring a make-up artist from the LGBT community for the film, resulting in the person who was hired trying to defend himself on social media. How ridiculous. As if someone's sexuality magically makes them more skilled than an Oscar-winning artist who has tons of experience.

The Little Mermaid makeup artist reacts to 'offensive,' 'ridiculous' criticism of Ursula's look
https://ew.com/movies/the-little-mermai ... la-makeup/

No matter how noble their intentions are to be inclusive and to have as much representation as possible, it is impossible for every film to represent everyone. This is an absurd criticism. Are we really getting to the point where every film made must have representation for everyone or else it will be criticized?

The point isnt even about every film having a LGBTQ person bts in makeup or anything like that. It's about Ursula being based off of Divine, a Drag Queen, and her makeup in this film being pretty basic.

I get what you're saying about the makeup, but I thought Ursula looked pretty nice other than the collar that drifts around all over the place. I like that they mostly just followed the original film for her look, eyeshadow color, beauty mark, etc., the hair wasn't too big. And I actually liked that her suckers glow and the sort of sparkly specks on her outer body.

Aw, I really hope it's going to get a physical release now just because the Deluxe Soundtrack as I just checked it on Amazon right now has the image that I like (Ariel on the "Under the Sea' rock poster) as the cover rather than that image of her from behind that I didn't care for that was used with the YouTube videos of the soundtrack. I'd love to have a physical version of with the former image that matches Aladdin and B&tB. I suppose I could buy the physical version with just the songs and then buy the digital-only score separately. Wait--is the cover for the standard version different from the Deluxe Version's cover or are they the same?

I still have some empty slots of things Disney-related I need to get on Blu-ray eventually. I might pick up 4 or 5 movies just so I can have enough points to get both the "Under the Sea"-esque clipart poster and the artsy one both from DisneyMovieInsiders.

I was already thinking of getting the Funko of Ariel w/ Sebastian, Scuttle, and Flounder back when I thought the movie was going to be bad, but definitely will now I liked it and don't feel hesitant to support it anymore. I still don't really like the pink of the tail on that pop, but otherwise the animals are just adorable. Almost makes me think of a Precious Moment figurine. Might possibly get Ursula and Triton, too--only because this is TLM, I never get the live-action pops any other time. The Eric one and Ariel in the blue dress I don't care for a little nondescript, I'll probably pass on those.

Box Office: 'The Little Mermaid' Swimming to No. 1 in Opening Weekend
https://variety.com/2023/film/box-offic ... 235626708/
The Little Mermaid's Opening Day Fails to Make a Ripple in China
https://www.cbr.com/the-little-mermaid- ... ice-china/

I'm sort of somewhere inbetween right now. Now that I've seen it and liked it, I'm sort of hoping it does hit a billion and I think it's not impossible it could do it without China. That said, I guess I wouldn't mind if it fell slightly short of it since the calculated controversy-stirring was pretty vile. IDK, I'll be happy however it ends up shaking out whereas when I thought it would be terrible, I wanted Disney to pay.

This film surprising me does give me more hope for Snow White that it may end up being more faithful that it seems on the surface, whereas I'd mostly only looked forward to that for Gal Gadot thus far. I just hope Hercules can turn out as good as the Fab Four did--please, please, keep the Muses--since Mulan got screwed, and Tarzan and Pocahontas likely won't happen. It and Hunchback are the only remaining films from the Renaissance they could do. I know TP&TF, Tangled and Frozen will get re-made like Moana, too, someday. I have a little more hope a LA Frozen could turn out okay after this, and I've looked forward to TP&TF ever since the first speculation over it appeared; Tangled is another one like Moana that could potentially be better than the original. I still hope the TSitS remake will happen via Disney+ (TP&TF will likely be streaming only like it would be). Perhaps Treasure Planet could get a LA film that way, too? That feels like a long-shot considering it was a flop, but I'd love a TP LA film. With that one, I wouldn't even mind if it was a little more fast and loose with the story as long as they get Jim right.

