WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Little Mermaid!The Little Mermaid shines with Halle Bailey in the lead role of Ariel, making the character the greatest live-action Disney princess adaptation yet. Over the past decade, Disney has produced an increasing number of live-action remakes of its classic animated movies, including beloved princess movies like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and 2023’s The Little Mermaid, with a new Snow White movie premiering in 2024. While The Little Mermaid’s Rotten Tomatoes score is relatively low at 68% from critics (ironically one of the best scores for Disney live-action remakes), the reviews overwhelmingly agree that the 2023 movie succeeds where it matters the most: Halle Bailey’s performance as Ariel.
Following Lily James as Cinderella, Emma Watson as Belle, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Yifei Liu as Mulan, Halle Bailey swims into uncharted waters as the first live-action Ariel in a big-budget remake. Stepping into the shoes of the classic animated princesses has often been met with hesitation given the high expectations for the actresses to bring these beloved characters to life, but none of the actresses have faced backlash like Bailey, whose casting was met with racist “accuracy” criticisms. Despite the ridiculous backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting, the singer-actress has emerged from The Little Mermaid as the most-praised aspect of the film and the greatest live-action princess for Disney so far.
Halle Bailey Little Mermaid Backlash Explained
Since the first announcement in 2019 that Halle Bailey was being cast as Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid remake, the actress has absurdly been subject to racist criticisms that she was miscast for the role. The backlash is based on Bailey’s physical differences from the fictional mermaid in the original 1989 animated movie; Bailey made history as the first Black actress to portray Ariel in live-action, whereas the animated character was white. Considering Ariel is a fictional mermaid, criticizing the actress based on her appearance is absurd, especially when said actress perfectly embodies the role. Thankfully, mirroring the exact 1989 drawing of Disney’s Ariel wasn’t necessary for The Little Mermaid remake, allowing the film to find its greatest casting in Halle Bailey.
Halle Bailey Has Everything A Live-Action Ariel Needed
Halle Bailey brings to the table everything that is needed to put the greatest version of a live-action Ariel on the screen. Bailey has the natural singing ability required to make beloved The Little Mermaid songs like “Part of Your World” just as enchanting in live-action as the original movie, the acting skills to captivate audiences through the actual story, and the necessary chemistry with her fellow cast members and even the CGI animals to enhance romances and friendships in the live-action adaptation. While some live-action adaptations may favor certain skills over others when casting the right actress, Halle Bailey encompasses all the talents, wonder, and heart needed for Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake.
Getting the casting right for Ariel is also more difficult given the fact that she doesn’t speak for a significant portion of the movie. Ariel’s actress has to have a natural charisma that engages the audience and compellingly uses body language to convey emotion for much of The Little Mermaid’s extended runtime, which is more difficult to elicit in live-action than animation. Fortunately, Halle Bailey’s enchanting on-screen presence checks all the necessary boxes for Ariel’s live-action The Little Mermaid story, doubling down on how senseless the backlash was in the first place.
Why Halle Bailey Is Disney's Best Live-Action Princess Yet
When assessing the overall quality of Disney’s live-action remakes, none of the main princesses have received as much praise as Halle Bailey’s Ariel, as indicated by reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s Bailey’s performance that elevates the film beyond a surface-level rehash of the same story and scenes, breathing life into the tale that was otherwise criticized for stripping away the vivacious spirit of the original. While past live-action Disney princesses have been praised for their performances in the remakes, they weren’t as widely considered to be the saving graces of their movies at the same level as Bailey in The Little Mermaid. Additionally, Bailey adds significantly more depth to Ariel that doesn’t contradict her original characterization.
While Lily James was celebrated for her take on Ella and her chemistry with co-star Richard Madden in 2015’s Cinderella, much of the film’s magical praise was reserved for Kenneth Branagh’s direction and Cate Blanchett’s scene-stealing villain. The praise for Emma Watson’s Belle in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast was more resounding, but still isn’t recognized as one of the primary reasons for the live-action remake’s success. The response to Naomi Scott as Jasmine in 2019’s Aladdin was also positive, but her character was largely overshadowed by the Genie and Aladdin roles. Meanwhile, it’s the captivating performance of Halle Bailey, who brilliantly brings to life all the best parts of Ariel’s character, that takes 2023’s The Little Mermaid from being another generic remake to being one of the most dazzling and entertaining Disney live-action adaptations yet.
How Halle Bailey's Ariel Adds To The Animated Little Mermaid Movie
The Little Mermaid adds 52 minutes to the original movie’s runtime as it uniquely enhances the backstories and personalities of its characters. While Eric has the biggest backstory change, The Little Mermaid’s extended runtime also gives Halle Bailey’s Ariel additional focus as her anxieties about becoming human are addressed through song. After she lost her voice, Ariel’s feelings in the original movie were primarily felt through exaggerated body language and the voice of Sebastian, whereas 2023’s The Little Mermaid adds another song to express Ariel’s feelings and spends more time on giving her a natural romantic connection to Eric.
Giving more autonomy and nuance to Ariel while her voice is gone ensures that Halle Bailey is still the star of the show. Whereas Eric and Sebastian take over more of the animated film when Ariel loses her voice, 2023’s The Little Mermaid understands that Bailey is its greatest asset, making sure she still has internal songs and the biggest screen presence even when Ursula has her voice. While Bailey’s Ariel is still as playful as the original, she’s also given more maturity, therefore enhancing the notion that her choice to give up her voice for legs was purposeful rather than conducted a more naive whim. Halle Bailey effectively makes Ariel bolder, stronger, and more nuanced than the 1989 character, which helps explain why the actress’s iteration of The Little Mermaid’s protagonist is Disney’s best live-action princess yet.