Disney's Live Action The Little Mermaid

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I don't think anyone could have ever predicted what is happening to TLM overseas-at least not until tickets went on sale in China and South Korea. I'd say that one was and always will be an absolute shock-especially South Korea. But it is what it is.

In looking at some of the discussions that have popped up on Reddit (yikes), I’m seeing a wide range of observations, many of which are unfortunate:

• “The movie just sucks” (from people who clearly haven’t seen it)
• Asian audiences prefer lighter skin tones
• Asian viewers are fine with black leads, but Halle Bailey isn’t pretty

#2 might not be a fair generalization for everyone, but I know East Asian skincare & beauty brands play up paleness as a strength, so there’s at least some truth to it.

But #1 and #3 are just sad, and it’s a shame they could be at play in any form.

After watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack, I can 100% believe Halle won out for her voice and acting style. But that’ll never be enough for some.

 

[tcool123]

I don't think anyone could have ever predicted what is happening to TLM overseas-at least not until tickets went on sale in China and South Korea. I'd say that one was and always will be an absolute shock-especially South Korea. But it is what it is.

Perhaps some of the issue stems from 2016's The Mermaid, a Chinese made film that tackles the Little Mermaid mythos alongside holding the title for highest grossing Chinese film of all time for a short stint. Chinese audiences recently got their live-action modern take on mermaid, and many may only know that version. Read through Reddit and some mentioned the disconnect audiences had with the original mermaid, and I have to agree - if your base Little Mermaid as an original Chinese film that's relatively new why bother to rush to the theaters to watch a Disney musical film that seems like a weird take on a film that that made history in your contry?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

In looking at some of the discussions that have popped up on Reddit (yikes), I’m seeing a wide range of observations, many of which are unfortunate:

• “The movie just sucks” (from people who clearly haven’t seen it)
• Asian audiences prefer lighter skin tones
• Asian viewers are fine with black leads, but Halle Bailey isn’t pretty

#2 might not be a fair generalization for everyone, but I know East Asian skincare & beauty brands play up paleness as a strength, so there’s at least some truth to it.

But #1 and #3 are just sad, and it’s a shame they could be at play in any form.

After watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack, I can 100% believe Halle won out for her voice and acting style. But that’ll never be enough for some.

By all accounts, Halle Bailey seems to be the only good thing about the movie, not the only bad thing.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

By all accounts, Halle Bailey seems to be the only good thing about the movie, not the only bad thing.

I found quite a bit to enjoy, but still - Halle is the driving force of why this one's enjoyable, with Ariel and Eric's improved chemistry also up there.

Another big thing I'd add: the soundtrack doesn't suck. In fact, it's extremely listenable, because they went with talent that could actually sing.

All the 'Big Four' Renaissance remakes are comparable in the changes they made: mostly redo the original, cut some elements that are 'offensive' to modern audiences, bloat the film with new songs and exposition of varying quality, make the princess more of a girl boss, etc. Perhaps BatB is the cleanest comparison, with the female leads mostly carrying their movies (aside from one showstopping number that inevitably doesn't translate as well to CGI), but still, I can't see a comparison where this one deserves to lose.

 

[LittleBuford]

Are we moving goalposts?

Everyone told me this was a billion easy.

It’s doing fine domestic the problem is it’s doing HORRIBLE internationally.

It might still make a billion next weekend should tell the story.

I don’t think anyone predicted it would make anywhere near a billion in its opening weekend. That was the figure some (not everyone) estimated as the final gross.

