The Disney Animation studio is a pioneer when it comes to delivering successful animated films. Especially the decade from 1989 to 1999 was dubbed as Disney Renaissance, due to the release of several record breaking movies.
The Little Mermaid (1989) was a phenomenal success and later movies only strengthened Disney’s winning streak. Some initially didn’t have faith in the female-led big-budget film, like the then-Disney President, Jeffrey Katzenberg. Not only did the film create a lasting impression, but it also went on to inspire a 2023 live-action adaptation centered around controversy.
The movie which changed the animation world
The massive financial failure of The Black Cauldron (1985), an adaptation of Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series, forced Disney to re-evaluate. They had to produce a project which could reinstall people’s faith in the animation studio.
This task of reviving the glory days of the franchise was taken up by another adaptation, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. But at the time no one knew that this movie would go on to become the turning point for the banner.
We weren’t trying to imitate. It was more freeing. We didn’t have past successes, like ‘Is your movie going to be good as The Little Mermaid?’ We hadn’t made it yet.
The film’s director, John Musker spoke to EL PAÍS, about the making of the grand movie. He revealed a surprising fact that not many believed in the vision. The then-president Jeffrey Katzenberg, was super skeptical about the female-led $245 million film.
Movies about girls don’t work.
But these notions didn’t stop Musker, and the movie eventually went on to fill out theatres on its release. The Aladdin director also exposed the inspiration behind the film’s second half which was due to a rather hilarious critique by Katzenberg.
Die Hard had been a box-office hit. So he came into the office saying, ‘We need The Little Mermaid to be more Die Hard. That’s how we got the second action sequence, with an Ursula who is as big as the building in Nakatomi Plaza.
Going through several changes and revamps the film finally made it to the big screens and cemented its name for years to come. Contrary to other’s opinions it became so successful that in 2023 a live-action version of the film was released.
From animated icon to live-action lightning rod
In 2023 Rob Marshall directed a live-action musical based on Disney’s beloved animated film. The Little Mermaid premiered on May 8, 2023, and received a lot of mixed reviews.
The film was not without controversies though, the biggest being the decision to cast Halle Bailey for the role of Ariel. People were upset that the makers chose an African-American actress for a character who was originally Caucasian with red hair.
They think, ‘Well, we could make it better.’ I think there was a question even with The Little Mermaid. They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way.
Musker too spoke about the new movie in the EL PAÍS interview, the filmmaker stated it missed out on an important emotional angle. The animated version held its appeal due to the connection the audience found with the mermaid’s otherwise unrealistic existence. This familial bond was somewhat missing in the newer version.
And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with The Lion King. That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal. That’s what animation does best.
The Moana director even criticized the CGI of the film which many others also found to be lackluster. Some fans agreed that the film could have been better while others found it enjoyable.
Both The Little Mermaid animation and live-action movies are currently available to watch on Disney+.
