The Little Mermaid 2023: Ambiguous Impression & Public Resonance
The Little Mermaid sensational remake started well in the United States. Nevertheless, it failed at the global box office. This could have been influenced by the loud scandals associated with a dark-skin actress for the title role. Moreover, on social networks, there are lists of actresses who are more suitable for Ariel’s usual image. For example, according to Disney fans, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones) resembles Ariel the most.
The first attempt to remake Disney’s hit occurred in 1996 – it was Stephen Herek’s 101 Dalmatians, starring Glenn Close. It brought excellent profits – the film grossed $320 million and cost $75 million. Glenn Close was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy, and the film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Makeup. Then, a sequel was released in 2000, which failed miserably at the box office. After the failure, Disney stopped making remakes until 2010. However, in 2010, Alice in Wonderland was released – Tim Burton agreed to become the director. As a result, it became a hit that collected more than $1 billion at the box office. Later, Johnny Depp, starring the Mad Hatter, joked that he could come up with each hero in this film. Anyway, it seems that Alice initiated a new era of remakes.
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A Fresh Look At Old Mates
Ariel appreciates the human world naively and is constantly surprised – some people are fascinated by this, but others are irritated. In general, critics rate Halle Bailey’s acting as neutral. She tries to convey emotions with her eyes but uses almost nothing with her body. Perhaps Halle Bailey got lost next to Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as Triton. Bardem shows rage, guilt, and worry for Ariel’s fate with just one glance.
What about Ursula McCarthy? Here, she is the vengeful and powerful Ariel’s aunt with long tentacles and sarcastic jokes! She is sure to have the most impressive lair – it is full of the skeletons of enemies, glowing bottles of potions, blazing fire, and flickering servants. Thus, the main heroes’ cast will excite the spectators, not to mention Halle Bailey’s mediocre performance. However, her vocals will not leave you indifferent and are her strong point.
The Remake’s Love Story
Of course, the love storyline is of great importance in the remake! However, it explores Eric’s backstory the most. He is highly dependent on the decisions of his adoptive mother – the Queen of the Caribbean Islands – which makes him suffer. Although he must maintain his prince status and does not want to renounce the future throne, his soul longs for sea adventure. It captivates Ariel, as she also dreams of exploring the world and traveling. They spend a lot of time together – riding horses, dancing, and watching the stars. Still, some experts believe that the love story is too emphasized by the director.
The Little Mermaid 2023 Atmosphere – Oppression vs Realism
Unlike the original fairy tale, the film takes place not in Denmark but on the colorful Caribbean islands. Compositionally, it reflects two parts – the underwater and the human world. It’s noteworthy, but the second part turned out to be brighter! In the 1989 animated film, Disney showed an impressive, dreamlike underwater world. Director Rob Marshall made it darker, populating it with toothy fish and creating a feeling of an unfriendly atmosphere. He decided to take a more realistic approach to his ideas about the seabed. We think it was a mistake. He showed the dark kingdom from which Ariel wants to escape – and the atmosphere looks depressing.
So, Let’s Conclude: Hit Or Flop?
It’s hard to answer this question, as the audience is still doubtful! The atmosphere is too grim to excite the little spectators, and the adults will lack strong acting. Want to get nostalgic about a story from your childhood? The Little Mermaid 2023 will not have this effect – the new Ariel is charming but not falling in love with herself. Besides, since the plot is preserved, we cannot speak of an innovative interpretation of the usual story. We can follow the minimal changes – just the reasons for the heroes’ actions and some background have been worked out.
Most of Disney’s remakes are still very successful – Pinocchio (2022), The Jungle Book (2016), Mulan (2020), Dumbo (2019), etc. Don’t you think that repeating stories to gain box office revenue and playing with tolerance spoils the reputation of the legendary studio? If we are going to make remakes, then they will feature the style of Cruella (2021) or Maleficent (2014). These films allow you to look at familiar characters with fresh eyes. However, many of the studio’s remakes are doing well at the box office, which means they will continue to be released. Thus, we decided to avoid making strict conclusions about The Little Mermaid 2023. You should take a look at the interpretation of the legendary classic at least once!