Amazing.

That’s it. That’s the review.

But seriously, everyone knows the live action Disney adaptations are either hit or miss, and this was definitely a hit. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the general story of the Little Mermaid.

Ariel sees human, falls in love, trades voice for legs, and eventually lives happily ever after.

The live action version follows this basic outline, but expanded on the characters actions. Ariel is just as interested in the human world as before, and her grotto proves it. It’s filled to the brim with anything she could find from shipwrecks. It’s also an interesting addition that King Triton forbid anyone from going to the surface so Ariel has never actually gone to the surface. This gives her a more understandable reaction in regard to her awe and wonder at the ship, and at fireworks. And her reaction to seeing humans is amazement, and her first reaction to Eric was just that too. It was only after she heard his conversation with Grimsby about his love of adventure and wanting more that she feel in love.

Eric has more of a personality in this one. We get more about his aspirations. And the inclusion of his adopted mother was a great touch. It gave less of a demand for him to get married immediately, and instead, allowed for him to be the young adult that he actually is. He just wanted to explore and learn about the world, while making sure his kingdom didn’t get left behind as the world moved forward. Eric is the more desperate of the two characters as well. He stares at the ocean, pining over the girl with the voice, and he has a great song that was added as well. The actor has a great voice. But it’s the fact that Disney has started giving the male leads their own “I want song” that really makes it great. It’s similar to the song given to Eric in the Broadway version. This song gave me “Agony” vibes from Into the Woods. A man singing about his pain and what he wants. I demand more of these songs from Disney movies.

Ursula was marvelous, as always. Melissa Mccarthy killed in that role, and she brought the dangerous elegance that the original had. And then some. Melissa was having the time of her life in every scene and it showed. She was menacing but also charismatic. And I like how the movie gave a little more background, with her actually being Triton’s sister. It explains why she is so bent on revenge.

Ariel’s sisters were changed to various ethnicities, and they actually had control over different parts of the seas too. There was still a gap between Ariel and her sisters, but this made sense considering she’s the youngest and the older sisters were off working. Triton was similar to the animated movie, with him being overprotective and overbearing. Destroying the grotto still hurt my soul and it completely makes sense why Ariel would run off to Ursula afterwards.

Sebastian and Flounder are the same as before, though the design of both took some getting used to. Scuttle is amazing. The casting was brilliant and I loved Scuttle so much more in this than in the original. She had great lines, and the added song, the Scuttlebutt, was hilarious. And having Sebastian join in, perfect.

The relationship between Ariel and Eric was fleshed out more. The bonding moment between them after Ariel discovered Eric’s own “grotto” was so cute. Eric was so excited to find someone who also liked all the things he had collected. And their adventure through Eric’s kingdom allowed Ariel to interact with more people and for Eric to see her in a different light. It was just so nice to see.

The Kiss the Girl scene was so fun to watch, especially because Ariel actually wasn’t allowed to see what was happening. Ursula made it part of her spell that Ariel wouldn’t remember that she had to kiss Eric within three days so Sebestian and Scuttle had to be even sneakier. And the way Eric figured out Ariel’s name was such a fun little moment.

Also notable was Ariel actually being the person to defeat Ursula, both times. Ariel fought Ursula in disguise for the seashell necklace instead of Scuttle getting it. And Ariel was the one who directed the ship to hit giant Ursula instead of Eric. Eric was just holding on for his life while Ariel did the hard work.

Other notes:

• Ariel interacting with Max first after Triton turned her human instead of Eric was so funny.
• Ariel singing after she lost her voice was a great way to give us insight into her thoughts.
• I loved the changes in Under the Sea and Part of Your World.
• The ocean waves in the beginning of the movie were so soothing.
• Grimsby was such a shipper of Ariel and Eric. He hid the ring Eric was going to give to Ursula during the chaos.
• I would have loved to have the sisters sing in this version too.
• Triton was electrocuted instead of being turned into a polyps, and he actually died. That’s a lot for a kid’s movie. He did come back to life though.

Overall, this was an amazing movie. The casting was perfect and the music was great. I recommend it and it sure lived up to the hype.