I recently saw The Little Mermaid (live-action), which was fun. The movie had fantastic visual effects, including the musical sequences.
The musical sequences were fantastic. The live-action versions of them have a dynamic spin on them. The visual effects are impressive in each one, with incredible detail and colours. Here are some of my favourite musical numbers from the movie. The live-action version of Part of Your World has fantastic camera movements, including amazing high-angle shots. The Under The Sea sequence was fun, especially with the little sea creatures and plants dancing. The colours were vibrant, complementing the visual effects.
When I saw Melissa McCarthy’s performance of Poor Unfortunate Souls in the movie, it was impressive. The detailing of Ursula’s tentacles and the sea cave is intricate, especially the nautilus shell around her neck.
The musical sequence of Kiss the Girl was another moment with excellent detailing in terms of the visual effects, like the batting of wings, the fireflies, and the willow trees. The clip with the electric eels hitting the paddle boat, causing it to flip over, was another exciting touch to the story.
There were musical numbers not in the cartoon edition of The Little Mermaid, which gave new character perspectives. The first example is the piece Unchartered Waters, performed by Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). It adds another layer to the movie: Eric’s thoughts about going out to see and his instant feelings for Ariel (Halle Bailey). Another song that wasn’t in the cartoon version was For the First Time. It’s about Ariel’s human experience and learning to walk with legs. Hearing her thoughts throughout this musical bit gave listeners a new insight into her experience. Scuttlebutt was a funny and intelligent musical number with the fun duet of Scuttle & Sebastian discussing getting Ariel and Prince Eric to kiss. It was an extra fun detail. These examples represent the extra depth added to the live-action movie.
Although some of the musical numbers from the cartoon version weren’t in the live-action film, it didn’t take away from the story (i.e. Les Poissons). The modifications were suitable for the live-action movie.
The movie ended with a reprise of Under the Sea at the beginning of the credits, which ended on a fun note.
The score throughout the film was fantastic. The first example is when Ariel enters the prince’s study, looking around his collection of treasures from various voyages. Another fun score moment is when Ariel & Prince Eric ride the carriage together, including near-crashes. Afterward, they went to the market near the beach with an incredible musical score. The boldest moment is when Ursula takes power, where the score has intensity to represent the dark moments in the film. The most touching example of a great film score is when Ariel meets Eric again with the music of the song Unchartered Waters.
The live-action version of The Little Mermaid was exciting to watch. It reminded me of when I saw the cartoon version as a kid – it brought back memories.