 

[LittleBuford]

I just got back from seeing it. It was thoroughly enjoyable! A few disconnected thoughts:

• Halle is amazing! I’m glad there seems to be consensus on that.
• Jonah makes an excellent Prince Eric, and his chemistry with Halle is a joy to watch. My favourite parts of the movie are those that flesh out the connection between the couple.
• I don’t care what anyone says (I’m looking at you, @Disney Analyst), Flounder is adorable!
• I was less enamoured of the revamped Sebastian and Scuttle, principally because of their voices, which just didn’t work all that well for me. Daveed Diggs was too subdued for my liking, though he grew on me as the film went on, and Awkwafina’s performance, while perfectly OK, felt ill-suited to the character (to my mind, someone like Ellen would have sounded more convincing in the role).
• My thoughts on Awkwafina aside, “The Scuttlebutt” was good fun! I don’t understand why it’s getting so much hate.
• The larger cast of sea creatures were disappointingly silent. Except for the blowfish, the various aquatic musicians whom Sebastian lists in “Under the Sea” were all absent, as were the chorus of singing snails, whose vocals were instead provided (beautifully, I might add) by Halle. Even Flotsam and Jetsam were mute in this version. I’m not sure what would have motivated these changes.
• Despite the concerns that some here expressed, the film didn’t look too dark.
• The edits made to the original lyrics were extremely minor and subtle.
• I cried at the end, though the emotional mood was somewhat comically undercut by the sudden appearance of a very buff merman who looked like he’d wandered off a go-go dancer’s podium.

All in all, I really enjoyed this remake and (returning to an analogy I’ve made before) would compare viewing it to listening to a well-made cover song that, while not superior to the original, has its own merits and appeal. I look forward to rewatching it on Disney+ (something I’ve yet to do in the case of any of the other remakes I’ve seen).

And I’ll conclude by noting that the audience I was part of spontaneously erupted into applause at the end.

 

[Trauma]

I don’t think anyone predicted it would make anywhere near a billion in its opening weekend. That was the figure some (not everyone) estimated as the final gross.

Yes I’m talking total theatrical run not opening weekend.

No movie has ever come close to a Billion opening weekend. I can’t tell if you’re being serious here.

 

[LittleBuford]

Yes I’m talking total theatrical run not opening weekend.

No movie has ever come close to a Billion opening weekend. I can’t tell if you’re being serious here.

You wrote “Are we moving goalposts? Everyone told me this was a billion easy” in response to a post that was talking about opening weekend figures only. That’s what I was responding to.

 

[Trauma]

You wrote “Are we moving goalposts? Everyone told me this was a billion easy” in response to a post that was talking about opening weekend figures only. That’s what I was responding to.

Yes I was assuming that people would figure out that the opening weekend numbers are not good and that makes it less likely to make a Billion during its theatrical run.

It is my fault for not being clear.

Thank you.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I've said from Day 1 that I would post my honest review after seeing it. Just got out a little over 30 minutes ago, here's my honest review. It may be a little lengthy.

To preface: Ariel is my favorite Princess, I am 22 y/o male "Disney Adult"...

Performances/Actors
Halle's performance was INCREDIBLE. She really is the perfect Ariel, she had all the facial expressions and gestures down. I can not think of anyone who could've done this role any more justice.
Jonah Hauer-King, another perfect casting, his and Halle's chemistry was great and Wild Uncharted Waters is one of my favorite things to come out of this new film, he also really captured the "boyish" charm that Eric has in the original.
I thought Melissa McCarthy was good, and I am a fan of her work, but honestly wasn't my favorite in this film, the "chain-smoker" voice she puts on for parts of Poor Unfortunate Souls wasn't really my favorite...
Javier Bardem, to me was pretty lackluster, his performance came off as pretty dull and didn't have the power behind is voice that the original voice actor did.
Daveed Diggs stole the show for me to be honest, his Sebastian was great, and the added one-liners for him really added some comedy to the film.

Additions/Everything Else:
Wild Uncharted Waters is fantastic, I've had it on repeat for days, I think it was a great addition to the film and Jonah's vocal's here are stellar. It adds a lot of depth to the film and to me blends well with Part of Your World. This brings me to another "addition" to the film that I really enjoyed, the nuance they added to Eric & Ariel's relationship is great, I felt it added a little bit more layering to the characters for a live-action film VS the animated counterpart.

Auntie Ursula: It has been pretty much established for a while that Triton & Ursula are siblings, and while I'd like to see more about Ursula and the relationship between them, the film just scratched the surface of their relationship, which felt odd. It was like they wanted more to talk about, but never did.

