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Movie Review: Disenchantment under the sea in live-action 91ƵThe Little Mermaid91Ƶ

It91Ƶs not Rob Marshall91Ƶs fault that Disney91Ƶs latest live-action retread doesn91Ƶt really sing. 91ƵThe Little Mermaid,91Ƶ a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence, suffers from the same fundamental issues that plagued 91ƵThe Lion King,91Ƶ 91ƵAladdin91Ƶ and 91ƵBeauty and the Beast.

It91Ƶs not Rob Marshall91Ƶs fault that Disney91Ƶs latest live-action retread doesn91Ƶt really sing. 91ƵThe Little Mermaid,91Ƶ a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence, suffers from the same fundamental issues that plagued 91ƵThe Lion King,91Ƶ 91ƵAladdin91Ƶ and 91ƵBeauty and the Beast.91Ƶ Halle Bailey might be a lovely presence and possesses a superb voice that is distinctly different from Jodi Benson91Ƶs, but photorealistic fins, animals and environments do not make Disney fairy tales more enchanting on their own.

The essential problem is that the live-action films have prioritized nostalgia and familiarity over compelling visual storytelling. They try to recreate beats and shots from their animated predecessors, defiantly ignoring the possibility that certain musical sequences and choices were enchanting and vibrant because they were animated, not in spite of it.

There was, in the 1989 film, a sparkling awe to everything. The underwater castle. The mermaids. Eric91Ƶs ship. Even Ariel91Ƶs bright red hair. Combined with the wonderful songs and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, it91Ƶs not hard to understand why it helped fuel a Disney Animation renaissance.

Anyone who has gone through the recent Disney91Ƶs live-action library would be right to approach 91ƵThe Little Mermaid91Ƶ with caution. Still, there91Ƶs excitement as the camera takes us underwater to give us our first glimpse of the mermaids 91Ƶ even after a somewhat ominous quote from Hans Christian Anderson that begins the movie (91ƵBut a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers much more91Ƶ). You can91Ƶt help but be hopeful. But the first mermaid that comes into focus doesn91Ƶt so much evoke wonder as it does a flashback of Ben Stiller91Ƶs merman in 91ƵZoolander.91Ƶ The technology is better, sure, but the result is about the same. Worse, as we spend more time with them, following Ariel91Ƶs multicultural sisters as they gather around their father King Triton (Javier Bardem), it91Ƶs hard to shake a distinctly uncanny valley feeling. It91Ƶs like gazing in on roundtable of AI supermodels with fins.

For all its pizazz, everything about this 91ƵLittle Mermaid91Ƶ is just more muted. Miranda91Ƶs new songs are odd, too, and don91Ƶt seem to fit. Prince Eric91Ƶs (Jonah Hauer-King) makes sense, maybe even Ariel91Ƶs in-her-head anthem after she gives her voice to Melissa McCarthy91Ƶs Ursula, but did Scuttle really need a song, too?

Speaking of Scuttle, the cute cartoons that stood in for Ariel91Ƶs seagull, crab and fish friends have been replaced with horrifyingly accurate depictions of said animals. Awkwafina91Ƶs comedy charms can only go so far while looking like an actual seagull who might be after your chips at the beach. Close-ups of its beady blue eyes are unsettling, though it was probably a good call to go blue over gold, which looks a bit demonic even in the cartoon. Sometimes it seems as though the editor is trying to minimize the unpleasantness by quickly cutting away from Scuttle. Flounder (Jacob Tremblay, who also voiced Luca) doesn91Ƶt have this problem as much, mainly because once they go out of the water he91Ƶs essentially hidden under the surface. Daveed Digg91Ƶs Sebastian gets off easy, looking the most pleasantly cartoonish. But then there91Ƶs that Jamaican accent that they decided to carry over (and this in a movie that adds a line about consent to 91ƵKiss the Girl91Ƶ).

Visibility is a problem for more than just Flounder, too. Sometimes 91ƵThe Little Mermaid91Ƶs91Ƶ underwater sequences just look too underwater. Things are cloudy and dull and hard to see, once again probably in the name of authenticity, but straining to see what Marshall and the scores of VFX teams have labored on for years is not a pleasant experience. This could be a projection issue 91Ƶ I wasn91Ƶt in an especially high-tech theater with color enhancing upgrades. But that also means anyone without access to things like Dolby Vision around the world will have this issue, too. When Sebastian brings out the most colorful fish he can find for the 91ƵUnder the Sea91Ƶ number, you even start to empathize with Ariel a little bit. It is the exact opposite of the 91Ƶ Avatar: The Way of Water 91Ƶ experience.

91ƵThe Little Mermaid,91Ƶ a Walt Disney Co. release in theaters Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for 91Ƶaction/peril, some scary images.91Ƶ Running time: 135 minutes. Two stars out of four.

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MPA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.

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