However, her father Triton (Javier Bardem) has strictly forbidden his daughters to communicate with people in any way, because once upon a time, it was because of them that Ariel’s mother died. But when Ariel rescues a prince (Jonah Hauer-King) during a shipwreck, it is only a matter of time before the girl’s full immersion in the world on the surface becomes a matter of time. And the evil witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) wants to take advantage of this.

Almost all remakes of Disney cartoons are criticized for trying to follow the original sources too closely, while pushing too hard for realism. As a result, the charm of the original is destroyed, because no live-action film can reproduce the expression of animation or even come close to it. In this case, you need to look for your own approaches. A good example here is Cruella with its cynicism and focus on the fashion world.

“The Little Mermaid”, released in 2023, does not try to add something to the original story. The plot here is as simple as possible, and the authors seemed to hope that the audience would be familiar with at least some version of the Ariel story before going to the cinema. Because of this, some moments in the script are omitted, and the pace of the narrative itself feels rushed and confusing.

On the other hand, the movie has an eye-catching visuals. The local underwater beauty is captivating, and the flora and fauna combine both realistic and fantastical elements. This is especially evident in the fish Flounder and the crab Sebastian. They look comical on advertising campaigns, but in real life they look quite confident.

It may seem that this is how the film crew conveys the realistic aspect of underwater life. But this is exactly the situation when realism could be sacrificed for the sake of a colorful picture. After all, this is what cinema is all about. In addition, there are several “bright” scenes in The Little Mermaid, and they turned out to be unashamedly enchanting.

Holly Bailey’s acting, which was the topic of so many criticisms even before the film’s premiere, also raises no questions. Yes, it’s not something remarkable, but the girl managed to perfectly portray the image of an underwater creature who is learning the wonders of the world for the first time. The rest of the actors are also good, especially Melissa McCarthy. Perhaps Javier Bardem is not given much of a chance to show his potential.

And what is The Little Mermaid without songs, right? The movie features all of the iconic songs from the original, except in different musical arrangements and, obviously, with different voices. There are no complaints about them at all. Probably because Alan Menken, the composer of the original cartoon, worked on the songs. So, the local version of Under the Sea will surely be stuck in your head for at least a few days after watching it.