The Problem With "The Little Mermaid" (Review)

[@KarstenRunquist]

what’s your favorite fish?

[@Mcburger644]

Marlin the Clownish

[@benjaminjohannessanchez3310]

A good salmon in the pan, frying in honey

[@warnershetler5796]

Ahi tuna poke

[@loganlabach4227]

The Hawaiian reef trigger fish!

[@emmanuel_km_]

Does octopus count?

[@jfifthb]

"it's better than live action Lion King" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement

[@SevenEllen]

100% agree. Why do/would anyone want to see copies of films we already own in superior format? Forget skin-colour, forget sexuality, think of EVERYTHING ELSE.

[@800Ms-k6n]

I mean, that's not saying all that much by saying it's better than the live action Lion King considering that both are still flawed mediocre movies. It's kinda like saying Quantumania is better than Love and Thunder or the opposite, that's still not saying all that much 😂

[@aidanmallon9879]

Never was

[@jrt2792]

It's like saying that the shit you took yesterday was better than the one you took today.... it's still fucking stinks.🤷‍♂️😂😂

[@Jerry_M0US3]

@@SevenEllen did you even watch the movie?

[@aidangreen7006]

One main thing that continues to confound me about these remakes: *WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE SO LONG?* Why the fuck is this movie 2 hours 15 minutes?

[@chasehedges6775]

PADDING THE RUNTIME.

[@motherplayer]

People like to get out for awhile and they got to make that 200 Million budget worthwhile.

[@diego_wagner]

My unfounded theory is that it's to give Disney plus more hours of content in their catalogue. The hour they added to the runtime is an extra hour in their streaming service

[@hefoughtabear118]

That extra runtime is dedicated to fleshing out Eric and his relationship with Ariel. Obviously the remake shouldnt exist but those were decent changes at least

[@Lotsolov4u]

Ask scuttlebutt 🤢

[@Mistardmuster]

The thing is I don't believe these are meant for kids. If Disney wanted to appeal to today's kids they would focus on churning out new properties (Frozen, Encanto, whatever the kiddos like these days). These remakes are meant to capitalize on millenial nostalgia and attract audiences that already know and love the original movie/want to reexperience it in a new form. They want former kids who wondered what these stories would be like irl/imagined themselves in them to shell out $20 each to watch "live action" remakes, and we are. And they're still bad.

[@daniellavaladez7820]

Exactly

[@batty_kitsuofhorrorchildst]

Disney now a days want to bring in more adult’s

[@Bria_White]

Right. I took my daughter to see this & she was not feeling it lol. In fact, most of the kids there seemed unfazed compared to how millennials were completely in love with this movie when we saw it as kids. She’s more excited to see Elemental. We are in a different era & it's time for Disney to hang up these remakes. They're cringy & cash grabs.

[@shreddedpapers]

This exactly. My theater was packed with kids of all ages, but none seemed to be fully invested in the movie (one even kept asking when would it finish lol) and I also felt the song arrangement wasn't something that kids would like or feel interested to follow or sing. It felt so stage-y like it was an arrangement for a play. Ursula was kinda disappointing as she didn't even look as menacing as the animated counterpart.

[@L10N017]

If it was made for kids, they woulda kept it around the 80 minute mark. If I showed my kids this, they be walking away after the first hour, even if they enjoyed it. I'm cool with that, children staring non stop at screens for hours is scary to see.

[@ChelCM03]

I'm glad to know that The Little Mermaid live action doesn't suck because of Halle Bailey, but because Disney simply isn't trying anymore. People were so focused on Halle Bailey's casting that the actual problems were being ignored. She's the best part

[@George_Fl0yd]

Her acting is a problem to but she can sing tho

[@alphabros5226]

@@George_Fl0yd From watching the video I guess Halle is in the large grouping of actors who aren't bad at acting, rather they rely on good direction.

[@30-raflymochamadrivaldo14]

No, I heard she was bad too, or ok at best. She is still can be considered a rookie after all, and she hadn't had a groundbreaking jumpstarting career. Heck, I believe many people only now know her because of this movie. And I think the only reason disney picks her is because of her voice? and that's what people's reason for trying to defend her? Idk...

[@kittygirl_thetortie498]

She wasn't. Yes she can sing but she had the acting range of a furniture in every scene in which she wasn't singing.

[@Ve9203]

She is sucks lol

[@blaue_sophie1317]

I think Halle also has a difficult role here. Basically she talks to cgi animals or doesn't talk at all. So it might be quite challenging.

[@l_ifeefi_l1998]

Most movies have the same thing. No excuse

[@l_ifeefi_l1998]

@jnorth its bad enough for ppl to keep questioning y she is ariel. Ur conjecture is irrelevant and a red herring. Keep up with this attitude and it will be ur demise eventually. Just like Africa, a continent thats slowly eaten up by china as we speak

[@l_ifeefi_l1998]

@jnorth also, ppl question the choice of melissa as ursula too, who happens to be WHITE.

[@justausername5749]

@jnorthare you serious? Disney is a multibillion dollar company. The little mermaid remake had some BIG shoes to fill, and considering the amount that went into this movie, the quality of her acting absolutely DOES matter and people are allowed to be harsh on it. This is a production that cost millions to create and people should just settle on mediocre acting? Lmao okay. Not every criticism of this girl’s performance is because she’s black. Learn to t look at things critically

[@cristalle]

@jnorth As a black girl myself, I have to call this out for the lazy ass argument it is. I agree people are being harsh on her, but I doubt the reason for that is her being black in and of itself. It's likely more the controversy and hype surrounding this movie. This placed some high expectations on her that wouldn't have been there otherwise.

[@jking4973]

There are some things that simply cannot be accomplished in live action, for which animation remains a superior medium. But I don’t want to add onto the hate being directed towards Halle Bailey, she’s lovely, and by far and away the best part of the movie.

