The Little Mermaid Live-Action Remake: A Feminist Critique

Paloma Faith has recently expressed her disapproval of The Little Mermaid's message, stating that it could have a harmful impact on young women. Despite the film's impressive performance at the box office during its opening weekend, The Little Mermaid has received a variety of reviews, with a score of 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. In a post on Instagram, Faith became the latest critic to voice concerns about the movie's content.

Although she commended Halle Bailey's portrayal of Ariel, the singer expressed concern as a mother of daughters, stating that she does not want her children to believe surrendering their voice and abilities to love a man is acceptable. She further commented that The Little Mermaid narrative does not align with her vision for the empowerment of future generations of women.

How Much Does the Live-Action Little Mermaid Update the Original?

Criticism of The Little Mermaid's live-action adaptation initially centered around Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel, with some racist reactions claiming that she did not fit the part. However, Bailey's performance has been widely praised, and there have been other updates made to the film as well. For instance, Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina portray Sebastian and Scuttle with a more realistic appearance than the original animated versions. Nonetheless, their character dynamics remain consistent.

The Little Mermaid's storyline stays true to the original animated film, with only minor changes in certain scenes. The central plot remains the same - Ariel falls for the human Prince Eric and strikes a deal with the sea-Queen Ursula to trade her voice for legs to be with him. This outdated storyline remains problematic, as noted by Faith. It will be intriguing to observe how this conversation evolves as The Little Mermaid progresses.