Rating: G
Run Time: 83 Minutes (Wikipedia)
Summary(Wikipedia.com)
The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!, or simply The Little Mermaid Live! is a musical television special created for ABC, based on the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. It is produced by Done and Dusted and directed by Hamish Hamilton, who also executive produced alongside Katy Mullan, David Jammy, Raj Kapoor, Ian Stewart, and Richard Kraft, with the original voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, introducing the special.
Auliʻi Cravalho stars as Princess Ariel, alongside Queen Latifah, Shaggy, John Stamos, Amber Riley and Graham Phillips. The hybrid format special was performed in front of a live audience on the Disney lot, where the film was projected on a giant projection surface and interwoven with live musical performances of songs from the film and the Broadway stage version.
My Review:
There’s been a lot of attention on the latest Little Mermaid adaptations, primarily the newest film featuring Halle Bailey. While you wait for the upcoming version, I suggest checking this one out, especially since it brought a lot of life and color to the music! Although the set and costume design were phenomenal, I wasn’t too impressed with the amount of movie clips used.
The Positives: Life is the Bubbles!
First, the set design was incredible! The production opens with Prince Eric’s iconic ship, and Graham Phillips, who played Eric, was charismatic and charming! I also appreciate how portions of the movie were used as transitions for the next musical number. Now for my favorite: the mermaids! They were stunning and diverse but looked like one
cohesive family. There was even merfolk swimming above the stage!
Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the newest Disney film, played Ariel! She really captured the spirit and defiance of the young princess. Plus, her voice was phenomenal!
Among other awesome casting choices included Shaggy who played Sebastian. “Under The Sea” had a refreshing Caribbean vibe with the classic characters such as the black fish and bass. Queen Latifah also excelled in her role as Ursula. She captured the skin-crawling creepiness of Ursula with her own spin. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” had awesome special effects that brought my favorite part of the movie to life. “Kiss the girl” was also great! The boat floated around the crowd, which really helped the viewer immerse themselves in this tense romantic moment.
Even with its flare and phenomenal acting, there was still something missing from this production.
The Negatives: Poor Unfortunate Shortcuts!
The primary problem with this production was the amount of movie clips used. None of the scenes from the movie were acted out. Instead, this was a live production of the songs. The first scene where Ariel and Eric met was a movie clip, and Sebastian was missing from “Les Poisson”! The entire ending was straight from the movie with no scenes acted out. I especially wanted to see more scenes between Eric and Ariel since they had such amazing chemistry. Even the transformation scene where Ariel signs her soul away was a movie clip, and there was so much potential for a cool costume change.
Final Thoughts:
This was a great rendition of The Little Mermaid, especially if you enjoy the fresh Caribbean music! However, don’t expect your favorite scenes to be acted out. I give this production 3.5 stars.
Sirenita The Selkie