[@Dcuniverse60]

Bullshit you are wrong you know of cinema can archive you know nothing

[@Lotsolov4u]

Well another thing animation can do that live action can't is temperature control. The poor girl was shivering in a few scenes 😂

[@sunnybear178]

I think Halle is the only thing that makes you find the movie worth something and that puts it above the majority of live actions tbh

[@Masckerdoom]

They literally had to delay filming because her eyes were in two different timezones

[@darkpinkgirl6684]

@@Masckerdoom ok now that's just rude

[@GareBare90]

Flounder didn't deserve this.

[@chasehedges6775]

#AnimatedFlounderdeservedbetter

[@GareBare90]

@@LilithsCosmicLounge I know, right. They're supposed to be just as good as the first, not delicious!

[@thepackingpacjack7767]

Look at how they massacred my boi

[@800Ms-k6n]

The designs of Alvin and The Chipmunks characters is what Flounder should've been. Less realistic with cartoony face to emote

[@BOMBASTICKiNGChickenz]

it seems like you never seen a real fish before lmfao

[@madz2013]

I never understood how we went from the live action Cinderella with charm, good character development beyond the original, lots of color and emotion etc, to something like this. I'm not saying Cinderella was perfect but it felt justified in existing as it's own thing.

[@angelaoriel5912]

lily james right? hopefully?

[@suzygirl1843]

@@angelaoriel5912 No, she's talking about the production. Lily James wasn't in charge of that.

[@liyahsnubs]

Imo the live action Cinderella was the best out of all the live action princess movies. I'm also not saying it's perfect either because everything has its flaws, however I think with the CGI Cinderella had, it really made us expect every other princess movie to be the same (in terms of realism if I can use that term).

[@abeeRidge]

This is fighting for first with Cinderella on my book, it really hit all the marks I wanted and the only reason it doesn’t obviously win is some CGI. But I enjoyed it tremendously

[@angelaoriel5912]

@@suzygirl1843 no i know i was asking which cinderella live action

[@opalsayshello]

So I recently saw the poster for the first time and I thought King Triton was Nicolas Cage and for a second I was tempted to actually pay money to see this.

[@athenajaxon2397]

I would've loved that

[@codedspectra5988]

Haha don’t 😂

[@gymns411]

Lol.... This film wasn't perfect film. However, Halle's singing and acting made up for it. Race swapping aside she embodied Ariel and the movie sent a wonderful empowering message to young girls. I wish people would put their preconceived ideas about the original and just watch this version. If people did that they would love the spirit and voice that halle embodies Asriel.

[@rosesmith7323]

@@gymns411 girl Halle can’t act to save her life

[@paigew6707]

@@rosesmith7323 judging by the box office sales, the amount of people who claim to have seen it 2-3 times, and folks saying she was the best part- I’d say you’re wrong.

[@jaydennelson9440]

I think Halle could've definitely felt limited in her performance because with all the backlash to her casting alone, if she had diverged too far people would've been up in arms

[@sunnybear178]

Yeah, it sucks how she probably felt that she had to imitate Jodi or the abuse would get worse. This sucks

[@darkpinkgirl6684]

@@sunnybear178 how exactly was she imitating Jodi, though? apart from the singing, she literally has none of the character or expressiveness Ariel had in the original

[@fabulousfabulist1514]

I can't even begin to fathom all the hate she's dealing with. Imagine millions of people making fun of your appearance for being cast as a fictitious character. I'm not very fond of race-swapping and I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled when she was cast. I was more annoyed why this incredibly talented woman was not given her very own original Disney princess. But she pulled through, despite all the racist backlash and the not so great cgi. You can tell she's put her heart into her portrayal of Ariel but of course that'll never be enough for some people cause she doesn't look like the animated version. And it's okay to not like the new Ariel that's your preference but what's wrong is going out of your way to attack this woman. Many evil fans do not hold back from expressing their displeasure and most of it is rooted from racism. Whatever happened to keeping your mouth shut when you have nothing good to contribute to the discussion? I swear some people need to get banned from the internet forever. I remember seeing one interview where she was asked about the racist trolls and she replied that it's not a shock to her because as a black person, you expect it. That response broke my heart because nobody should be expecting that kind of behavior from anyone. She's cast as a half-fish lady in a kids' movie and people are treating her like dirt. As if she's not an actual person with feelings. Some of y'all's parents have failed you through and through and it's apparent. Cyberbullying is contemptible and there should be harsher punishment against violators cause some of the comments and reactions I've witnessed are straight up disgusting and it shows how far gone we are as a society. It honestly messed with my psyche like I'm not even exaggerating.

[@seizuregirlllll]

@@fabulousfabulist1514 she isn’t the only actor or famous person that has dealt with backlash, she new what she was signing up for the same backlash if a white girl played tiana

[@fabulousfabulist1514]

@@seizuregirlllll I understand that but it still doesn't make it right.

[@KaroruruYT]

my favorite scene is the javier bardem jumpscare at the end when they look back and he's just standing there in the water completely emotionless, comedy gold honestly

[@perksofasimplelife6621]

i wish he moved his arm or something 😂😂😂

[@geckohunter123]

It really did feel like a jump scare cause of the creepy way you hear the water moving. 😂

[@TyeArtisik]

😹

[@fuzzfac3942]

Just because it’s a kid movie does not excuse it being subpar

[@CarolineStrunk-ld4ri]

Yess

[@800Ms-k6n]

I thought we already had The Emoji Movie pr Lightyear as an example how kids movies can still be criticzed properly

[@amylee8969]

@fuzzfac3942 If you don’t like it, don’t buy movie tickets to watch it. But don’t diminish the hard work and effort that went into it. More importantly, don’t diminish the dedication and passion that Halle Bailey put into the the role of Ariel. She did a good job and the world needs to AT LEAST respect that.

