My First Time Watching - The Little Mermaid - Live Action 

I’m really glad to have seen the OG voice of Ariel (Jodi Benson) make a cameo in this film, interacting with Halle Bailey’s character. That was a special moment.

This is hands down one of my favorite movies of 2023 period! Absolutely magical

The thing they changed about this film then the original Ariel does not sign a contract she gives Ursula a piece of her scale for the contract that way she doesn’t know how to write in the human world I thought that was really great way to change the story a little bit to make it’s own

This was my favorite Disney live action. It was perfect. I saw it in theaters and it was a magical experience

I loved it, and seriously didn't get the critical reactions. I thought it was honestly better in almost every way (and I love the original) -- breathtaking to look at, a richer world and relationships, and especially loved how they added so much more to Eric as a character, and to his time with Ariel. They are truly both such similar people and we feel that from this movie in ways I didn't feel it from the original (no matter how adorable it was).

I absolutely loved this movie. The cartoon has always been my favorite Disney film, and I was soooo excited to see this in the theater and was not disappointed.

Whenever I listen to Halle Bailey, sing while watching this movie, or whenever I listen to the soundtrack on Spotify, I literally cry by how beautifully she sings with such emotion.

Regarding the opening quote: Throughout the film Ariel cannot produce tears, even when she's sad and/or crying, UNTIL she becomes a human. You cut that scene out but the lady who gives Ariel the 'dinglehopper' in the market is Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel from the animation. It's a symbolism of her passing the torch to Halle. Fun fact: Ursula's look in the animated film was inspired by an American drag queen called Divine. To prepare for her role as Ursula, Melissa McCarthy actually consulted with the drag queen community. A little detail not many people notice (besides you) is when Ursula is looking for the potion, the bottle is shaped like a human stomach. This is a play on the phrase "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". Many people miss the fact that Ursula and Triton are siblings in this version. Triton had banished Ursula from his kingdom and disowned her for practicing black magic, which is what motivates her actions. It was cut from the animation but was included in the 2007 Broadway musical. Ariel and her sisters have the same mum but they represent the seven seas which is why each of them are a different race. Scuttle is portrayed as a female northern gannet diving bird (not a male seagull like in the animation) because they are able to breathe underwater for a short period of time. Also, Scuttle's "Has Ariel killed the prince yet?" is referencing the original fairy tale, in which the nameless mermaid is destined to turn into sea foam and die after the prince marries another woman. The mermaid's sisters tell her that the only way she can escape this fate is if she kills the prince with an enchanted dagger. However, the mermaid can't go through with it and instead accepts her death. Ariel 'signed' the contract by giving Ursula a scale from her mermaid tail, which actually covers up a plot hole from the animation where she literally signs it with a quill pen. Since she could clearly read and write English, why didn't she just explain herself by writing it down? There's a big chance Eric wouldn't have believed her but it's worth a try right?I Ariel is given 3 days to kiss Eric and make him fall in love with her so she can remain human permanently. Ursula cheats 3 times to keep Ariel from being able to do just that. First, she secretly puts a memory spell on Ariel so she won't remember she needs Eric's kiss to stay human, and every time she is reminded she forgets immediately or falls asleep (that wasn't in the animation). Second, she sends her pet eels to prevent Ariel and Eric from kissing at the end of Kiss the Girl. Finally, she transforms herself into a human with Ariel's voice to trick Eric into marrying her. I like that Eric's character arch is more than just being the prince. He has a backstory and a family. He, like Ariel, has a parent who believes they know what is best for their child. Him being adopted is supposed to highlight the fact that he feels like he doesn't belong. Much like Ariel, he feels there is so much more to discover and explore. They share a bond over their love for collecting treasures. I really like how they fleshed out their romance more and actually showed they had a connection, instead of just 'love at first sight' and physical attraction. It also helped a lot that