Scuttlebutt: This is so atrocious and out-of-place, while I appreciate the effort of trying to make it work with this scene, I just don't know how anyone at Disney approved this for this film. On that note, Akwafina was my least favorite part of this film.

The CGI was a little wonky at parts, but for the most part, was pretty good.

Overall, the film captures the charm of the original, while building upon it and creating a story that fits the live-action. I wish they had also led a little more on about Eric's backstory after explaining that he wasn't the Queen's biological son. Under the Sea was one of the most disappointing sequences/scenes for me, compared to the original, aside from that, I felt that the rest of the similar scenes lived up to or were better than the original. The new storyline that expanded the lore between the "Sea Creatures" and the "Human World" was interesting and also added something new that also built on Eric's longing for adventure. Of the live-action films, I think the only one I haven't seen is Aladdin, and I'd probably rank this one in the top 3. While the omitted "Body Language" portion of Poor Unfortunate Souls wasn't noticeable, the changes to Kiss the Girl sound odd and were unnecessary. I personally am giving the film a 8.5/10.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Auntie Ursula: It has been pretty much established for a while that Triton & Ursula are siblings, and while I'd like to see more about Ursula and the relationship between them, the film just scratched the surface of their relationship, which felt odd. It was like they wanted more to talk about, but never did.

Just wait for the prequel.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Just wait for the prequel.

Assuming this does well, I wouldn’t be surprised if It gets a prequel.

 

[Jedijax719]

I would be VERY interested in seeing what the regional numbers are for this movie, especially compared to other live-action remakes.

 

[BuddyThomas]

By all accounts, Halle Bailey seems to be the only good thing about the movie, not the only bad thing.

Incorrect.

 

[Jedijax719]

Weeeelllll.......things didn't pan out so well for the movie. It missed $100 million ($95.5m for the 3-day weekend) and will miss $120 million for the 4-day weekend. Not a bomb, but quite disappointing nonetheless. And it made pocket change overseas.

We're about to hear a lot of gloating here from certain "groups".

 

[Disstevefan1]

Weeeelllll.......things didn't pan out so well for the movie. It missed $100 million ($95.5m for the 3-day weekend) and will miss $120 million for the 4-day weekend. Not a bomb, but quite disappointing nonetheless. And it made pocket change overseas.

We're about to hear a lot of gloating here from certain "groups".

I hope it makes more than it cost to make and market, probably needs to make $400m to not lose money.

 

[LittleBuford]

Weeeelllll.......things didn't pan out so well for the movie. It missed $100 million ($95.5m for the 3-day weekend) and will miss $120 million for the 4-day weekend. Not a bomb, but quite disappointing nonetheless. And it made pocket change overseas.

We're about to hear a lot of gloating here from certain "groups".

Honestly, it’s doing better than I feared. The fact that the response to it has been positive overall is in itself a minor miracle under the circumstances.

 

[LittleBuford]

Weeeelllll.......things didn't pan out so well for the movie. It missed $100 million ($95.5m for the 3-day weekend) and will miss $120 million for the 4-day weekend. Not a bomb, but quite disappointing nonetheless. And it made pocket change overseas.

We're about to hear a lot of gloating here from certain "groups".

Also, most of today’s reporting isn’t spinning the film’s box-office performance as a disappointment. Quite the opposite.

Here’s an example:

‘The Little Mermaid’ Dominates Memorial Day Box Office With $118 Million Debut

At the box office, Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' scored a spectacular $118 million debut while 'About My Father' and 'The Machine' flopped.

variety.com

 

[Chi84]

Weeeelllll.......things didn't pan out so well for the movie. It missed $100 million ($95.5m for the 3-day weekend) and will miss $120 million for the 4-day weekend. Not a bomb, but quite disappointing nonetheless. And it made pocket change overseas.

We're about to hear a lot of gloating here from certain "groups".

Isn’t today day 3? Whose projections are you citing?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Isn’t today day 3? Whose projections are you citing?

Typically analysts are able to project the full weekend numbers by the time Sunday morning rolls around. Sometimes they’re from the studio, that’s what Deadline is indicating.

The numbers may fluctuate slightly, but this should be the ballpark.