I'm probably seeing this movie next week with some friends, but I'm really nervous as the animated feature is my favorite movie of all time, Disney or not. Having heard the songs already, I'm not super impressed already. And I still don't understand why they have Vanessa singing La-Li-La or something in that direction, instead of just giving her the song that already was in the 1989 movie. But at least Vanessa is in the movie. And that makes me extremely happy. Even though the attack on her will be different. Also, Disney sure made Ariel a GirlBoss in this movie it sure seems like. Not only does she attack Vanessa herself and smashes the the nautilus necklace, getting her voice back, but she's also the one that steers the ship that ultimate defeats Ursula. Also, from the clip I saw (Or tried to see, as the quality was very bad) it looks like Ursula had some time from when she noticed the ship was approaching her to the ship actually impaled her. In the clip, it looks like she sees it coming, gasps and stay still and then we see the ship sailing for a few seconds until it actually makes the impact with her body. On another lighter note, it also looked like Ursula tries to grab out after Ariel after she's been stabbed, which I hope happens as in one of Disney's original sketches, Ursula tries to grab out after Eric. I can't seem to find that specific image now (I even looked in all of my Mermaid books) But I know it exist. Anyone who knows what image I'm talking about?
In the animated movie, she just looks at Eric in one frame as she goes down. And that frame is this.

Disney's Divinity wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 2:18 pm Box Office: 'The Little Mermaid' Swimming to No. 1 in Opening Weekend
https://variety.com/2023/film/box-offic ... 235626708/
The Little Mermaid's Opening Day Fails to Make a Ripple in China
https://www.cbr.com/the-little-mermaid- ... ice-china/

I'm sort of somewhere inbetween right now. Now that I've seen it and liked it, I'm sort of hoping it does hit a billion and I think it's not impossible it could do it without China. That said, I guess I wouldn't mind if it fell slightly short of it since the calculated controversy-stirring was pretty vile. IDK, I'll be happy however it ends up shaking out whereas when I thought it would be terrible, I wanted Disney to pay.

Calculated controversy-stirring? Disney didnt do anything calculated. The amount of hate the film and Halle received, esp with the amount of racism that came about because of it should earn it a billion with her ended up owning the role.

I finally saw it today and I must say that I liked it! However, considering how many critics have praised this remake for being the best of the Renaissance Quartet, I`ll have to disagree. I found it inferior to the remakes of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, mostly because it was less jollier than it`s animated predecessor and more bittersweet and mellow (despite how the original Mermaid was never one of my true favorites growing up, I still like it a lot and I regard it for it`s strengths). However, the first 20 minutes of the film dragged a little bit (and felt it was similar to The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), as the movie never truly kicked off until Part of Your World. Both World and Under the Sea were visual highlights of the movie, as were Kiss the Girl and For the First Time.
Unlike most of the remakes, it didn`t rush the story, considering that it`s telling the same story twice (with the exception of the first argument between Triton and Ariel). However, what truly surprised me about this remake is how it didn`t bother to fix most of the criticisms hurled at the original (with the exception of how Ariel defeats the shark at the beginning and Ursula at the end). However, some plot points were still vaguely executed without any further treatment (about how Ariel knew her mother, but what their relationship was were never explained. And how Ariel`s mother was killed by humans, just like in Ariel`s Beginning, when it was rumored on this board that Ursula killed her. And why there was an feud between Ursula and Triton in the first place. And that Ariel had memory loss about her spell was also pointless).
Otherwise, as for the cast, Halle Bailey was good as Ariel and had a lot of presence. Jonah Hauer-King was also fine as Prince Eric and despite not having a lot of charisma, he still did a fine job. Javier Bardem was dull and wooden as King Triton. As expected, Sebastian and Flounder were the worst parts, for being too jarringly uncanny. But fortunately they didn`t ruin the film too much. Awkwafina was good as Scuttle. Eric`s mother was a good addition to the cast. However, what took me by surprise is how less bittersweet the ending was compared to it`s animated predecessor. Sure, it was poignant and moving, but still not as completely bittersweet as the original ending was..

Overall, it was a good remake. Is it truly my favorite among the renditions of the Faboulous Four? Nope, but it`s still a fine and respectable remake.