Halle and Jonah had an insane amount of chemistry. They also made it a lot clearer in this version that Ariel didn't want to become a human just for Eric. She was already interested and curious of life on land BEFORE she met him. Her motivations were rooted in her not fitting in and wanting to explore. She would have gone up one way or another, she just happened to have met Eric along the way. I think that’s why they added the bit about her not remembering to kiss Eric. They didn’t want the whole premise of her giving up her voice to be about chasing a guy, rather, about her chasing her dreams. Triton destroying her belongings was always the catalyst for her going to Ursula, not Eric in itself. They still kept the romance, it didn't take anything away from it. If anything, it just added to it and made it feel more organic. The scene with giant Ursula happens exactly the same way as in the animation, just with Ariel and Eric's roles reversed. To me, Ursula trying to kill Eric makes so much more sense because she didn't care about Eric, it was about hurting Ariel. Some people have a problem with Ariel killing Ursula instead of Eric, as if it takes anything away from his character. Triton finally understanding that not all humans are bad still stands because Eric literally saved Ariel's life by throwing the harpoon when Ursula was about to kill her (he also went back to save Max, which speaks to his character). And while some people didn't like the ending scene with Triton, Ariel's sisters and all the other merpeople, I loved it. It was kind of showing how their two worlds were forever united with their marriage. I love the way Eric points out the star constellations to Ariel (which as a sailor he knows well) and starts guessing her name. It was such a beautiful improvement from the animated version where Sebastian just whispered her name to Eric. It added so much depth and charm to the scene. Unpopular opinion but I like Javier Bardem's portrayal of King Triton. He looks and sounds more disappointed and scared here rather than angry, which is not only more respectable but also a lot more believable. He feels more like a worried father than just some big scary dude with an anger management problem. As for the music, I think Halle absolutely nailed Part Of Your World. She has such an innocent and naive quality to her voice yet powerful at the same time. The power in that high note in the reprise is incredible. I love Melissa's version of Poor Unfortunate Souls. There is so much sass and character in her voice. The fact that Melissa had little to no singing experience and didn't even know she could sing is INSANE. Under The Sea translates surprisingly well to live action. Daveed Diggs adds his own flavour to it and Halle's little adlibs add so much to the song. Kiss The Girl is just magical, musically and visually. I love Wild Uncharted Waters and how it has her siren song behind it. Jonah has an amazing voice and you can hear he has a theatre backround. Also, this is random but I love how you can hear his strong English accent in every single word. For The First Time is great and allows Halle to be more playful yet vulnerable. I was appalled when I first heard Scuttlebutt, but it has grown on me and now I actually kinda like it. In the acting department Halle and Melissa clearly stood out (I can't believe some people think Halle is a bad actress and shows no emotion). But I think they were all great. Special shout out to Jessica Alexander who absolutely stole the 5 minutes she was on screen as Vanessa. There are only really two things I have a problem with in the whole movie: The lack of Flounder and lack of Ariel's wardrobe. I didn't have any problem with the way Flounder looked, I just felt like he was absolutely useless in the movie. And Ariel's wardrobe on land felt lackluster. She wore the same blue dress the entire time! Even the dress at the end during the wedding was the same one, only in pink. However, I don't feel that their reunion at the end was underwhelming like some people do. If anything, I like how simple it was and that they didn't speak. They communicated enough with their faces. Of course it looks different from the animated version. This is a live action movie aimed at adults, not kids. So the crab is gonna look like a crab. The fish is gonna look like a fish. But they still talk. And Ariel's hair is still red, it's just more natural instead of the vibrant tone from the animation. But at the end of the day, this is a movie about a mermaid turning into a human and fish & a bird that can talk. Not everything has to make sense. The thing is, there are some people who will never be satisfied because it will never be as good as the "original". You can still enjoy and appreciate this movie for what it is.

