The Little Mermaid is the latest Disney live-action remake to swim into cinemas, and we now have the first reactions to see if it's been worth another trip under the sea.
As in the Disney animated classic, the movie follows spirited young mermaid Ariel (Halle Bailey) who longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and during a visit to the surface, she ends up falling for Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King).
Mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, but Ariel follows her heart and makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to give her a chance to experience life on land like a human.
Those lucky few to have already experienced the new version of The Little Mermaid have now taken to social media to share their first reactions to the remake. Has it been worthwhile?
"Disney's #TheLittleMermaid is definitely one of the better live-action adaptions," Erik Davis tweeted. "Halle Bailey pours incredible emotion into Ariel and I got chills watching her, while Melissa McCarthy's Ursula and Daveed Diggs’ Sebastian steal scenes all day."
Zoë Rose Bryant also shared high praise for the cast of the live-action remake, insisting the film "retains the heart and soul of the story we know and love", adding: "It's elevated even further by a note-perfect star-making performance from Halle Bailey - she was born to be on the big screen, & she's why this new take is worth watching."
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While several critics note the movie has some flaws, most seem to agree Bailey is a great fit for the role of Ariel.
The Little Mermaid also stars Javier Bardem as King Triton and Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina (a new character for the remake), while Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina and Daveed Diggs voice Flounder, Scuttle and Sebastian, respectively.
Bridgerton's Simone Ashley plays Indira, one of Ariela's six Mer-Sisters alongside Kajsa Mohammar (Karina), Nathalie Sorrell (Caspia), Karolina Conchet (Mala), Lorena Andrea (Perla) and Sienna King (Tameka).
Last month, it was confirmed that The Little Mermaid is the longest Disney live-action remake to date at two hours and 15 minutes long, while it was also revealed that the movie has updated certain lyrics in classic songs.
"There are some lyric changes in 'Kiss the Girl' because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel]," composer Alan Menken explained.
The Little Mermaid is released in cinemas on May 26.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
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Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
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