Atlantis wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 9:08 am

Disney's Divinity wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 5:59 am @Atlantis: I kind of disagree on the brother and sister stuff not being expounded on being a bad thing. Personally, I was sort of dreading too much talk of "Your Auntie Ursula," something about that phrase makes my skin crawl, but they left it just vague enough that it didn't end up nails on chalkboard for me. I also thought I'd hate Ursula reaching out to Ariel rather than F&J, but it worked out pretty well.* I've always liked M&C's villains because they're always these sort of shadow versions of the protagonist's own desires in a lot of ways, and they sort of amped it using the family connection. By that I mean, Ursula talking about the harm Triton has done to both her and Ariel, and sort of posing herself as a cautionary figure in a way of what Ariel's life may be if she doesn't do anything (miserable) and putting on an attitude of "I can't save myself from what Triton's done to me, but maybe I can help rescue you from sharing my fate, my poor niece" was probably the best way they could've framed it if they were going to use it.

For me, just a flashback to Ursula being ousted of the "kingdom" (her place looks cooler than Atlantis does...) and answering the age old question of "So you are now Tritons sister again.....so you were a mermaid before all of this?" Just for me, to ensure that they talk about Ursula/Triton as siblings but to then really do nothing with it beyond that was a lost opportunity.

The_Iceflash wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 8:19 am

No matter how noble their intentions are to be inclusive and to have as much representation as possible, it is impossible for every film to represent everyone. This is an absurd criticism. Are we really getting to the point where every film made must have representation for everyone or else it will be criticized?

The point isnt even about every film having a LGBTQ person bts in makeup or anything like that. It's about Ursula being based off of Divine, a Drag Queen, and her makeup in this film being pretty basic.

I mean, they could have had a drag Queen play Ursula and it would have been awesome! It would have camped it up. I agree with the make up looking basic. I expected Ursula to look more like Mimi from Drew Carey show. If I had to describe the look of the remake, plain and basic describes it. I know live action will always look plain next to animation but each of the characters were striking in their appearance in their original incarnations. King Triton is a God, literally, and for a God, I would have expected his appearance to be more striking. Ursula, thanks to the plain make up I felt looked like it was just a human in an Ursula costume. Ariel, Triton’s golden child, looked less striking than her sisters when she was designed to be more striking than them. It’s like they put more effort into them than her. I truly don’t know what the intentions and goals were with this film but I felt like some things were lost in translation with little gained. Even the musical arrangements left a lot to be desired.

Disney's Divinity wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 2:18 pm
This film surprising me does give me more hope for Snow White that it may end up being more faithful that it seems on the surface, whereas I'd mostly only looked forward to that for Gal Gadot thus far.

A similar thought occurred to me, but Snow White is also already starting much deeper in the hole than "Mermaid" ever was for me. Maybe even more than any of the other remakes. Pandering to some of the bad-faith criticisms of Mermaid during the promotion for this movie was annoying, but my unrest would have been significantly greater had Halle Bailey made some comment outright saying "What I think people will really like about this Little Mermaid is that it's not so much 'Part of Your World.'" Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler has made equivalent comments about Snow White, and I just don't know how they're going to backtrack that.

I had a great time seeing The Little Mermaid this afternoon! My showing was packed, lots of families, moms wearing Ariel shirts, little girls in Ariel costumes, grandmas and grandpas. Actually, one of the employees behind the counter was wearing a Flounder costume when we scanned our tickets!

I loved the whole cast. Halle was of course a standout, Melissa McCarthy I enjoyed, too. I loved watching the relationship between Ariel and Eric develop, I thought that was a great addition. I was iffy about Bardem based on clips I’d seen but actually I don’t think he was bad, although I did miss some of Kenneth Mars’ more emotional line readings. I loved how they filmed “For the First Time.” I thought Ariel’s blue dress and pink boots were so pretty. Maybe it’s because I’ve listened to it a few times, but Scuttlebutt doesn’t even bother me anymore.

Comparing it to other remakes, it suffered from some of the same issues as others. It’s too long, the CGI sidekicks are creepy. The literal realism— “Under the Sea” is very pretty here but Ashman’s lyrics are describing action and characters we don’t see. The weird plot additions— amnesia spell, Eric being adopted. And there are things animation does that live action can’t do… the shipwreck scene, for example, is so much more thrilling in the original movie.

But I thought this was as close to Goldilocks as these remakes can get. The cast was perfect. It was faithful, but it wasn’t a shot for shot remake. Some of the changes (like Ariel defeating Ursula) were really smart. I’m glad my favorite animated film got such special treatment.

DisneyFan09 wrote:Overall, it was a good remake. Is it truly my favorite among the renditions of the Faboulous Four? Nope, but it`s still a fine and respectable remake.