Thank you so much for this!!! I absolutely loved this film! It definitely pays tribute to the original film while still making it its own! I really loved that they kept the concept of Triton and Ursula being siblings; I only wished that they would’ve expended more on it like they do in the musical adaption. The acting as well as the songs were phenomenal! I definitely love how they had Ariel and Ursula make a a blood pact, as opposed to the contract for not only solves the plot hole of her being able to write her own name, but it also cements the seriousness of the deal. One of my favorite moments was Vanessa’s Trick; Halle’s voice, Melissa’s cackle, and Jessica’s acting was what that moment top tier. I really hope that Hallie and Melissa receive Oscars for their outstanding and talented performances!!! 🧜🏾‍♀️🦀🐠🐦🌊🪸🔱🐚🗣️ 🎶🛶👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻🌅🩵💙💜🖤💛

This was such a sweet reaction!! I love this movie so much, I liked it even more than the original and that's saying a lot! I thought all the little additions and changes they made actually enhanced the story and made the romance more believable, like you said. Which I think was needed for a live-action remake! The casting is incredible and so is the score 💙

Man, this adaptation to TLM got SO much hate, it’s overwhelmingly toxic. I, for one do not believe it’s terrible as most haters made it out to be. Watching this film on the big screen, I had a fun time. Halle Bailey did a wonderful job as Ariel, as did the other actors with their characters. The music was great too. Honestly imo, this film is one of the better live adaptations we’ve had in a while.

It was Eric in the original film who killed Ursula by ramming her with that ship, and they switched it up so Ariel did in the remake 😊

As far as Disney live-action remakes go, this certainly fares better than some of the other entries in recent years.

i did have my reservations at first. but i actually ended up enjoying it

as a HUGE fan of the original movie, i loved this, i don't get the hate at all! the mulan live action deserved the hate but this one is perfect. it made me feel like a little child again. they're just mad cause ariel's not white which is so stupid. ok flounder looked stupid but who cares? and i don't see anything wrong with sebastian, like what were they gonna make? a crab with stereotypical huge black lips? that was offensive even back in the 90s. some people were like "but scuttlebutt was a male bird!!" like really? that's what you're focusing on? i'm here just over the moon about the fact that they didn't change the songs! and i even liked the extra ones, especially eric's! ..... oh the scuttlebutt one was cringe but that's about the only problem i had with this movie. some scenes are so much like the cartoon i was going crazy! i love it so much!

yes, interracial couples is still thing here America particularly down here in the south but that due to our history especially if the man is black & the woman is white because historical white women were seen as pure and untouchable & if a black was caught even staring whistling at a white women meant death. then you also had situations like Emmett Till where a white woman falsely accused him which resulted in his death. For some of us we dont care but its hard for many to forget history because it does still affect us today

Loved your reaction! ❤

My favorite movie of 2023. Halle’ embodies Ariel to a T . I saw it twice in theaters, and so far about 4 more times on Disney + . The racist hate and comments she got says a lot about this country.

I love how beautiful and believable Ariel and Eric's love is in the live action. In 51:11, the way that Eric looks at her seals the deal that he truly loves her and that he truly is my favorite prince. Also yes please do One Piece live action. It's so good.

Jonah and Halle looked sooooo cute together!

I don't care what the haters say to me this is the best live action movie they have done though I don't concider mulan as a live action adaptation cause it wasn't the disney story it was the real ledgend of Mulan and it never claimed to be an adaptation to the cartoon any way. Hailey is amazing and her voice gives me chills everytime I hear it and it blew me away when i heard her singing Part of your world in the theaters. Malissa is amazing as well and I love how they both give their own twist on your characters and put themselves in the role in a way as well. All the actors here did a good job in my opinion and I love Akwafina so hearing her voice here was amazing also she's such a funny person in real life so it worked for the part of Skuttle. The director of this movie insisted on having Jodi in this one and she decided to be the one to give Ariel the fork cause it's like she is passing the baton to her and showing her that she approves of how she plays the part as well. My favorite song of the new ones is the one Ariel sings when she has no voice cause it shows what her thoughts are at that moment. This movie has it's changes but in my opintion they are needed for the story like showing the queen,giving Eric more of a background and having both Eric and Ariel be collectors which makes them like each other all the more because they have something in common. It's not just oh he's a prince he's so handsome and all it's also about liking him as a person and the same way about her. The kill the prince refrence is a nod to the original story of Hans Christian Anderson because in the original the deal was she kills the prince and can live on the land but Ariel falls in love and can't do it but before she can get to the water the sun comes up and she becomes a statue for all to see. The scene where Ariel saves Eric was real waves and real fire Hailey herself actually had to fight the waves that the wave mechine was creating while holding the actor of Eric up and yes she did a lot of pysical training to play this part but she was already a skilled swimmer so she had that going for her. Yes sadly some people in America yelled at the screen and made a scene when they first saw Hailey as Ariel which is nuts in my opinion but any way. Glad you enjoyed this one and good reaction as well.

