User reviews

This live action remake was a disappointing attempt to bring a beloved Disney classic to life. It falls flat in almost every aspect, leaving me feeling underwhelmed and disconnected, unlike the original.

Halle Bailey as Ariel was good and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula was passable but beside those two, all of the other characters felt virtually nonexistent with zero chemistry with one another.

Visually, the remake falls short in creating a believable underwater world. The CGI effects were uninspiring and more importantly, looked cheap.

What 'The Little Mermaid' suffered from the most was the god awful script. The pacing was uneven, scenes dragged on or failed to contribute to the overall narrative, and the characters felt shallow and lacked depth.

Overall, the 2023 remake was lackluster and forgettable. The uninspiring performances, poor visual effects, and terrible original songs left me disengaged and disappointed. Don't let the positive reviews the film has been receiving gaslight you into thinking that these awful cash grab live-action remakes that Disney has been producing are okay. The truth is the film fails to capture the magic and charm that made the original film so beloved, which is on par with all the other Disney remakes.

I went to see this movie with the attitude that it's gonna be the worst Disney Live Action movie.

As I was watching it, I noticed that I don't hate it, but there is also a lot of things that don't work.

Sebasitan and. Flounder look hideous, I have no idea what they were thinking. Straight up CGI fish and crab.

Songs are bad. Halle Bailey has great voice, and can sing, but other than that, the songs are terrible. A lot of times actors singing go out of tune or lose rythm mostly because the line doesn't really fit the music.

Scuttlebutt song made my ears bleed, I also wanted to scratch my eyes out and this scene just wouldn't end.

Visuals are good, but everything is washed out and dark that you can't really appreciate the CGI which is surprisingly good for an disney movie.

Some things are taken straight from the original and some are changed to make more sense because they wanted this movie to have more diverse cast, and at least these changes are made to make it fit.

But still it's not as good as the original, some new things added don't recompensate the things that were cut out.

Had like 4 laughs, but nothing to write home about.

Could've been better.

No excitement or joy. Maybe the movie was rushed, but no real story line either. Poorly done.do not recommend. Most of the kids in the theater were bored and playing. Others were on third iPad or phones. Kinda sad!

I wish it was more for kids. Seemed like a social statement rather than a movie for kids. Disney needs to get back to the children, where is the laughter and joy?

I would have left early but fell asleep. Several folks slept through it as well. Sad indictment of the movie. Heard lots of folks talking about the positivity of a lead African American actress but even they said the movie was not good. Good effort - poor delivery.

I'll start with this, Halle Bailey was fantastic. She was cast perfectly as Ariel with her tender voice and childlike charm. I think the entire cast did well given what they had to work with. My issue is that in most cases I feel these live action remakes are not able to capture the essence of their original counterparts. Little Mermaid is no exception, it was fun and colorful to watch but again I felt like something was missing. By the second half of the film I was counting down the time I'd be able to get to my bed. The film just never connected with me. And I almost feel like I would have been perfectly fine without this remake.

I was so so so excited for this. After the watching this endlessly as a child and spending time watching this with my daughter we were pumped.

Half an hour In, we both lost interest. Some scenes were brilliant but the magic just wasn't there. So I forgot about the original and went back to a clear mind as if this was the only version. The actors themselves put on a show and the singing was marvellous (if out of sync at times) but I couldn't get excited about the film. Far too long, daughter decided she had enough and used toilet breaks as an excuse to try split up the film a bit more. We love the Jungle book, we loved Aladdin. We just couldn't immerse into this. Which is such a shame as Halle was a wonderful Ariel.

Let me start off by saying I was impatiently awaiting this movies' arrival. I bought my tickets 1 week in advance and was ready! However, during the film I nearly feel asleep half way through as did the other guests who attended with me. Not to say that this is a bad movie, it just doesn't hold as much magic as the original does and it is not nearly as captivating. It felt that the new elements and songs that were added took up a lot of time and then the parts that I was waiting for felt rushed. For instance, Vanessa's arrival and the ceremony that follows felt like they lasted only 5 minutes and there was no big pay off and I felt the same with Ursula's final scene.

I thought that Hallie and Melissa did a good job. I believe my favorite characters were the side characters such as Flounder, Sebastian, and even Scuttle (they should think about removing the rap from the DVD).

Maybe that's an impossible expectation to compare it the original? Seeing as I personally feel that non of the Disney remakes have added any substance or reason for needing a remake. But when taking the original out of the equation it is an overall decent film.

