The Little Mermaid live-action remake's runtime may have just been revealed. The film, which is hitting theaters on May 26, is a new interpretation of the 1989 animated classic that featured musical numbers by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken and went on to win two Academy Awards. Loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name, both films follow a mermaid named Ariel (Halle Bailey in the 2023 film) who trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) for a pair of legs so she can explore the human world.
A recent listing by AMC Theatres may have revealed the official runtime for the live-action The Little Mermaid to be 2 hours and 15 minutes. This may prove to be a placeholder listing made so they can plan out showtimes. However, if it is accurate, it means that the film will be the longest Disney live-action remake yet, beating Cruella by one minute and the original 83-minute film by nearly an hour.
How Could The Little Mermaid Fill That Extra Hour?
This wouldn't be the first time that a Disney live-action musical has been considerably longer than the original film. For instance, 2017's Beauty and the Beast remake clocks in at 2 hours and 9 minutes, considerably more than the original film's 84-minute runtime. That film filled out its time with additional backstory and a few new musical numbers, a precedent that The Little Mermaid will probably follow.
Indeed, it has already been revealed that new musical numbers have been written for the film. Although Ashman passed away in 1991, Menken has teamed up with Hamilton and Moana's Lin-Manuel Miranda for new songs to add to the film's iconic score. Depending on how involved each of these numbers are, they could account for about half of the additional runtime of the film.
The Little Mermaid, like the bulk of Disney's live-action remakes, will also see fit to update some of its material for modern sensibilities. The filmmakers have already revealed their intention to deprioritize the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) as one of Ariel's foremost motivations for exploring the land. While he will still be closely involved in the story, it's possible that Ariel will do much more exploring once she's on the shore which adds to the runtime as well.
Source: AMC Theatres