Omggg I love this movie, better than cartoon version in my opinion❤

I like the new scenes with Ariel and Eric, it added to their relationship, and it was cute. Fake accent realistic looking Sebastian is just not it 😂

This movie legit made me emotional at so many times. Every high note Halle hit, was so beautiful. ❤

The first Sebastian was a Jamaican🇯🇲 accent. This one is a Trini 🇹🇹 (Trinidad & Tobago) accent. Both from the Caribbean

I gotta recommend the 1982 animated film The Last Unicorn.it's one of those films that will stay with you, the sound track is beautiful. the animation is gorgeous including the design for the unicorn, the story plot is awesome and it has two well known actors Christopher Lee and Angela Landsbury voice acting in it. it may make you cry( happy cry) vut it;s that opening song that'll stay in your head its a beautiful film

such a beautiful reaction! loved this movie down ❤

I didn’t know anything about one piece before. My boyfriend and I just watched the first episode this week. He loved it. It held my attention for sure . It’s ridiculous in a really fun way. However, I think the acting is pretty good except the main actor. His line delivery seems off and the facial expressions to me just don’t seem to match the tone of the scenes. Too much over the top acting from him on every single scene. I get maybe he is trying to emulate the style of the manga, but it doesn’t work for me when translated to a live action character. We will prob keep watching.

I grew up in NY and we had fire flies. I’ve never seen them on the west coast of the US. This film was so fun. I wish I would have gone to the theatre to see it. But I really enjoyed it.

I love this more than the animated one, esp this version of Kiss The Girl!

I used to see fireflies all the time in my Maryland hometown! But that was when I was relatively young; now I'm in my 30s, and sadly it's rare that I see them anymore when I visit :(

The end had me bawling

When I was a kid and my family lived in Pennsylvania every summer we saw fireflies.

You reacts Disney Christopher Robin

I enjoy watching disney the little mermaid 2023 it great movie your wife should watching 1:02

your wife wouldve liked to see this.

2 great movies to do next would be Bebe's Kids and Who Framed Roger Rabbit😁!!!! They are great classic movies 😮!!! Please I beg you!!!!!

PLEASE 🥺 PLEASE 🥺 PLEASE 🥺 Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Bebe's Kids!!! Please great classics 🙏 🎊🎉🏆🙏 Great movies 🎬 ‼️❕️✅️

And also the kid who voice Flounder is also Canadian, Jacob Tremblay 🤗

I wrote my own version of the story once. It took place off the coast of Antarctica, and instead of falling for a prince, she fell for a scientist.

It was a good movie - I also didn't like the accent from Sebastian. The one from 1989 sounded Jamaican, while here it sounds more Trinidadian. The Jamaican accent is more lively and fits Sebastian better.

44:33 she laugh 😆 like a joker 🃏 44:49 😂

you don't want to call her Ariel because she doesn't look like Ariel? What a weird thing to say..

51:29 kind annoyed that you bring up the cartoon version all the time but anyways haha loved the reaction😅love this movie so much❤

To see a father getting emotional at Kind Triton and Ariel... is very powerful, thank you for the brilliant review and for showing true emotion. Much Love to you and your family ❤

Halle is Ariel, perioooodt

Amazing video! Thank you for sharing your emotions!

Hope you watched the original before letting this spoil the story.

Jv. I have been waiting for this. P.s. fireflies or lightning bugs are all over the place. You just have to know where to look. Take a camping trip in the middle of summer. You'll see them

Plz react to the Selena 1997 movie with your wife

Prince Eric can sing, unlike Aladdin 😁

I love the live action, little mermaid, I mean specifically, Eric, I mean… And his relationship with Ariel is just so much more developed and it innocent you really believe that they kind of fall for each other, there was really no means to an end in the original… I was probably just really charmed by the added character development between them and Jonah’s dimples 🥹 plus that accent! All I’m saying is there wasn’t a ton about this movie I didn’t like- most of it was perfect and I’m probably could’ve overlooked a lot more outfit. Had Halle Bailey been a more experience actress? I know this is like her first acting gig and I don’t think she had a whole lot of training? I was not impressed by the sea king either. His acting was a little stiff and emotionless in some parts, and I did not like the straight up diversity in the family.- I mean diversity is usually a good thing, but having them all supposedly come from the same mother and they look absolutely nothing alike💔

I love your reaction to live little mermaid.