[@fuzzfac3942]

@@amylee8969 no, I don’t have to respect shit. You can put your heart and soul into something, really give it your all and still be shit. And yes i didn’t buy tickets and i don’t plan

[@At0mS8]

I don't know why but I really enjoyed The Jungle Book's photorealistic animals and ever since none of the Disney remakes have managed to emulate that. Maybe TJB's animals had a bit of cartoon in them, maybe the voices were better, maybe having Mowgli as a full non-CGI character surrounded by CGI made it work, but The Lion King remake literally gave me a headache and between that and the lack of originality, I won't be seeing this new one in theatres. At this point, I think it's time to stop, but Snow White, Lilo & Stitch and Moana are being live actioned as we speak so I guess it'll be a while before we see Disney consistently putting out original movies... You know, the thing that made them succesful in the first place.

[@chasehedges6775]

Jungle Book Remake also had the kid actor playing Mowgli running around in his underwear for the whole movie which is a huge risk, honestly. None of the remakes want to take risks

[@chasehedges6775]

Disney sucks now. They can’t make anything good anymore.

[@lawrence-yx1ew]

@@chasehedges6775 bro is mad they don't make Disney movies with little boys running around in underwear

[@monkey39128]

Yeah and King Louie was hilarious.

[@TheRunningLeopard]

Honestly though, TJB remake honestly golden compared to every single other live action remake.

[@sk3lut]

ive watched a lot of halles interviews surrounding this movie, her personality is so bubbly and bright. despite the flaws of this movie this is still one of the better ones, which may not be a lot but still, and she easily steals the show along with vanessa

[@sunnybear178]

It’s probably the 3rd best with Jungle Book and Cinderella. I personally don’t care for Cinderella but compared to the other princess ones, it was too easy. TLM is playing it abit safe and I think it’s a mix to corporate greed and appealing to audiences too much (especially a toxic one let’s be honest). But I definitely think Halle makes it worth it especially in her singing. It just give a soul to some of these soulless movies that at least with the princess ones, feels lost and nonexistent.

[@dyamiarroyo557]

Tritan in the water at the end was comedy gold. My wife and I were dying.

[@oliversedgwick7236]

Yeah, it was odd that all the merpeople were just static in the water like they were waiting for a fight to start- vs the original when they're all happy and waving

[@nurulmidah8710]

SAME. OMG I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE

[@carsonwhaley4935]

Im glad you gave Spy Kids 3: Game Over the recognition it deserves

[@SailorWonder]

💯

[@joaquinm9148]

"She didn't even give me her e-mail address"

[@ma_kenz]

When I hear Jonah/Eric say “my little mermaid”, I’m going to lose it 😂

[@Wildwoodenthusiast]

That’s something that EDP would say 😂

[@ma_kenz]

@@Wildwoodenthusiast EDP?

[@Wildwoodenthusiast]

@@ma_kenz he is a KZbinr who is believed to like minors. If you don’t know and Ariel is a minor

[@ma_kenz]

@@Wildwoodenthusiast Oh damn lol

[@margaritas8375]

The biggest problem with the new Little Mermaid is we didn't need it

[@chasehedges6775]

Disney: Makes another live action remake Bakini Bottom Citizen: HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH THIS LESSON, DISNEY?

[@ck-1649]

Disney: Ah, I love the young people

[@joedorben3504]

the lesson of selling an insane amount of tickets every time which encourages them to continue shitting these garbage ass remakes out?

[@Funeral_Mannequin]

Harold was just always ready to throw hands

[@DrJackaloupe]

I think the lesson that they’re learning is that they make billions :/

[@DrJackaloupe]

We’ll see how this one performs, but considering how well Aladdin & Lion King did, I’m guessing it won’t have an issue profiting.

[@nationalcoasternews5798]

I haven’t even seen this movie (and never will) but based on the clips in this video alone I 1000% agree on the color. LITERALLY THE DULLEST COLOR GRADE I THINK IVE EVER SEEN

[@D0MiN0ChAn]

Nah, that one goes to the Lion King remake by far. Everything is just brown and/or yellow in that movie.

[@anthonymartensen3164]

The movie didn't actually look bad, on my opinion.

[@jamiematindi2005]

So you see, that's where the trouble started. That smile...that damn smile🐟

[@WafflesX3XD]

live action will always lack that certain suspension of disbelief that animation allows for,,,, like, i get flounders a fish, but i never had to perceive him as such.. now he’ll haunt me in my nightmares ;-)

[@classiccasualgaming]

...and make me think twice about eating steamed fish that looks like him.😢

[@TTTAKFilmStudios]

How did they add the Scuttbutt song and not she’s in love from the musical?? It’s SUCH a good song 😭

[@suzygirl1843]

They don't want to pay residuals

[@marcusclark1339]

they desperately removed any and all "love" from the movie relationship of those two, its sad how modern media hates that now, so much of it is soulless even by the end those two don't get married at all

[@jagp135]

@@marcusclark1339 they do get married, they just don't show the wedding

[@quisejr4396]

Someone gets it

[@Skoringo]

They should have honestly got Harriet Sansom Harris (Licorice Pizza, Werwolf by Night, Romeo & Juliet 1996) for Ursula. She would've blown it the fuck out of the water.

[@chasehedges6775]

Loved her in Werewolf By Night. She was fantastic as the villain.

[@Gnator8t4]

Thinking of her as Bebe in Frasier, that would've been terrific casting!

[@supersaxyguy]

Should have gotten a transwoman to play Usrula

[@Frutigirl2000]

Nah, Melissa McCarthy was perfect imo

[@abeeRidge]

Agreed! She did great and stole that performance!

