Halle Bailey Is The Perfect Ariel In The Little Mermaid, But How’s The Rest Of The Film?

We’re going back under the sea!

Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid was released in 1989 with the legendary Jodi Benson voicing the iconic character of Ariel, a young mermaid fascinated by the world on land. Now 34 years later, Benson passes the baton onto singer and actress Halle Bailey.

Following in the footsteps of Brandy in Cinderella, Bailey is the first Black actress to take on the role of Ariel in a portrayal that is guaranteed to inspire Black women and women of color, both young and old, with this important representation. On top of that, Halle Bailey was born to play Ariel! Her “Part Of Your World” is a true revelation. In the original film, Ariel only has that one song, so it was exciting that they took advantage of Bailey’s voice by adding in more internal dialogue songs for her.

One of the issues I’ve had with some of the past live-action Disney adaptations is that often times they are shot for shot remakes that feel unnecessary, but loved that this film brought in new elements that really added to the story. Not only does Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, get his own song, but he gets a lot more depth added to him as a character. Both Ariel and Eric are adventurers and collectors and have a lot in common that they bond over. Thanks to that, you really see this nice friendship blossom into romance in a sweet way.

In the new additions, they also try to debunk some things from the original animated movie and add some new lore around the deal Ariel makes with Ursula so it’s not as easy as it seems for Ariel to achieve her goal. They really worked hard to address plot holes that I think only fans who are really deep diving into theories will find necessary, but ultimately the new lore and plot lines take the story to the next level.

Getting into some of our friends under the sea… while I initially worried Daveed Diggs’ accent as Sebastian may be too cartoony, he proved himself in the end and had some of the funniest lines in the film. It was also exciting to see another collaboration between him and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who added some new lyrics and songs to the film, after the phenomenon success of Hamilton. Awkwafina will be polarizing for some as Scuttle, meanwhile Jacob Tremblay is perfect in the voice of Flounder despite not getting enough screen time. Melissa McCarthy is impressive as Ursula, the sea witch, with a performance that is wild, maniacal, and oh so much fun, while Jessica Alexander is pitch perfect as her sinister alterego Vanessa.

Javier Bardem is one of the weaker links in the film as King Triton, which is disappointing because he has a bigger emotional arc as an overprotective father who hates humans. There’s a scene at the end of the film that particularly felt too cheesy. They also introduce Ariel’s sisters through a collection of diverse actresses that I wish they took more advantage of. It would’ve been great to see a song between them.

When it comes to the music, I will admit I wasn’t blown away by any of the original songs while watching in the theater. After listening to the soundtrack at home, I do appreciate them more, especially Ariel’s new song “For The First Time.” Eric gets his own original song called “Wild Uncharted Waters” that gives off “Bet On It” from High School Musical 2 vibes and there’s a rap for Scuttle and Sebastian called “The Scuttlebutt” that will be an acquired taste but is very Lin-Manuel Miranda. When it comes to the original songs, “Part Of Your World” is a masterpiece, while “Under The Sea” is missing some of the fun by taking away the instruments from the fish. “Kiss The Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” also feature some minor lyric changes. Fans will most likely feel mixed about the new soundtrack.

Another place where the film is mixed is in the CGI. There are some moments where it’s really magical and others where it looks too dark or cringey. Speaking of dark, this film also has some scarier moments compared to the original film. While I liked the ultimate messages of not giving up your voice and finding that power within, I do think the last act got too cheesy.

All in all, Halle Bailey makes this film as Ariel and I love the new additions to the story that let her and Eric form a real connection. They changed enough that there were even some points where I wasn’t sure where the story would end up going, which is cool that they were able to add suspense to a classic story we all know and love.

The Little Mermaid hits theaters on April 26.