This movie just wasn't good... They added something like 50 minutes but it didn't improve the movie one it, it only made it drag on.

The CGI is poorly done and the tone of the film is dark and gloomy, not bright and colorful as it should be.

The animal characters look terrible. The changes to the songs are ridiculous, the original lyrics weren't problematic in the slightest.

Scuttle's voice is really jarring and the added song is just bad.

The changes made to the ending make the story worse, not better. They didn't need to make Eric weaker to build up Ariel.

The best thing about the movie was Ursula. At least they didn't ruin her.

I'm definitely the original film's generation kid. So it had a lot to live up to. And I can be pretty critical. I was delighted the entire time. I loved the cast. And while the film stuck very closely to the original, the cast managed to deliver some of the most famous and favorite moments flawlessly and yet with their own excellence, no regurgitations, no pandering.

Halle's voice was beautiful. But, of course! Her vocal reputation has preceded this film. She was also endearing in her portrayal of our title character.

Bardem was also unsurprisingly excellent and delivered a heartfelt portrayal of our king.

Aquafina as Scuttle was just a joy. She brought the laughs Scuttle should, but perfectly in her way.

So colorful, vibrant, lively. Under the Sea was beautifully animated and choreographed.

I was definitely fighting the urge to sing along for the sake of my daughter having her first Little Mermaid experience from scratch.

Loved "The Scuttlebut"!

Loved Sebastian and Scuttle's back and forth. Daveed and Aquafina were a great pair and brought new comedy that distinguished this iteration from the original film.

Poor Unfortunate Souls was EXCELLENT! So surprised by McCarthy. She embodied the role perfectly. The only thing I missed was the "Body language" line. Not sure why that was cut.

My criticisms:

Eric's solo song was overly dramatic and long. Melodically it failed to really go anywhere, perhaps due to peaking too early and plateauing musically/emotionally. Was the weakest musical moment as well as the weakest scene in the entire film. I skip it when we listen to the soundtrack. Oh yea! We listen to the soundtrack often.

Ariel's new song was also a tad lackluster but not a bad song at all. Just doesn't measure up to the originals for sure.

Missed "Les Poisson". But they didn't have a chef character at all. Unfortunate, but if they couldn't pull it off, they couldn't pull it off.

I missed the chorus of singing sea creatures and background vocals, but this is a nostalgia-based statement. Not a critique on the excellent re-arrangements of the music. I was here for the ride. If or when I need to hear the originals, Disney+ and Apple Music are there to provide.

I felt like the finale fell a pinch flat. It was kind of visually obscured. Made me think maybe they were unable to carryout the animation in a way that they could vibrantly showcase. Big Ursula was super dark and her audio was just kind of low...I'm not sure what happened there.

But overall, they told the story and it reached it's satisfying conclusion, with an added heartfelt touch to the final scene. And the musical renditions (apart from exceptions stated above) were delightfully executed.

I loved it and it was awesome getting to see my daughter introduced to the story for the first time, and with a mermaid who's skin looked like hers. I didn't have that growing up.

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated classic, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid princess who longs to explore the human world and falls in love with Prince Eric, a sailor she rescues from a shipwreck. To pursue her dream, she makes a deal with Ursula, a wicked sea witch who takes her voice in exchange for human legs.

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a mediocre film readaptation that pays tribute to the original film while also adding some new twists and depth. It is not perfect or groundbreaking, but it is good and nostalgic. However, it could have been better if it had followed the same aspects of the original.

I took my children to watch this over the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday. This does not have the magic of the original Disney cartoon. The actress who played Ariel sings very well but that's about it. There was nothing really memorable about it. I could tell my children, ages 4 and 6, were not enjoying the movie because they kept fidgeting and asking to go to the restroom every 15 minutes and stared longingly at the arcade games as we were walking back. This is in stark contrast to when they are watching the original at home as they will laugh and sing along. My wife was staring at her phone and I almost fell asleep.

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a movie that my daughter and I saw in theaters last night. The storyline follows a mermaid princess obsessed with the surface and humans. When a Prince's boat crashes and she saves him she becomes even more obsessed with him and the ways of humans against her father's advice. She makes a deal with a sea witch to become human for three days but if the prince doesn't kiss her in that time, she will return to the ocean to be the witch's slave forever. Can the mermaid uncover the ways of the humans and find true love?