[@GoB1996]

I knew they were gonna have Daveed Diggs rap, but of course they didn’t utilize his talent to the full potential lol. Anyone who listens to Clipping knows

[@mcride1242]

haven't watched this movie yet but do they really phone him in that much?? idk why you'd get the guy who made songs like story 2 or wriggle just to not use him

[@serenitymoon825]

It was wasted in that godawful Scuttlebutt song

[@GoB1996]

@@mcride1242 honestly feel like if you’re gonna redo characters songs, then have that artist write for it. If Daveed wrote the lyrics for his part, it would’ve been good I’m sure. I mean damn they got him rapping on Sesame Street and THAT was better than this shit lmao

[@an-qo6by]

I honestly loved the movie. It was very well done, in my opinion. I only wish the plot was more extended- which I know is annoying to say given the movie is 2 hours and 15 min? But I really wish we got more scenes with Eric and Ariel- and Vanessa too! The rap scene though.... cringe. The scenes with Giant Ursula? And the King Triton scenes? I thought all of that was amazing

[@abeeRidge]

Yes!! To all of this! I was greatly suprised and this might be my favorite live action remake!

[@marcusclark1339]

"more extended" that just shows how lacking the plotting was with padded nonsense of extra songs and scenes that didn't help, so much is pointlessly added and changed hence why its lacking

[@buchiacho2426]

Exactly, seeing these comments, I didn't think the reception would be so bad. I really enjoyed it, I think they nailed it for once.

[@an-qo6by]

@Majestic Artimus Oh forsure- that scene in the ocean with big ursula is traumatizing for kids im sure lol

[@Vor567tez]

Ursala's tentacles looked like cushion. Am I the only one?

[@heliodorable4612]

i'll just never understand why they chose to change the species of ariel's friends... like why couldn't they have just made scuttle a seagull? the gannet looks so out of place... and according to the director, the change was made because they didn't want to have ariel go to the surface until part of your world, so they had to made it a diving bird. yet they make sebastian a ghost crab, who can't even survive in the ocean... so whats the point???

[@via3155]

Sebastian was made a ghost crab because that crab is the easiest to make animated. And I genuinely don’t get what scuttle not being a seagull changes….he’s literally still an annoying bird in this one. Did him not being a seagull really impact the story? Like let’s be real…..

[@heliodorable4612]

​@@via3155 it impacts the story because it shouldn't have been made into live action in the first place lol!

[@via3155]

@@heliodorable4612 that’s not a good argument lol. Nor does that correlate…..but ermmm ok!

[@gablebrandon]

@@via3155 Exactly, and scuttle has always been annoying. Idk why everyone thought scuttle wouldn't be annoying here.

[@heliodorable4612]

@@via3155 i'm not trying to have a good argument, i just don't like it. i personally just think he's better as a seagull since they're so goofy

[@gremlinmikey]

studios fail to realise that live action remakes are so redundant, animation is used to go far beyond whats possible with live action and to make most of it cgi means youre essentially just making an animated film again and slapping a few human faces in there. it frustrates me to no end how little studios and the industry as a whole value animation

[@joshmargolis1424]

I’m glad someone found the ending as funny as I did. Was cracking up about Triton with my friend all evening

[@nickkasander2316]

he really appeared like 💧 👁️ 👁️ 💧

[@perksofasimplelife6621]

😂😂😂

[@lannypenn]

Disney has some of the most creative and interesting animated films ever made in their studio filmography with the lion king, beauty and the beast, Aladdin, Snow White, fantasia, lady and the tramp, Pinocchio, Peter Pan etc… yet, more recently (within the past 5 years), Disney has drained itself of creativity and has not allowed themselves to produce anything legitimately creative in their live action studio specifically. There is some gold in all the dirt (Encanto, and some marvel properties), but Disney as a whole hasn’t as of recent done anything creative or different in the slightest. Disney as a studio being a trade mark for creativity and imagination in the genre of animated kids movies, has depleted any amount of creativity and imagination of which they so heavily lean on in their main idealistic theme. Live action remakes are at best a good way to feel nostalgic as an adult about the content and media you consumed from your childhood, at worst, it’s lazy, unimaginative, boring, uninteresting, and repetitive, which is very exhausting for most people. These animated movies don’t deserve live action remakes, not to say that they don’t deserve credit or long spanning attention, but they don’t deserve to be milked of their storytelling worth for eternity. You don’t read a book for its cover, you don’t watch a movie for how pretty it is (most of the time) you watch movies for their story. Would you remake a Scorsese film? Would you remake a Tarantino film? No! So why remake these wonderful, beautiful films and deplete them of their worth as an original idea, made by someone actually passionate about the art they’ve made and what they’ve created and be proud of what they’ve created, and be celebrated for their work. Instead of giving up the story rights to someone who’s going to call the film their own and disrespect the art form of animation as a whole. And yes I understand that these animated films a lot of times were adaptations of novels but that’s different. Would you adapt a second person novella into a first person novel?

[@chasehedges6775]

The fall of Disney is just saddening to witness

[@daniellavaladez7820]

@@chasehedges6775 Absolutely. I just can't imagine the disappointment that Walt Disney himself would feel if he were to come back from the dead and see what has become of the company he created.

[@BorneG49]

Need more creativity in the world, Walt would be sad

[@vivir339]

Exactly, I just feel a huge lack of respect towards these animated films bc of how ppl keep supporting these remakes. Sure, I know that they’re all “just kids movies” and audiences just wanna see real ppl play their favorite childhood characters, but it just feels like no one has any real appreciation for the animated movies. It’s as if ppl don’t consider them to be legitimate films because they’re animated, so they see no problem with having another film, even if it’s blatantly lazy or inferior in almost every way. That comment of how no one would ever remake a Scorsese or Tarantino film perfectly sums up this issue. The animated films honestly have so many merits to them in terms of writing, acting, art direction and musical talent, all of which these remakes completely and evidently lack. But no one seems to notice or care anyway. The ppl that made the original films put so much talent and hard work into them, and it just seems like Disney has become so dismissive of what those filmmakers gave them. But who cares, right? They’re all just cartoons anyway.

[@JuankiHilsaca]

Lanny, can I make this comment into a t-shirt? As someone in the screenwriting industry I 100% agree on this comment.

[@brandonmclendon5368]

This movie was better than I expected, but seeing how the other Disney remakes are, that’s not saying much.

