The live-action remake of the Disney classic, The little mermaid. To celebrate, we present you with 8 curiosities that you may not have known
The little mermaid Directed by Rob Marshall and starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay, as well as Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy
After its run through the cinemas, it arrives today The little mermaid to Disney+, the live-action version of the 1989 animated musical classic that tells the story of Ariel, an adventurous mermaid who dreams of discovering the world beyond the sea.
The Movie – Directed by Rob Marshall and starring Halle Bailey (Ariel), Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), Awkwafina (Scuttle) and Jacob Tremblay (Flunder), with Javier Bardem (King Triton) and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula) – takes the classic narrative inspired by the 1837 story by Hans Christian Andersen and presents an epic staging that combines stunning real and photorealistic locations, extraordinary musical numbers and incredible worlds on land and below water combined.
For landing from The little mermaid exclusively on Disney+, Eight revealing facts behind the scenes of the production.
The director and screenwriter discovered the validity of the classic story
Ariel’s story was created in 1837, brought to animation in 1989 and remade into live-action in 2023. Not only has it stood the test of time, but it remains particularly relevant in today’s world. When director Rob Marshall, screenwriter David Magee and producer John DeLuca began development on the new film, they found rich inspiration in the original story by Hans Christian Andersen.
“It’s a very modern story about a girl who feels out of place and sees life differently than the people around her. With great passion and courage, she embarks on an epic journey of self-discovery, breaking down walls and learning not to be afraid of the “other”, which in her case corresponds to the human world.says Marshall, pointing out that the themes THE LITTLE MERMAID explores are an antidote to the world’s divisions and serve as an important reminder that we are all one.
“The film touches on something that is very important in our world today, which is the way we perceive other peoples and other cultures and that there are prejudices and preconceived notions. “THE LITTLE MERMAID” addresses these issues in a very beautiful way, through love, understanding and the merging of cultures.” concludes executive producer Jeffrey Silver.
The lyrics of the new songs are by Lin-Manuel Miranda
The soundtrack for was created by composer Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman THE LITTLE MERMAID was awarded the Oscar® for Best Original Soundtrack while the song “Under the sea” received the statuette for the best original song. In the new version the iconic songs “Part of Him”, “Under the Sea”, “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss Her” They are also part of the soundtrack and are performed by the talented cast, but new songs are added at the same time.
This time, Menken is teaming up with Lin-Manuel Miranda, a three-time Tony® Award-winning producer and lyricist who is a big fan of the original animated film and is responsible for the lyrics to the new theme songs. “Obviously the thought of going on without the amazing Howard Ashman was daunting, but we were fortunate to have my dear and brilliant friend Lin on the team as a lyricist, with great respect and love for Howard and the original music.” Marshall commented.
Working on such an extraordinary and memorable title was a bit overwhelming for Miranda. “It was very intimidating. I’ve tried to talk myself out of it a lot, mostly because I adore the original film so much, but I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished.” confess
Rob Marshall felt like he was doing three films in one
The production scale of THE LITTLE MERMAID It is extraordinary, mainly because of its unique combination. Marshall describes: “There are two different worlds in our story: the world above, the real world, and the underwater world, a magical world where mermaids exist, crabs sing, and diving birds talk like Scuttle. The underwater world is fully digital and the land world is all real and constructed in the manner of historical films. And because we were also doing a musical, in many ways it felt like we were doing three different films at the same time.”
The animated movements of Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder are inspired by Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay
Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay bring Ariel’s inseparable trio to life. Not only did they lend their English voices to Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder, but the artists were present on set, where their movements were captured by the animation team, who brought the characters to life in photorealistic versions in post-production. Six cameras recorded performances by Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina. The same artists who recorded the performances for THE LION KING (2019) then worked with the footage in post-production.
The spaces of the underwater world were created from dozens of natural references
Production Designer John Myhre led a talented team responsible for creating the film’s worlds. In the case of the underwater world, which includes King Triton’s Palace, Ariel’s Grotto and Ursula’s Lair, Myhre knew from the start that inspiration would be nature. “We didn’t want it to look like something man-made or futuristic realm, we wanted it to feel very real. We wanted to keep it as natural as possible,” he explains.
Some examples? Everything in King Triton’s room is made up of beautiful giant coral pillars, anemones, reefs and other formations. Ariel’s Cave has shapes that look like waves, spirals, sand, and coral. In Ursula’s lair, the skeleton of a giant prehistoric whale forms the entrance, and the interior is lined with jagged obsidian rocks that reflect heat, smoke, and fire, creating eerie, distorted shapes and images.
The underwater scenes were filmed using a technique called DRY-FOR-WET
To meet the great challenge of creating scenes underwater, Marshall and his team resorted to the dry-for-wet (dry-for-wet) filming technique, which consists of a blue-screen environment in which the actors and Actresses are supported by high-tech supports such as cables, seesaws and tuning forks, with a counterweight on the back that simulates movement in water. Due to the technology, the performers appear to be floating. “To match and often counteract the movements of the actors and actresses, the cameras were operated by 15-meter telescopic cranes with panoramic remote heads,” says cinematographer Dion Beebe, adding that a complex lighting system was also created that the sensation simulated being underwater.
It was important that Ariel’s new look was ethnically correct.
Translating Ariel’s iconic look into live action was a key challenge for the team behind the film. The trio responsible for this mission included award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, stylist and makeup director Peter Swords King, and Ariel’s hairstylist Camille Friend.
While the design of the iconic mermaid tail didn’t deviate from the look of the animated version, Ariel’s hair was styled with a disruptive approach. Reflecting on Halle Bailey’s African American heritage, the team sought to give the character her own unique hairstyle, in a natural red hair color that works both in and out of the water, in shades of deep red, bright red, and copper blonde. , with an addition of loose curls. “Camille Friend was extremely helpful…we knew we wanted something that was both ethereal and modern, and Camille was invaluable in understanding hair and its textures, as well as translating Halle’s own hair into the final look .” Dice DeLuca.
Melissa McCarthy rehearsed for months to play “poor unfortunate souls”
Play a song like “Poor Unfortunate Souls” It was a big responsibility for Melissa McCarthy. The actress says: “Being able to sing was a dream come true for me and I was both excited and scared. I got to sing “Poor Souls in Disgrace,” one of the most fabulous songs of all time. I practiced a lot and we rehearsed for months because I wanted to do credit to this song.
McCarthy Marshall, the cast and the entire team behind the camera convinced with her musical performance and her extraordinary portrayal of Ursula. The director points out: “She is an exceptional actress who brings exceptional depth, vulnerability, intensity and humor to the role. It’s an impressive feat and something Melissa has never done before. people will love it.