This movie is directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) and stars Halle Bailey (Last Holiday), Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog's Way Home), Melissa McCarthy (The Heat), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Man), Noma Dumezweni (Dirty Pretty Things) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians).

This live action remake is beautifully executed with tremendous CGI, storytelling and use of color. Seeing this in 3D was a treat too. The storyline aligned to this animated film perfectly with some good additions. I loved the depiction of the island life and struggles of the humans and mermaids and their mutual perception of each other. I did miss the cook from the cartoon. The new songs were hit or miss. I can't say I enjoyed Eric's song, Halle's new songs worked and I actually enjoyed the rap. The back and forth between Sebastian and Scuttle was hilarious and well written. Melissa McCarthy was a fantastic Ursula and how she was depicted was perfect, especially at the very end.

Overall, this is one of the best Disney live action remakes. I would score this a strong 8-8.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

I wouldn't say I hated it but I just feel like this remake wasn't necessary.

The original Triton obviously loses his temper but this Triton just felt so cold even at the end when he turns her human himself there was just no warmth, he might as well have been a stranger to her.

There was no chemistry between Ariel and Eric either. Eric's solo just didn't need to happen and the whole thing just felt a bit cringy.

I love The Little Mermaid and I wouldn't say I'm against the remakes as such I actually really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast one but I just feel like LM didn't need to happen. I put off watching it for so long and perhaps I didn't need to watch it at all, I won't be watching it again, it had none of the charm of the original one and as my daughter grows up it will be the original that I show her.

The latest in Disney's attempt to cash in on all their old IPs instead of making something new and originals has finally hit the screens and it's bad.

A far cry from the bright captivating colors of the original, this ocean is dark and muted. Have the animators even visited a coral reef before? Or are they just trying to hide imperfect CGI by just turning down the color and brightness? Perhaps they should watch Avatar 2 to see how to do a live action amazing underwater world right. The live action aspect actively hurts the film due to making the non-human characters unexpressive at best, uncanny valley at worst.

The run time is bloated, and although they have added some extra things in to fill the time, you kind of wish on the whole that they didn't. The rap song is particularly awful and doesn't feel like it fits at all with the rest of the music in the film.

Like many that have gone before, there's no particular reason for this live action remake to exist apart from being nostalgia bait. Give it a miss and watch the original instead. It's cheaper to watch and a much better movie.

I really wish films would go back to using more practical effects and real sets. I just can't get on board with all these movies looking like video games, it takes away the magic and the art of the film and turns it into something mediocre. AI has been here all along and it's made story telling lazy because it's all put together by a guy behind a computer sipping his latte, just eventually they won't need the guy with the latte. I hope audiences reject this new norm, the flashy, simulated computer visuals are so distracting. The movie felt like a screensaver, and even for a mermaid movie, some of the character choices were laughably bizzare. I will say that the 2 leads had good chemistry and that Awkwafina was really funny as Scuttle. I also liked the ending as presenting the message of community, but I would've liked it more with less computer work or at least if it was more realistic looking.

I took my two daughters to see this and thought it would be a good forty dollar nap. It was not as bad as I thought it would be and I thought the girl that played Ariel was really good. Surprisingly, Melissa McCarthy was pretty good as Ursula. But, the dude who plays Prince Eric sucked. I mean his acting wasn't bad and he kind of looked like the cartoon guy, but his song hurt, it felt like I was listening to an 8-track of Ben Stein singing the hits of Mariah Carey in my grandfather's old Mercedes. And the bird, I am not sure who thought it was a good idea to have that abomination rap/sing but there have been better rappers in after school specials and D. A. R. E videos. What could have fixed all of this is having the world's greatest thespian play all the roles except Ariel, Ursula, and the Queen, Billy Zane could have single handedly saved the whole movie. I fell asleep right after the whole Ursula on the patio part and didn't wake up until they were getting ready to leave, so I am not sure how it actually ends, but my daughters liked it, so it must be appealing to young girls who think ketchup is a main course.

I saw this movie openining night. I have always loved The Little Mermaid and I was really holding out hopes that this one would surprise me in a good way.

Unfortunately it's as bland and unmagical as the other recent live action remakes. There is no color, no heart, no care in this movie. It's an insult to the original and it does nothing new or fresh to define itself. The things it does try to do new, are at complete odds with its own worldbuilding.

I enjoyed Sebastian and Ursula, but overall I regretted going to see this. I have never walked out of a movie before, but this one tempted me to leave multiple times.