[@oneAndyHicks]

So glad karsten has realised what a true masterpiece is. The Little Mermaid live action remake will go down in the history books as one of the greatest films ever made, up there with cats.

[@chasehedges6775]

Cats 2019 was at least fun bad. This is is just pandering to nostalgia bad

[@Mcburger644]

A Disney kind of bad

[@avacadomangobanana2588]

@@chasehedges6775 yeah… that’s Disney nowadays for ya

[@chasehedges6775]

@@avacadomangobanana2588 Yep

[@leftistdegeneratejs]

I’m going to be honest these type of comments are a lot more annoying than the bland and uninteresting live action remakes

[@bastianogr4960]

One positive thing about all those insufferable live action remakes: they make you appreciate the 2D animated originals even more. Those were such masterpieces on every possible level. No matter how much technology and money they put into the modern adaptations, it's impossible to capture the spirit, flow, elegance, and liveliness of the animated versions. Makes me want to rewatch Snow White and Cinderella ❤

[@CINRZ]

So frustrating that with a budget like disneys they didn't go out of their way to do something groundbreaking and really develop filming techniques in water!? Like I feel like with a movie this iconic and especially how important the new casting is they should've pushed the boat out a little 😭

[@trinaq]

Halle Bailey seems to be the best part of this fisaco, judging from the reviews. She's the perfect live action Ariel.

[@chasehedges6775]

Nah, from this review, she’s ok/meh. It’s the actress playing Vanessa that steals the show with her brief screentime.

[@trey12789]

⁠​⁠@@chasehedges6775 that’s THIS review…

[@dellovette]

@@chasehedges6775she steals the show using halle’s voice ?

[@charg1nmalaz0r51]

From what i have read and seen for myself the best person in this is McCarthy. Which is actually a shocker lol. Aerial is good at the singing but her acting needs work especially when shes mute

[@AR-ed8jp]

She can sing but can’t act. Her facial expressions are dull. Eyes are flat and expressionless. She’s not charming. She’s blah. NOT the perfect Ariel in any way shape or form

[@burnedoutgraduatestudent4482]

My therapist: CGI Flounder isn’t real he can’t hurt you CGI Flounder:

[@willis1996]

Oof, i loved it. I loved the changes to the story and i believed the romance. My only knocks were how Flounder and Sebastian look (i wish they would’ve made them look like the original even if all the other fish didn’t. Also, Melissa McCarthy did not do it for me, Ursula needed to be more campy at the level of a drag queen. And i did feel that the runtime could have been trimmed down. But overall I’m excited to revisit it!

[@Yoxhio_]

if she put more weight and personality into the character people would have been outraged. safest thing was for her to play it safe

[@Pillowlips77]

Lol why would people be outraged at a good performance? That makes no sense. The director himself said Halle wasn't an actor when she auditioned (she was a singer) but she learnt acting during the shooting of the movie. Which is likely the case for her underwhelming performance- Not being an experienced actor.

[@witchplease9695]

@@Pillowlips77 Thats not what the director said. She has less acting experience, but she was literally on TV shows before this.

[@alyaaliski8678]

There's a weird movement from Ariel just before when she was screaming "part of your world" with the wave crashing behind her. I genuinely like the movie despite all the weird choices in it but man there's just something about the editing ig? When King Triton resurface at the end of the movie there was legit someone laughing out loud in the cinema i was watching it in 😂

[@cranberrylounge]

the fact that i’m at risk at seeing a film bros opinion on literally anything ever keeps me up at night

[@jacmon11]

I actually really enjoyed it and thought it was very well done. The 4D experience was very cool too.

[@emmanuelmondesir]

I like the movie but hate the cgi, Jessica/Vanessa was cooking

[@Launchpad05]

Just because something is made 'for kids' doesn't mean it has to suck. Also, I will not allow Disney to throw it's animation legacy away like this.

[@lailaplaysdbd4004]

Agreed. The animation of the little characters could've been better. My cousin was like, "Not my Flounder." LOL! Honestly, I think Halle should've just been a whole new Disney character. She would still do great.

[@cartiercat]

why should she be a new disney character?

[@HarvenHaven]

you can feel the disney executives deluding themselves into pretending that crab and fish characters are possible in live action when they so obviously arent

[@SleepyBrady]

Good points Good singing. Such a powerful voice! Halle! The under the sea music scene was actually really beautiful. I loved the dancing fish of all kinds Um.... Yeah Bad points Acting was stiff at times. It looked like they weren't really in character Color fluctuated from pretty colorful to dark ocean Realistic animals looking weird Other then that it was pretty alright

[@samfilmkid]

Saying something is a step up from the Lion King 2019 is really saying nothing at all.

[@800Ms-k6n]

It's kinda like saying Quantumania is a better Marvel movie than Love and Thunder or the opposite but still that doesn't say much

[@chasehedges6775]

2:33: Jessica Alexander as Vanessa is beautiful and cute. She deserves better and I hope she gets better roles

[@suzygirl1843]

She understood her role was small so she gave it her best. However, Ursula had been developed in Disney's Descendents and Once Upon A Time. So she's the 3rd best iteration, in my opion

[@geckohunter123]

I was personally offended that we didn’t get Shirtless daddy Triton. 😂 Javier looks so RESTRICTED in his armor and the way the beard, shoulder pieces, and crown restrict his expressiveness really shows.

[@j.a.ogrady7783]

You know, I do like sleeping, but Flounder works too

[@nataly-ct8gh]

I would have LOVED to learn more about ursula because even in the original version I wanted to know so much more about her, kind of slayed. I world watch a version of what the hell happened between ursula and king triton in detail, or a version of king triton and queen athena love story. I also wasn't crazy about the fact they changed Erik and his reactions. I want the confusion, the awkward interactions but they're still nice people. he was in a weird ass situation and that was not expressed as much as I would have liked. The singing for ariel and vanessa (although i think that was still ariel's voice cause yk) was amazing but everything else was meh.

