Audiences have taken their first dive into the deep blue with Disney and Halle Bailey’s “The Little Mermaid” live-action version. The Los Angeles premiere of the film is over, and early reviews to the musical have started appearing on social media.
Disney showed a video from “The Little Mermaid” at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, giving attendees a sneak peek at the film before its May 26 release. The clip featured Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula.
Variety tells Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon, and Ben Platt attended a private screening of the picture hosted by director Rob Marshall and his husband, producer John DeLuca. It sounds like the star-studded audience loved every musical moment and continued their praise at the after-screening party.
#TheLittleMermaid: Charming, but incredibly spotty. Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy & Javier Bardem put their heart & souls into a film that can’t escape its animated legacy. Best when it leans into campy bonkers, yet limits its fantasy elements for no reason. pic.twitter.com/c7Bt2BO5rq
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 9, 2023
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken (who composed the score for the 1989 original) composed the score for the musical, which also includes four new original songs. Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder, Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian, and Awkwafina voices Scuttle; with Bailey and McCarthy, the cast also features Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, and more.
Find out when The Little Mermaid will be shown and who will be in it here:
Early reviews have been very positive, singling out Bailey’s performance as Ariel. Courtney Howard, a critic for Variety, gave the film a mixed review, calling it “charming but incredibly spotty” and singling out the performances of a few of the performers.
The picture “doesn’t deliver the magic of the animated classic,” writes Simon Thompson, “but there are enough new additions to keep things interesting.”
Endearing but uneven, #TheLittleMermaid doesn’t deliver the magic of the animated classic but there are plenty of creative touches from Rob Marshall to float the audience’s boats. Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy are great. Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina provide solid comic relief. pic.twitter.com/kt1pVURZiL
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) May 9, 2023
Insider reporter Kirsten Acuna said the video was “mostly paint-by-numbers.”
#TheLittleMermaid is filled with a few great performances from Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, but it’s a mostly paint-by-numbers remake that’s isn’t as good as the animated masterpiece. pic.twitter.com/YY4ielYXiR
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) May 9, 2023
According to a Gizmodo and io9 contributor, the film is “exactly what you think it is,” and while people who are looking forward to it will enjoy it, the movie “just feels so unnecessary.”
It’s real simple. Are you excited for #TheLittleMermaid? You’ll like it. It’s exactly what you think it is. Are you skeptical and worried about it? That’s valid too. It looks weird and disjointed. Bailey is great, McCarthy rules, the songs work but it just feels so unnecessary. pic.twitter.com/n4qp7MsVFH
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 9, 2023
In spite of the “visually rough” underwater scenes, the chief editor of Next Best Picture praised Bailey’s “gorgeous singing and empathetic charm.”
Halle Bailey is receiving unanimous praise for her “star-making” performance as Ariel in Disney’s #TheLittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/H02JUKlFiG
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 9, 2023
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