Content warning: This story contains spoilers for The Little Mermaid (2023)

Disney has recently developed a reputation of recreating their old movies, and The Little Mermaid became the latest participant in this trend. Still, the live-action The Little Mermaid really drew me in with colorful visuals and amazing songs. I heavily recommend it, being that it did justice to the animated version while still being its own.

Halle Bailey, the actress that played Ariel, was phenomenal. Her voice is one of the prettiest I have ever heard. Her singing in “Part of Your World” was so gorgeous to watch, and her voice fits it so well. She was perfect for the role and beautifully captured Ariel’s curious nature. I don’t think anyone could play Ariel better. 

Melissa McCarthy as Ursula was also a perfect fit. Her voice was strong enough to tackle “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and it literally left the audience speechless. Even if you aren’t going to watch the movie, you should listen to her version of the song on Youtube, because it is awe-striking. Her singing is so powerful, and the song left me with goosebumps.

My favorite part of the movie was “Under the Sea,” sung by Sebastian, played by Daveed Diggs. Although the singing was great, the best part of this scene was the visuals. The colorful array of fish spinning across the screen drew the eye in. So much was happening, and yet at the same time, it wasn’t overwhelming, just exciting. 

The writers added a few new songs to the film, the most notable one being “Wild Uncharted Waters” which Jonah Hauer-King’s character, Prince Eric, sings. The new song is pretty good. I personally liked it, but it was pretty short. I wish it was longer because I really enjoyed the song. That said, it was still really good because of Hauer-King’s amazing voice.

Every movie has its flaws, though, and for this movie, the biggest flaw was in some CGI scenes and the ending length. In the end, Ursula became huge like in the 1989 version. This was horrifying to watch as a child, but it didn’t translate well in the live-action movie. Ursula just looked awkward and weird, she kind of looked like a huge clay statue. Also, some of the underwater scenes looked scary, kind of like deep fake. 

This and the ending being dragged out didn’t ruin the movie for me, though, they’re just a few flaws I noticed. All of the actors did amazing, and the singing and acting was the best part of the movie by far.

I highly recommend this movie, especially to Disney or musical fans and people who love fantasy or romance movies. Though it gets slow towards the end, it is still an exciting, entertaining movie that really draws the eye in. In the end, I give it a 8.5/10.