Halle Bailey is the perfect Ariel. As the song says, “The seaweed always looks greener in somebody else’s lake,” and the key to updating this particular classic for a new generation is to maintain the illusion that anyone of us can play the role of Ariel, even though Halle Bailey is a one-in-a-million talent who can fill those flippers on screen.
At least half of Disney’s most recent remakes have been utterly terrible, transforming beloved classics from the collective youth of Americans into gaudy CG eyesores that threaten to taint our recollections of the original.
The good news is that Halle Bailey should be enough to convince any audience that “The Little Mermaid” is still worth seeing. Rob Marshall, the director, discovered his Ariel and the two of them have created a keeper. Wait till you hear her do “Part of Your World,” which she does with the same level of passion that Jennifer Hudson displayed in her career-launching performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Halle Bailey Did A Wonderful Job As Ariel
A star is created, and Marshall positions Bailey there on a rocky ledge and slams a massive wave into her back as if to mark our finding. McCarthy is a no-brainer if Bailey is the movie’s great discovery. The comedy star is really delicious as the deep-sea villain in the movie, dolled up to seem like Divine’s evil stepsister in her bright green lair. Although the role is nearly identical to the one Pat Carroll originally played, she nails what is expected of these challenging remakes.
In essence, McCarthy pulls off what super fans want while yet surprising them with every pause and intonation. Between McCarthy’s over-the-top octo-hussy and Bailey’s wide-eyed urchin, the film comes to life — not in some zombie form, like the reanimated Disney disasters “Dumbo” and “Pinocchio,” but in a way that gives young moviegoers something magical to relate with and new mermaid aspirations to strive to.