Ariel 18 years old Eric 21 years old 5:59

Little Mermaid 1

You’re definitely need to do the One Piece Live Action!!! Thank you for the reaction. The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite film this year. The engagement scene was adapted perfectly. I love it!!

The only thing I didn’t like from this movie was Scuttle (annoying), Ariel’s wardrobe isn’t right to me and makes her look even younger which goes into my last problem, Eric looks so much older than Ariel and that makes it a bit weird. The actors aren’t that far apart in age (he’s 28 and she’s 23) but her childish styling makes it worse. Otherwise I really loved this movie!

💜

I wasn't sure about it but I loved it 🥲

Eric 😊

391st

in south in Arkansas we see fireflys ever summer, thought everone saw them too

Thank god that I waited until it’s on streaming so I could fast forward Scuttlebutt. Sebastian and Flounder look horrendous. But I do prefer this Ariel and Eric. You win some, you lose some.

I still think that you should do Christopher Robin plus I know that’s another good movie and goodbye Christopher Robin is another good movie as well and back at the barnyard to and even though I haven’t seen Mia and me plus I know that there are a couple other good movies that I’ve mentioned last time too on another video

The first time I watched the movie the wild uncharted waters song and flounder threw me off but besides that I loved it. Also, I live in Texas and you'll see fireflies in the summer

The new songs that they put in the little mermaid remake are the best.

I had no idea you have your own channel! It’s odd not seeing Jane beside you haha. Subscribing!

its ok i cryed in theaters too its was beautiful.

Awesome 😎

Yes the movie was amazing! ❤

This was one of the worst live actions for me... I had such high hopes!

Pass....Halle looked weird cause they made her frame smaller...she's a fulll figure woman and they shrunk her torso size like skinny Taylor Swift😮

I loved Ariel and Eric, liked Grimsby, and enjoyed Flounder’s voice. Everything else was disappointing at best. The three biggest flaws were Chef Louis, underwater everything, and Aquafina. I enjoy when the remakes improve on the villains. Compare Maleficent, Lady Tremaine, and Shere Khan; to the antagonists in Dumbo, Pete’s Dragon, Lion King, and Lady & the Tramp. What made Live Mermaid even more disappointing was that the musical already gave us that improved Ursula characterization, and Live version butchered it. Look up the song Daddy’s Little Angel if you don’t believe me. The controversy was not just the continued erasure of Redheads by Blacks in Hollywood (again, loved Hailey’s performance; pointing out how many redheads got race-swapped to Black), nor the horrific character models for the animal characters. It was the claim that Kiss the Girl was rewritten to be more consent minded. Remember how Sebastian said “give them an inch, they swim all over?” They changed one line, and proclaimed it a newsworthy triumph.

Unpopular opinion, but I didnt like the movie. And not only for Halle, I think she's a very good singer, but a good actress... not so much. I didnt like that Eric was adopted, it takes away all his "royalty". Furthermore, he doesn't proove to the King that there are good humans and that he's worth to be with Ariel, because (oh surprise), she saves the day, not him. So Eric is useless. I liked the old one because she saves him, and then he saves her, closing the circle. CGI... uhg. That bird... ugh. Flounder... no words. That rap... please. The only one good thing was Sebastian. Haters can blame me, but sorry, I'm in love with the classic.

i love you JV, but i hate this movie so i can’t watch ur video

I watched this movie and just what I expected. I hated it! #NotMyAriel

This ship has sailed and sunk! God Awful!

Thought I ❤The Original Cartoon Version! I Really Enjoyed This Version As Well!😱🥰🫣🐳🦤🦀