[@spiceking5348]

I find it funny that you keep calling it a movie made for kids. like technically yeah, but these disney remakes always feel like they're made for adults that are easily fooled by nostalgia bait.

[@suzygirl1843]

Honestly, adults ruin everything. No matter how much you try to satisfy them they'll never be because they're too different. Children are easier, they have newer eyes and more innocence. Grownups have watched these animations as kids but each has had a different life, some would want a darker remake and other would want a happy story so children are more reliable an audience. George Lucas learned this the HARD way with Star Wars. He also tried to make the prequels in 2000'd for kids and NEVER accounted for the older fans who shit all over his work.

[@MVixs]

Baileys singing was on point.. but her acting became stiff after she became mute in the movie

[@michellelee8933]

I didn't watch any of the live action remakes in full length, but just based on the all the collective Music Videos that have been released so far, only Aladdin held up. The mere vibrancy and joy that Disney should present is only apparent there lmao.

[@pastel2622]

The one of Cruella is really good

[@TheYoungGeninSasuke]

I loved Halle Bailey. She is very pretty and has a amazing voice.

[@worldhello1234]

Yeah, but a good singer doesn't make a good actor and her being chosen for her skin color devalues any performance.

[@hazeljust7001]

@@worldhello1234 she was a great actress in the movie too., sooooo what are you mad about

[@GirlSpartan117]

​@@worldhello1234 except nobody else was touching her vocals hence why she was chosen. Cry harder

[@shanicestella2226]

Disney supposedly should take note on the vibrant and colourful Carribean sea landscape The Under the Sea sequence looks underwhelming , like a landscape of unhealthy coral And I ever see a small clip from YT about the ending , The ending looks like Ariel just give “ Okay Dad , I want to go , Bye “ in a rushed and plain manner Why don’t Disney give a scene where merfolks hold a musical concert to celebrate Ariels wedding for the ending scene ? That’s more fun Glad that I don’t give a hype over this bland B-tier remake

[@gpaderx6105]

All I'm going to say is, it's better than I expected because, of course, I expected worse. Hearing Daveed's voice in a crab's body is kind of distracting, but Daveed did a great job in those two Sebastian songs. The musical performances are somewhat better ngl. Now that you've mentioned editing, in EVERY movie I'm watching, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to editing, and oh boy, I unexpectedly forgot that part while I'm watching this movie, it means, the editing was on point, and flawless. That carried the movie quietly!! It's a very very decent live-action Disney. Not soo great, but at least it's better than Mulan duh. also I think this one's better than Beauty and the Beast live-action. CInderella and Aladdin are still up there. Also to add, I just don't understand people complaining about Halle's casting but there's a lot of things to complain here lol. Halle is the near-perfect Ariel. She did it effortlessly

[@JAKESPEARE95]

This film is Disney’s biggest BRUH moment. The original saved the company but this just might sink it lol.

[@suzygirl1843]

Why? It's not made for grown ups with hang ups. Kids will enjoy this

[@capybara8477]

it’s on track to make its budget back, maybe not a classic like the original but it’s certainly not Disney’s downfall

[@jonal5126]

@@suzygirl1843 its made for adults, literally is a live action made for nostalgia

[@jonal5126]

@@suzygirl1843 also, i don't think kids will like to see a dark 2h long movie

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

@@suzygirl1843 No, it’s made to bank on nostalgia. Young kids do not have an attention span this long. They simply don’t. It has to do with brain development and they aren’t there yet. Even kids who say they like it are struggling to sit through it without getting antsy. There’s a reason that movies meant for kids used to be 80-90 minutes long, even when live action. That was about how long you could expect a kid to sit still on the long end.

[@jczbas]

My friend and I agreed Disney is going ‘too real’ in their live actions. It’s Disney make the non humans look a weird cartoony cuz looking real ain’t workin for them

[@leanahoward9590]

why don’t we get live actions like Maleficent anymore 😢 i was just thinking abt how that’s like one of the few live actions i actually enjoyed but wtf happened 😭

[@SailorWonder]

I wanted Sleeping Beauty not Maleficent! *sigh* 😪

[@WilsTube]

Internet: (complains about another cashgrab Disney remake being churned out every 5 minutes) Also internet: (watches them anyway)

[@allister_story_dump31]

Exactly, they're just letting the enemy win. I don't like Disney remakes, and I don't plan to watch them anytime soon

[@deletedkneecaps]

my friends begged me to watch it bc they said it was amazing, but i should’ve known. they didn’t like spider-verse movie bc it was “too confusing” 💀

[@cwmaib]

To be fair, younger audiences DO have the attention span of a squirrel.

[@igotyourback9175]

Amen!

[@D0MiN0ChAn]

So did we when we were kids, but luckily for us millenials during the Disney Renaissance, these movies back then were only 80-90 minutes long. Everything above that oughta be boring for younger children.

[@ballerinafromtheblock]

Halle’s singing took me to another world I need more of her in musicals. Ariel is also kind of a directionless character so I kind of feel what your saying, she does capture ariel perfectly but the writing I think needed to give her a little more outside of og ariel especially in the first half.

[@slatea.4553]

I loved Akwfina as Scuttle and the rap was fun because it wasn’t just a song, it was an explanation of what was happening. The acting is wonderful…any blame I put on Rob Marshall for taking away some of the major magical scenes we all wanted.

[@kingj6677]

Now this is a proper review. You actually critique what works and doesn't work in the film instead of just giving the same talking points that I've seen other people give, which tend to be: Disney woke, Black people bad. Hats off to you, my friend.

[@koala242]

I thought this was the best live action remake yet. There were issues of course but overall it kept me entertained and I bought the growing relationship between the two leads. I did watch a few youtube reviews beforehand and had low expectations going in because of them.

[@Krystalmyth]

I just hate how the entire movie looks like it's in a sad, dark and depressing aquarium stuck in a basement somewhere, with a dingy light bulb.

