Why the amazing live-action Little Mermaid is one of the best Disney movies in recent memory

The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is as good as anything the studio has released in recent years. Here’s why.

Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid (PG)

Director: Rob Marshall (Chicago)

Starring: Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Jonah Hauer-King

****

It all goes to water immediately, but never dampens the spirit

Disney’s decade-long initiative to duplicate its rich animation back-catalogue in the live-action realm has not been everyone’s cup of tea.

Flesh-and-blood renderings of classic cartoons such as The Lion King and Dumbo have divided as many fans as they have delighted.

So it is a pleasure to report that the latest of these rewrapped presents to roll off the assembly line is a distinct delight to unbox and explore.

To put it simply, The Little Mermaid is as fine a movie to emerge from the Disney studios as any in recent memory.

While the new version holds up quite impressively when compared to the original, it is through the eyes and in the minds of younger movie goers that The Little Mermaid will make a lasting, loving impression.

What this newbie generation of viewers will cherish above all else is the sheer casting perfection of screen newcomer Halle Bailey as the one and only Ariel.

Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid.

Not only does Bailey embody that irresistible blend of independence and innocence that has already made Ariel an icon for millions of children in the past, she also sings the hell out of Ariel’s collection of solo numbers as if her life depended on it.

Just wrap your ears around Bailey’s showstopping, heart-starting rendition of Part of Your World and challenge yourself not to be moved, inspired and uplifted by it. You will not be winning that challenge.

Story-wise, the new Little Mermaid gives the foundation tale a moderately expansive, but respectful renovation (a decision which, along with a few new compositions on the soundtrack, adds nearly an hour of running time above the original version).

The important plot points remain unchanged. They all revolve around the inquisitive marine teen Ariel, and her ongoing interest in all things human that gets on the nerves of her doting dad Triton (Javier Bardem).

Ariel’s daring rescue of a regally bred shipwreck survivor named Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) sparks a mutual love and longing destined to go unrequited.

That is until Triton’s evil sister Ursula (a wonderful Melissa McCarthy) offers Ariel a three-day deal to leave her underwater kingdom for dry land to see if she and Eric have a future together.

If they don’t, Ariel’s return home will be highly problematic. Possibly even doomed. Not just for herself, but her father, sisters and many sea-creature friends as well.

The generous pacing of The Little Mermaid allows this experience to go along with a gentle, unhurried flow that its young target audience will find utterly captivating.

While not all of the new songs warrant their inclusion here – and the underwater sequences look a little wonky in the wake of the game-changing fluidity of Avatar 2 – the bulk of the movie is a gift that keeps giving as generously as it can throughout.

The Little Mermaid is in cinemas now

Maybe I Do (M)

General release

**

Richard Gere, Diane Keaton, William H. Macy and Susan Sarandon make Maybe I Do better than it has any right to be.

Your only reason to catch this mood-swinging mishmash of rom-com and late-life-crisis cliches is the collection of four well-known names at the top of the cast list. You might have seen Richard Gere, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy in many other better movies than this, but you will remain grateful they do their darnedest to make this corny claptrap seem much more entertaining than it truly is.

The premise pivots on one single coincidence linking two adulterous couples, one of which (Sarandon and Gere) is acrimoniously coming to the end of their affair, while the other (Keaton and Macy) is tentatively starting out.

If you can’t spot that twist – which involves a possible forthcoming wedding between young lovers with commitment issues (Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey) – then it is more than likely you may not have seen a movie in the last 30 years or so. If that is indeed the case, you might just have a wild, uproarious time here.

Renfield (MA15+)

General release

***

Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) in Renfield, directed by Chris McKay.

Anyone who likes their vampire movies a little fresher, freakier and funnier than usual should get along to Renfield while they have the chance.

This angular pass across the Dracula legend explores ongoing workplace tensions in the present day between Count Drac himself (a consummately unhinged and genuinely evil Nicolas Cage) and his long-suffering second-in-command Renfield (Nicholas Hoult).

While a clash with a dangerous crime cartel and the intercession of an incredulous, yet intrigued cop (Awkwafina) does come into play, it is the unpredictable nature of the relationship between the Count (an immortal understandably set in his ways) and his assistant (exasperated by the never-ending neck-nibbling of his boss) that dominates and delivers here.

Originally published as Why the amazing live-action Little Mermaid is one of the best Disney movies in recent memory