This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The Little Mermaid is visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall’s live-action reimagining of Disney’s beloved animated musical classic, the story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy. “The Little Mermaid” is directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay by David Magee, and is produced by Marc Platt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John DeLuca and Rob Marshall.
For in-depth thoughts on The Little Mermaid (2023), please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Little Mermaid offers a gorgeous uptick in quality over the already fetching accompanying Blu-Ray, offering a visual spectacle that is unlikely to displease anyone. The increased range of the color spectrum is quite a sight to behold. The HDR enriches the colors from already impressive to out of this (underwater) world when it comes to vibrancy. From beginning to end, you are thrust into this world of bold and radiant colors both under the sea and on land in the costumes and production design which really blows you away. Even the murky presence of Ursula’s lair has a more nuanced look when it comes to the shadows.
The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Elements in the film taking place in the cover of darkness are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. Skin tones appear to be a touch more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent. The CGI throughout the film is rendered fairly seamlessly with only a few moments that are not quite convincing, but this is inherent to the source. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is quite a looker, but Disney has delivered another knockout transfer on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a fantastic Dolby Atmos presentation which brings as much life to this picture as you would hope. Dialogue is presented crisp and clear without ever being overshadowed by any of the numerous competing sonic elements. The sounds of the underwater lifestyle and scenes of confrontation provide an all-encompassing soundscape that kicks in throughout all the speakers. The low end is engaged in a really formidable way when Ursula gets nasty near the end. While not a traditional action film, the soundscape delivers an expansive experience suitable for bringing this world to life.
Sounds are precisely rendered with considerate directionality from the more lively scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. Ambient details are plentiful and quite satisfying in the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels complement the other channels rather than carry the main load, which opens up the sense of space in the mix. The songs are a very important part of the film’s identity, and they envelope the room like a warm hug. Disney will not leave anyone feeling disappointed after hearing this experience. There are optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Hotter Under The Water: A pretty decent five-part, 26-minute documentary in which the cast and creative team discuss the daunting challenge of adapting the story for a live-action movie, finding the right cast members for these roles, creating the underwater kingdom, the elaborate production design of the world on land, and the creation of new songs for the feature.
- A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue (2:30)
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- I Know Something’s Starting Right Now (3:05)
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- Down Where It’s Wetter (7:12)
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- Explore That Shore Up Above (6:09)
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- Do What The Music Say (7:20)
- Song Breakdowns: There are explorations of four of the biggest songs in the film in which the cast and creative team discuss the function of the new song, the challenges of interpreting the classic songs for a new generation, what these tunes mean to them personally and more.
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- Wild Uncharted Waters (4:17)
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- Under The Sea (5:18)
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- Kiss The Girl (6:02)
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- Poor Unfortunate Souls (6:41)
- The Scuttlebutt On Sidekicks: A seven-minute piece which takes a closer look at the characters of Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle. You get to hear how their roles expand a bit in this feature, the thought process behind their designs and more.
- Passing The Dinglehopper: A four-minute look at the meeting between Halle Bailey and Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in the original animated movie, and the cameo she has in the film.
- Bloopers: A two-minute collection of amusing moments, flubbed lines, joking around on set, laughing fits and more.
Final Thoughts
The Little Mermaid is far from a perfect film, but it ranks as one of the strongest live action reimaginings to date. This is thanks in large part to the presence of Halle Bailey, who delivers a star-making performance that keeps you invested throughout. Most of the new material created for the film fails to conjure up much new Disney magic, but when the team is tackling the classics they mostly avoid any egregious missteps. The slavish devotion to having everything photorealistic is a detriment to the whimsy of the story, and the required final battle in the end leaves you feeling a bit checked out after a couple minutes of murky CGI swirl. Nevertheless, the core material is strong, and translating it to live action works well enough. Disney Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a dazzling A/V presentation and a great assortment of special features. Recommended
The Little Mermaid will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on September 19, 2023. The film is currently available on digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.