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

Whenever Disney churns out another live action remake it just always compels me to go back to the original films. These films don't need modern upgrades. Disney was always more financially successful when they leaned on the philosophy of their past while creating new content that seamlessly fit in with their legacy. It doesn't even feel like Disney anymore. Their only new ideas are to tweak the old ideas.

[@Hozagen]

Existing. The original one is still one of Disney's best. There was absolutely NO REASON for that crappy movie to be made.

[@gryrabild]

2 hours feel like a bad length for a kids movie to me… Either make it under an hour and a half or go full Mary Poppins, super long with several lullabies in the middle of it, to make the kids fall asleep. Those should be the options.

[@brynniefresh9746]

I went and saw it with my family and I expected to hate it but I really only hated the voice of Sebastian, the voice of scuttle, their rap song, and the designs of the mermaid sisters/how they look when they come out of the water...i will say i liked that they added the part where she can't remember she has to get the kiss, it made it make a little more sense, and then they had ariel save the day at the end with ursula instead of erik saving her...i loved that they had them bonding over shared interests, and he was teaching her stuff and she was teaching him stuff so i felt like their romance made more sense...on another note i think under the sea should've been cut out of the movie cause the whole thing was that the fish and stuff were playing instruments and in this they aren't, so it's just like ariel looking really out of place via the cgi and being happy among the fish we've already seen her happy with it just seemed unnecessary

[@angelaoriel5912]

they may not have been able to add instruments for realism, but they could've at least made the other creatures sing. that was the most disappointing aspect of that song, it was so bland (no fault to daveed, i'm a fan of his)

[@PattisKarriereKarten]

You're missing the whole POINT of that original kiss storyline. Ariel signed a CONTRACT with Ursula that she has to get that kiss in 3 days, where does it make sense to then NOT know that you have to do that so one's DREAM can come true to stay up there? There are several more logical mistakes in the new storyline that absolutely make no sense whatsoever. Now Eric has to be adopted so no one realizes that it's really awkward that he has a black mother. 🙄Honestly, the original was perfect. They ruined the plot, the cast AND the looks of it with those ugly creatures. They not only race-swapped the mermaid and made her 7 sisters all different ethnicities (Triton must have come around), they also race-swapped Scuttle and Sebastian. That scuttle is no seagull and that crab doesn't even live in the ocean. It goes on and on and on. It seems like they kind of were mesmerized with Halle's singing and thought: Oh she sounds great, let's make a movie around her, where she gets to sing two times and the rest of the movie she is MUTE anyway because literally the story is about her LOSING HER goddamm voice - but sure, it makes sense 🤦🏼‍♀ At least no one is going to confuse this crap with the classic. 🙄

[@sloopman]

Oh boy, here we go

[@bdariamihaela]

I really liked Aquafina's performance in this tbh, it fits her

[@gv5884]

Glenn Clse would've been the perfect Ursula. Fatal Attraction is there to show that psychotic, devilish smile.

[@michealvega1373]

*stares at flounder* Look how they massacred my boy. 😩

[@mrink8822]

putting this fish instead of ariel is a huge disrespect for fish

[@doodleonwalls]

I did appreciate the changes they made to Eric and Ariel's relationship. They had more in common than in the animation and I actually believed in their romance beyond a shotgun wedding. 😂

[@strahinjazivaljevic8935]

You did not just compare Jonah Hauer-King with Noah Centineo? Jonah is great actor and he did awesome job in this

[@amydunnediditnow]

noah is also a good actor, just because he does corny films doesn’t mean he can’t act. he did a really powerful TBI storyline on the show he was in before he blew up

[@Life-oo2tr]

Disney needs to quit this whole live action remake thing. Almost all of them are bad. They really need to put their budget in creating new animated stories that inspire kids AND adults. Beautiful and well thought out animation, and good storytelling.

[@MONERSC]

I am just going to see Halle sing honestly

[@charg1nmalaz0r51]

most of her songs are on youtube lol.

[@suzygirl1843]

@@800Ms-k6n It's different seeing her express it so I'll pay 3 times to see her sing. She's Beyonce's protege.

[@800Ms-k6n]

@@suzygirl1843 I mean again if you just want to see Halle sing, well just listen to the soundtrack, simple as that

[@800Ms-k6n]

@@Faith-bl6tm I mean, it says that the guy want to watch the movie because of her singing, I say just listen to the soundtrack, just an advice lol

[@Lovelyone1]

@@800Ms-k6n she said SEE her sing. What is it that you don’t understand?? You just sound like a hater and want the movie to flop by hoping people won’t see it. You lose!!

[@zanderz.]

This video comes up in my feed as I’m driving to go see this film. Thank you universe.

[@eggs1563]

They should’ve gotten people who are experienced actors. The singing is only 10-15 minutes of the movie. Get someone who can act and carry the other 2 hours.

[@GUAGA0612]

Imagine this film but with more budget and better director like Cinderella, could have been great 😢

[@Samdoesstuff978]

R.I.P old karsetn runquist profile picture.

[@juliarhapsody]

MAX APPRECIATION LETS GOO

[@giggles7179]

It's even more mind-boggling that Rob Marshall admitted in a recent interview that he sought the exact same CG crew that worked on _The Lion King_ to bring their talents to this film. Granted, with all these movies, I think we all expect something that by nature is next to impossible: We want to feel the wonder and the magic we all had when we first saw it as children. I may get flak for saying this, but I believe that's also the reason we're all cursed to listen to the never-ending pissing and moaning of the _Star Wars_ fanboys that have liked NOTHING since _Return of the Jedi_ (and even _that_ is up for debate). We should primarily base the success of _The Little Mermaid_ on the expressions of the childrens' faces as they leave the cinema. Sure, we can't deny the nostalgia factor for the adults that are just as eager to see it, but a child shouldn't be thinking of how poor the CG is. They merely have to sit back with no judgements and allow themselves to be swept up in the story. If the kids tell us they weren't impressed, there's always the original.

