The Little Mermaid 2023

Movie · 135 min · English · May 8, 2023

Coming-of-age Romantic fantasy Romantic musical

Directed by Rob MarshallWritten by David Magee

Starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Jessica Alexander, Javier Bardem

A 2023 American musical fantasy film, The Little Mermaid represents a live-action version of Disney’s 1989 animated movie, which was inspired by the 1837 fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen. The project was directed by Rob Marshall and written by David Magee. Halle Bailey portrays the main character, Ariel, while Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy appear in supporting roles. The plot centers on the mermaid princess Ariel who becomes curious about the human world; following her rescue of Prince Eric from a shipwreck, she strikes an agreement with sea witch Ursula to walk on land.

Initial plans for a remake were confirmed during May 2016. In December 2017, Disney revealed that Marshall was being considered for the director role. Later that year, Bailey, Hauer-King, McCarthy, Bardem, Diggs, Tremblay, Awkwafina, and other actors joined the cast between July and November 2019. Principal photography had been scheduled to start in London early in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Actual filming occurred from January through July 2021, mainly at Pinewood Studios in England and on Sardinia island. Composer Alan Menken returned to enhance the soundtrack and compose new tracks together with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also acts as a producer alongside Marc Platt, John DeLuca, and Marshall. The film pays tribute to Howard Ashman, who helped produce and write songs for the original version.

The movie debuted at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023 and opened in U.S. theaters on May 26 under Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Critics gave it a mixed reception, yet it earned over $569 million globally, with $298 million coming from North America. With a production cost of $240.2 million, the film ranks as Disney’s twenty-third most expensive movie ever made.