The Little Mermaid (2023)

Disney’s live action The Little Mermaid (2023) hits theaters this week. Keep reading for my family-focused review.

In a world of remakes, sequels, and reimaginings, it can sometimes be difficult to get excited about new movie releases. I admit that I only begrudgingly attended a media screening of the new The Little Mermaid. I am a longtime fan of Disney’s version of this classic tale, but I am also pretty loyal to characters and beloved stories. I am always a little reluctant to sit though someone’s reimagining of a story I already love. But I am so glad I did!

Much of the movie is exactly the same as the animated version. There are familiar songs and characters and new songs your children will love. However, the translation from animation to live action via CGI is not always seamless, and some of the CGI is just okay, particularly the early underwater scenes. But some of the CGI is beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed “Under the Sea.”

This movie also has a lot of diversity, which sometimes seems forced. For example, I love the diversity of the people in the movie overall, but it is a little confusing how Triton and his wife had such diversity among their daughters. Perhaps they were adopted or had a blended family? I only address this since it has been brought up so much on the internet.

Even though I know this tale well, the storytelling was so good that I was in suspense at certain critical points in the movie. Eric’s story is more developed than we usually see, and I found that interesting as well. Halle Bailey is endearing as Ariel, and what a prince Jonah Hauer-King makes! I think most people will just love Melissa McCarthy as Ursula (well, as much as one can love Ursula). There is also a lot of humor, particularly during the “Kiss the Girl” scene.

This movie has no sexual content, profanity, or anything families might object to (unless you think mermaids are immodest). I highly recommend it to families.

Rating: PG for action/peril and some scary images.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Directed by:
Rob Marshall

Cast:
Halle Bailey
Jonah Hauer-King
Melissa McCarthy

Social:
#thelittlemermaid
IG – @disneylittlemermaid
Twitter – @LittleMermaid
FB – @DisneytheLittleMermaid

Disclaimer: I attended a media screening of this movie to facilitate the review. All opinions are mine.