People were checking their phones. Children were talking and wandering around the theatre. What else do you need to know that this movie was downright boring?

There's no excuse for such sloppy movies. And yet here we are, once again, with another boring remake. I honestly never want to watch this movie again. The reviewers aren't being harsh or unfair. This movie was legitimately bad.

Missed the mark in so many ways: It's a children's movie, why are the colors so dark and muted (I did like Ursula's glowing tentacles)? Not saying it had to be bright, bubble gum pop colors but I could barely see what was going on half the time. Just doesn't seem the imagery was made with children in mind.

Why no background vocals? The musical numbers in the original Little Mermaid were FANTASTIC. This time they tuned them way down and took away all the excitement. Hallie sings well, but I still think background vocals would have made all of the songs sound soooo much better.

Loved Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

Since they went out of their way to explain why Eric had parents of two races where was the explanation for why King Tristan had daughters of all races?

It was a decent attempt, but an absolute fail at being anywhere close to as good as the original. Meh.

Controversy aside Halle Bailey was perfect and well cast as Ariel. If nothing else it was important for Halle Bailey nail and embody the character/essence of Ariel and she did just that. With Halle's ethereal beauty ergo Disney princess face and her beautiful siren like voice she is destined for stardom.

The underwater scenes were beautiful and I enjoyed the musical numbers especially "Under The Sea." and of course "Part of Your World", well it is a musical after all.

This was the best animated to live action Disney movie so far. My 8 year old niece really loved this movie of course she is the target audience.

This movie is like a more empty version of the original

Yes it is stunning visually and has good actors and perfect looking for Eric and Ariel but the whole script and idea lacked depth. For a movie so much longer then the original there should have been more in the story not less. Also cgi was kinda bad especially under water for such a rich company and the animals like flounder and sebastian and scuttle looked weird. I did think there were some good added things such as how eric realised her name but they were very minimal.

Ive always been such a big fan of the little mermaid and i think both Eric and Ariel were perfect for the role just the overall creativity and passion was lacking. Remakes are so unnecessary and it would be good to experience the disney magic again with a whole new story and more passion in the project.

The Little Mermaid is like a Disney parade, a Bridgerton Broadway show, a Hallmark movie and an aquarium themed screensaver.

The most shocking in this film is the visual incoherence between the ocean world and the human world. The ocean is all horrible cgi hair and crazy psychedelic colors but it feels like a proper universe. On the other hand the human world is insanely cheap looking, a green screen studio Bridgerton with questionable colonial undertones. The market scene is appalling, so shiny and weirdly modern looking as if you were in a themed tourist trap. The studio lighting makes all the actors look like soap opera extras. I feel so bad for the Eric actor who had to deliver that embarrassing solo that reaches the highest levels of camp. And the edit is so stiff, the acting so stilted it seems the director was inspired by Gone With the Wind.

So sure there are some so-bad-it's-good campy moments like the mermaids group looking like a doll display in a kid's bedroom, or the OTT actress playing human Ursula. But oh boy Javier Bardem looks like an AI gone wrong. His out of the water shots had the whole cinema laughing as you could just imagine him shooting them in a tiny pool trying to look serious with that hobo beard and cheesy shell outfit.

At least Halle/Ariel delivered and Ursula was just what you expected from one of the best Disney villains. I wish the climax was a bit longer because those visuals were stunning.

This new remake won't age well at all as all those unapologetically mediocre cash grabs.

I came out of the theater just thinking, eh. Probably the most boring of all the live action remakes thus far. Felt like the actors were just reading from a script rather than true acting. Eric and King Triton were very poorly done. Mermaids tend to lean on the creepy looking side as opposed to being beautiful creatures. Most scenes were very dark and hard to see what was going on. I'm not a huge fan of all the changes made to the original story, but the most annoying change was scuttle, and the new scuttlebutt song was absolutely horrible. Melissa McCarthy was fantastic as Ursula, but they left out some of the best parts with her character.

They could have done better

Ariel and Eric don't seem to have that good of chemistry, that scene on the carriage ride was no strong looks between then

They changed lyrics of a couple of the songs for pretty much no reason, there wasn't really a reason to change them.

What is going on with Flounder and Scuttle? The animation was just subpar for those two. I know that it's a live action so it's supposed to be more realistic but they did those two a disservice.

Ariel doesn't have the beautiful red hair, how can they call it a 'live action remake' when she doesn't have the red hair?

Vocals were good but come on.