‘The Little Mermaid’: 13 Differences Between the Original and Remake

This article incorporates spoilers concerning the live-action model of “The Little Mermaid.”

Ariel, poor woman, already had no voice — and that was earlier than the sea-witch added selective amnesia to the combination.

It’s one in all greater than a dozen adjustments to the basic 1989 Disney animated movie made for the brand new live-action adaptation, which is nearly an hour longer. Among them: new songs; up to date lyrics to “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”; and a character for Prince Eric.

Here are 13 methods the remake, directed by Rob Marshall, differs from the unique.

1. Ariel has locs.

Halle Bailey, whose casting as Ariel led to a racist backlash, and the crew knew that death-by-flat-iron to recreate Ariel’s flowing mane of straight crimson hair was not the best way to go. Instead, Bailey sported her pure locs, which have been wrapped with strands of crimson hair.

“As Black women our crowns are so special to us,” Bailey, who has worn locs since she was 5, informed The New York Times. “Our hair is important to us in every single way, so I was really grateful that I was allowed to keep that essence of me.”

2. Flounder seems like … a fish.

When audiences acquired their first take a look at live-action Flounder within the trailer, there was a consensus: too actual. “Before and after ozempic,” The Atlantic’s Sophie Gilbert tweeted with pictures of Ariel’s anxious sidekick wanting plump and colourful then and flat and scaly now.

3. Prince Eric is a perk, not the prize.

For Bailey’s Ariel, it’s the human world that piques her curiosity, not simply the good-looking prince (performed by Jonah Hauer-King). Instead of giving up every little thing for him, Bailey informed The Face, “it’s more about Ariel finding freedom for herself because of this world that she’s obsessed with.”

4. The prince is greater than only a fairly face.

Now he has a again story, too. “In the animated film — I’m sure the original creators would agree with this — it’s a wooden, classic prince character with not a lot going on,” Marshall informed Entertainment Weekly. Now Eric’s trajectory is much like Ariel’s. “He doesn’t feel like it’s where he fits in, his world,” Marshall mentioned.

5. Meet Prince Eric’s mom.

Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni) isn’t keen on the underwater realm and doesn’t perceive her son’s obsession with oceanic exploration. The remake makes use of the added time to discover the divide between mermaids and people.

6. You would possibly sympathize with King Triton.

The overprotective ruler of the seas (Javier Bardem) additionally will get a extra nuanced narrative, targeted on why he hates people a lot. (His spouse, Ariel’s mom, was killed by people, a again story that followers of the prequel and TV collection might know however that isn’t within the authentic.)

7. Ariel and Eric share precise pursuits.

Though their courtship nonetheless takes place in a blink-and-you-miss-it three days, the additional run time means they’ll do issues aside from make goo-goo eyes at one another, like poring over artifacts in his research and visiting a market.

8. At instances, you’ll really feel such as you’re watching “Hamilton.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda — the “Hamilton” creator who’s additionally an enormous “Little Mermaid” fan — collaborated with the animated movie’s composer, Alan Menken, on three new songs. (The authentic lyricist, Howard Ashman, died in 1991.)

The new tunes are: “The Scuttlebutt,” a really Miranda-esque rap carried out by Scuttle (Awkwafina) and Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) when they’re making an attempt to determine whom Prince Eric will marry; a quintessentially Menken ballad for Prince Eric, “Wild Uncharted Waters”; and a Latin-infused quantity for Ariel, “For the First Time,” when she will get her legs.

9. Two beloved tunes sport up to date lyrics.

While “Kiss the Girl” initially instructed Eric just do that with out asking Ariel first (“It don’t take a word, not a single word/Go on and kiss the girl”), Sebastian now advises him to “use your words, boy, and ask her.” Menken informed Vanity Fair they wished to keep away from suggesting the prince “would, in any way, force himself” on Ariel.

And in “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” whereas Ursula initially informs Ariel that “on land it’s much preferred/for ladies not to say a word” and that “it’s she who holds her tongue who gets a man,” the brand new model, sung by Melissa McCarthy, drops that verse fully. (Because, Menken informed Vanity Fair, some strains “might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel.”)

10. “Les Poissons” is Les Poi-gone.

As is Chef Louis, the French-accented prepare dinner who’s out to serve up Sebastian.

11. Ariel has selective amnesia concerning a sure kiss.

Because merely dropping her voice would have been too straightforward. Ursula’s spell now makes Ariel neglect she should get Eric to kiss her.

12. Get able to be Team Grimsby.

You might need forgotten he was even within the authentic, however Art Malik’s efficiency because the prince’s confidant could have you waving the Grimsby flag. He does every little thing he can to assist Ariel and Eric get collectively.

13. Ariel, not Eric, kills the sea-witch.

That’s proper: In 2023, girls impale their very own monsters.