I think I'll have to see it again to truly rank it properly. Coming out of the theater, it was competing with Aladdin for the top spot for me--but I think TLM naturally has an edge since the original film is my favorite, so I think sitting on it for a while will make me feel more clear. I feel like Aladdin will most likely remain my favorite of the remakes as time goes by with TLM in 2nd. I already know TLK is in last of the Fab Four with me--but still better than the vast majority of these remakes.

I guess I'll be one of the few who liked Bardem though. I thought he had all the same emotions as Triton, only he expressed them slightly less loud--much the same way Ariel and Ursula have lines that are more muted since the same amount of emotion on some lines would come across campy and histrionic in live-action (one of the the medium's limitations, imo). I'm thinking, for example, of Ursula's "I'll give them something to celebrate" line--she gives it the same amount of emotion as the original, just in a different way (making it more internally expressed via facial expressions rather than simply all in the voice). The only two scenes Bardem's bad in to me are his first two, which might be why most people have the bad impression going into the rest of it. And the first scene with him and the sisters, I don't really put the blame on him since it was just bad with the way it was written entirely (even the Sebastian character starts on a weak foot because of that scene, imo). It's really just the second scene--the argument after Ariel gets back home from the sunken ship--that I'd blame on him, he just wasn't angry enough there like Triton in the original to trigger Ariel singing POYW, to the point I almost laughed a little when he says the line from the original ("Was I too hard on her?") because he was barely mean at all in that scene. All I could think is maybe they didn't want him to start off at 100 in that scene since they created a bit of an argument in the later scene with the sisters (when they're talking about their mother) that wasn't in the original?

I thought every other scene after those first two, he hit all the right notes. That reminds me--a little addition to something I said last page: F&J shocking Ariel as they take hold of her also made Triton's reaction more visceral to me. I mean, Ariel looks pitiful mid-polyp form in the animated film of course, but her crying in pain as she's dragged back was an advantage live-action brought to that one moment at least much like the fireworks or Ariel trying to swim to shore on her own post-PUS. I still wish they had the contract though, and him signing his name, the whole blood thing was a little weird--like how would the blood pact have helped Ursula block the blast from the trident anyway? It just would've meant Ariel would've died with her if anything?

PatchofBlue wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 6:00 pm
A similar thought occurred to me, but Snow White is also already starting much deeper in the hole than "Mermaid" ever was for me. Maybe even more than any of the other remakes. Pandering to some of the bad-faith criticisms of Mermaid during the promotion for this movie was annoying, but my unrest would have been significantly greater had Halle Bailey made some comment outright saying "What I think people will really like about this Little Mermaid is that it's not so much 'Part of Your World.'" Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler has made equivalent comments about Snow White, and I just don't know how they're going to backtrack that.

Well, it’s Disney’s own fault. Rachel’s comments gave credibility to the criticisms we’ve seen lately with Disney’s output. Disney is now going to have to not only figure out how to address Snow White, but also every film of theirs in production right now. It also begs some very uncomfortable questions regarding Disney’s motives and agendas behind making these films in the first place. It seems there’s controversy behind each Disney film made lately and to be honest, it’s getting old for me. It’s actually turning me off from these films. Disney films to me were and are a wonderful escape from a world that isn’t always so nice. When controversies around these films put a dark cloud above them, it’s not so fun anymore.

Some friends wanted to see it so I ended up seeing it yesterday... how do I even begin?

This is an Alan Menken, so I can't explain how much I wanted to like this beforehand. However, it looks like a cinematic equivalent of a flatlining heart monitor. Gosh, how can you make a film whose protagonist is a mermaid look so, so bland? They have multicolored tails that look like nothing.

Every change looks ridiculous and like the screenwriter was trying to justify its paycheck. A little "hey I'm here btw I'm working". Coral Moon? Ursula making Ariel forget about the kiss? Honestly wtf

Wild Unchartered Waters and For the First Time occupy the exact same spot and function as Her Voice and Beyond My Wildest Dreams while being just poorer versions of them (and look, there's very little already that you can save from the Broadway musical. Managing to do a worse job that that... yikes). While I didn't care much about For the First Time, Wild Unchartered Waters have two lives for me. I didn't care for it at all in the movie. Seems long, boring, and you have yet to care about Eric at this point. However, while listening to it at home, it's a perfectly fine song. Even the rendition can be beautiful. It's just that the scene is so ridiculously bad directed that makes the song feel unnecessary. Now The Scuttlebutt... that's just them letting the intrusive thoughts win.

