THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023)

The written companion

Draft companion · Awaiting editorial review

The Little Mermaid: Matt Wants a Remake to Give Him Something New

Matt's skepticism about The Little Mermaid comes with a clear preference. When a film he grew up with is remade, he wants a new interpretation rather than a polished repetition. The original already exists; the new version has to give him another reason to care.

That makes his response more mixed than a simple rejection of the live-action approach. He welcomes added character material and finds himself more involved once Ariel reaches land. Those stretches begin to give the familiar story room to breathe in a different way. He wishes the movie had been more willing to replace old material with new ideas, rather than extending an already lengthy running time.

The cast supplies several bright spots. Halle Bailey gives a performance he considers solid, Javier Bardem fits his idea of King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy's Ursula becomes a particular highlight. Even an impression of the original vocal style works better for him than he expects.

The songs are the surprise sticking point. Their original voices are so firmly lodged in his memory that hearing them again in this form keeps pulling him toward comparison. He wonders whether he might have liked this interpretation more if it had depended less on those familiar numbers.

His three-star verdict leaves room for enjoyment without finding the original's heart fully restored. The interesting tension is that nostalgia brings him to the movie and then makes it harder for the movie to stand independently.

Do you want a Disney remake to preserve the songs and scenes you love, or take a bigger risk with them? Did the land-based story give this version its own identity for you?

Watch Matt's Little Mermaid review ↗

Based on auto-generated captions. This companion follows the source video's broad, spoiler-free review approach.