Disney’s latest live-action update to one of its beloved animated classics, The Little Mermaid, arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray as retail exclusives at Best Buy (in steelbook packaging), Walmart, and Disney Movie Club.
The Production: 3.5/5
I have not been a huge fan of Disney’s live action remakes of their animated classics, finding them rather unnecessary and with a few exceptions not really bringing anything surprisingly new to the story. In the case of the studio’s latest attempt, The Little Mermaid, the result is something of a hybrid between Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin and Jon Favreau’s The Lion King. I am certain most everyone knows the plot, so I really won’t dwell on it, and I am not even going to go into the international casting of the film, either (and those who wish to debate that issue are welcome to do so elsewhere).
Director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns, Chicago) and screenwriter David Magee (A Man Called Otto, Mary Poppins Returns) have expanded on both the animated screenplay by John Musker & Ron Clements as well as the original story by Hans Christian Andersen by fleshing out some of the peripheral characters, particularly King Triton (Javier Bardem) and Prince Eric who is now adopted, expanding the running time from a brisk 83 minutes of the animated classic to a rather padded 135 minutes for this live action adaptation. The character development of Eric is definitely one of the pluses of this version, making him more than just a handsome guy Ariel swoons over, but there is a lot of fat that could have been trimmed here, at least 15 minutes. The performances for the most part are good, Halle Bailey as Ariel is the standout here. The voice talent is great – Awkwafina as Scuttle (now a northern gannet rather than a seagull) is annoyingly good and Daveed Diggs tries to bring some originality to Sebastian the crab. However, the weakest link is Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Ursula, who never feels menacing enough to really be scary nor does she chew the scenery to be an interesting character. I also found the musical numbers to be rather flat (which is surprising with Rob Marshall in the directing chair), none of them really memorable in their visual style, although I will say that the visual effects work is phenomenal.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The Little Mermaid was captured at 4.5k and 6.5k resolution with Arri Alexa 65 and Alexa Mini LF cameras in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio (with some IMAX sequences at 1.90) and completed as a 4K digital intermediate with Dolby Vision HDR for its premium format theatrical engagements. Disney’s UHD release sticks with the 2.39:1 aspect ratio throughout with only HDR10 high dynamic range. This is a vividly colorful presentation, one that can really show of your UHD display’s wide color gamut capabilities. Detail is excellent, revealing intricate scales on the mermaids’ tails, facial hair and beard stubble on the male characters, etc. Contrast is also exceptional, featuring deep blacks with strong shadow details and bright highlights that don’t bloom.
Audio: 4.5/5
The default Dolby Atmos track is a nice expansive upgrade to the already excellent DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix found on the accompanying Blu-ray. Surrounds are active where necessary with a nice wide front soundstage. LFE adds some nice low-end emphasis to crashes, explosions and musical numbers. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout. Heights are used to add a more immersive atmospheric sound to the mix, including ocean waves crashing overhead or the feeling of being inside a bubble during the underwater sequences.
Special Features: 3/5
As usual, all of the special features can be found on the included Blu-ray disc.
Sing-Along Version: Accessible from the PLAY menu (unfortunately ONLY on the Blu-ray disc), karaoke-style lyrics appear on-screen during musical numbers.
Hotter Under the Water (1080p; 26.15): An interesting behind the scenes look at the making of the film.
Song Breakdowns (1080p): A behind the scenes look at four musical numbers from the film – Wild Uncharted Waters (4:17), Under the Sea (5:18), Kiss the Girl (6:02) and Poor Unfortunate Souls (6:41).
The Scuttlebutt on Sidekicks (1080p; 6:49): A look at Ariel’s animal friends.
Passing the Dinglehopper (1080p; 3:55): A look at a key easter egg from the movie.
Bloopers (1080p; 2:00)
Song Selection: View songs from the movie with karaoke-style on-screen lyrics.
Digital Copy: A Movies Anywhere code is included to redeem a 4K digital copy on Movies Anywhere and rewards points on Disney Movie Insiders.
Overall: 4/5
Available only as retail exclusives from Best Buy, Walmart and Disney Movie Club, The Little Mermaid is yet another rather unnecessary live action remake of an animated classic.
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