[@avacadomangobanana2588]

I’m really torn on Aquafina as time goes on…. Anyone else?? Idk she just seems like a flat actor more often than not nowadays. Any good aqua content I could watch to change my mind????

[@athenajaxon2397]

I like her as a side character tbh like I think she's funny in Crazy Rich asians, Shang Chi and her more subdued role The Farewell

[@darkengine5931]

I thought she was all right in Renfield even though she was pretty hammy there.

[@George_Fl0yd]

Her voice gets on my nerves

[@quisejr4396]

Bad guys

[@avacadomangobanana2588]

@@George_Fl0yd yeah exactly. Idk if that’s me being a whiney white boy but her inflections are hard on my ears. If she’s playing it up she should stop

[@willemdafreind4994]

But why did the cut the chef scene?

[@suzygirl1843]

I guess they wanted to remove any kind of "racial" or "class" connotations. They touch upon the humans slaughtering fish in 1 lyric when Ariel notices a mosaic of fish on hooks. But they wanted to level the playing field between the humans and sea creatures. You could easily read into the chef scene as something like buck breaking since Sebastian is black coded and sales of slaves and plantations were carried out in the Carribbean. Somebody is going to make up something ugly, I guess.

[@willemdafreind4994]

@@suzygirl1843 Oh I just thought it was a funny scene I liked.

[@SailorWonder]

Because they had to butcher it! 🔪

[@jonal5126]

@@suzygirl1843 then why is there a rap scene

[@suzygirl1843]

@@jonal5126 Lin Manuel Miranda can't help himself.

[@Drewa5195]

I really tried to give the film a shot but the cgi was SO BAD. Ursula was so much more menacing in the original and having Ariel steer the ship at the end made no sense. Eric seemed so useless in this remake. The overall acting was bad. They shouldnt have stretched it out like that as we saw kids acting up in the theatre because they were clearly bored. Finally, Scuttlebutt, why the heck was that song added? How could they have listened to that song and thought yes that is a good song?

[@sweetchocolatesecret]

See, I had a feeling it would be a more of a "mid" movie, but it's so hard to see a straightforward review because of all the "discourse"

[@Lakeside80]

"They're for kids." I doubt it. These remakes are for adults but they're treating them like kids. So then the nostalgic adults make the excuse, "it's for the next generation." Then proceed to bring their kids, as the parent watches the movie, while the kids are kicking the seat in boredom. Maybe laugh at the silly birdie, but that's it. These remakes are lackluster and boring. I checked out Peter Pan and Wendy, holy f, that one is deathly boring.

[@joyceyvettedavis4469]

I loved the movie. She did a great job. The entire crew did well. Her singing was on point and she sung with so much feeling. Ten times better than Emma Watson in Beauty & the Beast. Since I can’t remember if there was music in the remake of Cinderella with Lily James means that if there was, it must not have been impressive. The underwater shots were fantastic. For a cartoon turn into a live movie, I give it 5 stars.

[@jiannav5979]

i just wish they made ariels hair more red

[@xodr91]

Same! I saw that Halle had burgundy locs for the premieres and I thought that was more flattering for her skin tone.

[@medtle1]

Apparently, I heard that they initially tried to give her super red hair but the dye kept coming off in the water so they switched to natural red hair so it wouldn't look as bad if some of the dye came off. That is why even if some of the merfolks had dyed hair, none of them had super saturated bright hair colors. Honestly, I think they should have given her a more suitable shade of red or brown to suit her skin tone instead of trying to make it look like the shade of red found on someone with a completely different skin tone and undertone than hers just because the old Disney executives were scared men and white people would get more mad if she looked even less like animated ariel.

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

@@medtle1 They CGI’d the rest. They could have CGI’d her hair.

[@medtle1]

@@NoelleTakestheSky True. Probably would have been cheaper and not as damaging to Halle's scalp and hair to just CGI the hair color. But I guess the CGI team didn't know how to do that. [Remember when the black actress from High School Musical said she decided to wear headbands in the movie because no one knew how to do her hair? Not a stretch to believe that Disney didn't hire anybody that was familiar with what reds would look good on Halle or how to CGI different colors on hair.] Or just let Halle go with her natural hair color and incorporate red accessories into her hair. [There are black people that are natural redheads; some having hair the same color as Halle's hair color in the Disney merchandising. The problem is that shade of red does not go well with her skin's overtone and undertone. Disney could have saved themselves some time and money by contacting black cosplayers and black people that are part of the mermaid community.]

[@Sean-tn7xm]

Disney is destroying my childhood one movie at a time.

[@FeebleAntelope]

6:36 - Did they seriously have the scene where Scuttle teaches Ariel how to use a fork, UNDERWATER? How does that make any damn sense? EDIT: Add this movie to the list of all the other live action remakes that I refuse to see.

[@GirlSpartan117]

Why does it not make sense?

[@carlyk6925]

the last few minutes were indeed pretty bad in my opinion. especially that moment when Triton just randomly rose from the water when ariel and prince eric were paddling away. What should have been a cute/ wholesome moment just resulted in awkward laughter from the audience.

[@allister_story_dump31]

i honestly hate my final battle scene that was leaked, The point of Eric saving the day was to show King Triton not all humans are bad and that Eric actually care for Ariel. Ariel saving the day feels out of place, especially considering that that point in the movie, she's turned back into a mermaid

[@GEMMY241]

“Because he looks like just some crab” 😂

[@katelynm1]

Why does everyone have to compare both movies. Who cares if the original didn't have a lot of Ariel and Eric screen time, what do you expect from an 1 hour and a half movie. Both movies are amazing in their own way. One thing they didn't develop Eric that much, just gave him a step mother and a bit about his background like being adopted. Who knows animated Eric was probably born royalty (he could have at least had a least a father like some of the other Disney princes)