Most of the cast seem fine in the roles (especially Halle and Melissa), even if (again), they were bad directed. I don't mind Daveed as Sebastian either. King Triton and Eric, however, just no. It's nice to see Noma on the screen but her role is barely that of a supporting actor.

Also including a new and beautiful reprise of Part of Your World only to cut the finale is... *sighs*

I didn't care for the score either.

At least that's one more that we can forget in about two years and one less for Disney to butcher, unless they start remaking the live-action remakes

The film did $68m in overseas market which is like half of Aladdin's numbers. I don't get it. If people are actually staying clear of this film because a black actress was cast as Ariel, then that's truly pathetic.

https://deadline.com/2023/05/the-little ... 235381992/

The public could always just be growing tired of them, especially as they don't seem to be improving

Random note: the guy who plays Grimsby was the main terrorist in the movie True Lies... hahahaha. I love it!

I finally saw it tonight, and I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely better than Peter Pan and Pinocchio. There were some strange moments, but overall, it was a lot of fun.

I loved Melissa McCarthy's Ursula, her performance blew my mind. She made some weird acting choices, and I thought she was a bit more over-the-top than the animation, but that was what made her performance so enjoyable. Halle Bailey's Ariel was great; I was a bit worried that she would be an annoying feminist like Wendy, but she was very sweet and cute. I actually shed a tear during POYW, and the reprise, especially the rock scene wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be, it was pretty epic; the animated scene is still the GOAT. The scene in which she hugs her father goodbye was awesome as well.

I loved Awkwafina's Scuttle, I think she was the best looking, design-wise, and she delivered her lines perfectly. Flounder and Sebastian were okay, they didn't bother me as much as I thought they would. Eric's character was pretty amazing, I thought the actor did a fantastic job, and I loved how his relationship with Ariel developed. I was afraid they would find a way to ruin it, but I was relieved to see I was wrong. Triton was kinda weird; I don't know, Javier Bardem is a great actor, but I just didn't buy his performance. He was okay, but I expected a bit more. I did not care for the sisters, at all. The new characters, especially the Queen, were just meh. I really enjoyed Jodi Benson's cameo appearance.

The visuals were also amazing. The underwater sequences looked really beautiful, especially the colorful ones. Under the Sea was a highlight, in that regard. I also loved the more intense sequences (the storm and the final battle). Plus, I loved Ariel's mermaid design. It looks so beautiful in motion.

About the songs - before the movie, I only listened to POYW, the two reprises and PUS, so the others were fresh. Under the Sea was great, but it couldn't top the original (it was a bit weird to hear Ariel singing along, though), same goes for Kiss the Girl. Eric's new song was okay (kinda reminded me of Evermore), Ariel's new song was surprisingly enjoyable, mainly because it matched the others' musical structure. The Scuttlebut was just cringe (there shouldn't be rap in The Little Mermaid ). The second POYW reprise was really great, although I still would have loved it if they would have used the lyrics in the "Music Behind the Magic" set.

In the animation, the final battle, is among my favorite sequences. I was really excited to see what it would look like in live action, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a really cool and intense sequence. I would have loved it if Melissa McCarthy would have laughed maniacally as she rose from the sea as a giant. After having seen the infamous illustration of Ariel steering the ship towards Ursula, I was very curious how it would look in the final film. I thought they did a great job. But I still think it would have been better if Eric would have saved her instead. At least, it made sense, towards the end, where Ariel gives Triton his trident, and they thank each other for saving their lives.

All in all, I had a great time watching it. It's a well-made remake, very enjoyable, even if it had some weird moments. I will wait for it to be released on Disney+, to see it again, and I will definitely buy it when it comes on Blu-ray. What I learned while watching these remakes, is that these stories are told better through animation. A musical fairy tale looks a lot better in animation, and there are details which may seem small and insignificant (like the beautiful animation on Ariel's hair as she sings on the rock, or her wide eyes and smile as she explores Eric's kingdom), but are actually very important, and they aren't as well adapted in live action. These are the details that make each scene memorable, and the live action version just doesn't have that.