KID’S TAKE ON MOVIES: ‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’

KIDS FIRST! film critic, age 16

From acclaimed director Rob Marshall comes the retelling of the beautiful, adventurous fairytale we all know and love, The Little Mermaid.

This beloved Disney classic has captured the hearts of past generations and certainly captured my heart in this one.

Based on the original motion picture from 1989 and the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, The Little Mermaid is a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences of all ages.

The Little Mermaid begins with a look at life under the sea from the perspective of King Triton’s youngest mer-daughter, Ariel (Halle Bailey). Ariel is a beautiful, adventurous and free-spirited young mermaid who longs to experience life in the “world above.”

This movie is full of adventure, romance and memorable songs — both old and new.

This film definitely has a stronger emphasis on action than the original. There are many scenes where the live action element adds to the suspense and drama in the film. For example, in the song “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” there are many impressive special effects. What I enjoyed the most about

The Little Mermaid is that it is not a replica of the original film. It shares scenes and songs that we all know and love, but it is different enough from the original. I particularly enjoyed Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel and McCarthy’s of Ursula. Bailey gives the character a more adventurous and brave attitude, which makes Ariel a great role model for children everywhere. McCarthy, while being scary, manages to maintain great comedic timing which adds to the character of Ursula immensely.

I give The Little Mermaid 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to18, plus adults.