Over the past few years Disney has made a habit out of producing live-action adaptations of their beloved animated blockbusters. The latest of these is The Little Mermaid, which took the #1 spot at the box office last weekend. Reviews for the new Mermaid were positive, especially regarding the performances by stars like Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy. And while I had a blast watching the movie (see CinemaBlend’s Little Mermaid review here) I do have one really nitpicky problem with the latest Disney flick. Let’s break it all down.
Part of what made The Little Mermaid such a fun moviegoing experience was the fact that director Rob Marshall delivered some of the original movie’s most iconic shots and sequences. But there were also a number of changes made to the story, including two new songs. I thought Melissa McCarthy really delivered as Ursula, but I’m still bummed about how this new flick handled her henchmen Flotsam and Jetsam.
While the two electric eels were still in The Little Mermaid, they were made into non-speaking parts for the live-action film. This felt super weird to me, because all the other fish in the movie (while photorealistic) could speak. Flotsam and Jetsam are some of my favorite characters in the original, thanks to their slinky demeanor and menacing voices. They were also speaking parts in the Broadway musical, which is why their lack of dialogue in Rob Marshall’s movie stood out so much to me.
Like in the cartoon film, Flotsam and Jetsam spend the beginning of The Little Mermaid spying on Ariel for Ursula. Melissa McCarthy delivers Ursula’s first two monologues to hilarious results, but I think it would have been more effective if her sidekicks were there in her lair during those scenes. For some reason the speeches by Ursula felt out of place in the live-action movie because she wasn’t actually speaking to anyone.
Flotsam and Jetsam got to play into the action of the new Little Mermaid, but because they didn’t have any lines they were far less important characters this time around. But I adore their dynamic with Ursula in the first movie, and I grew up loving those electric minions. They’re such big characters in the 1989 animated blockbuster that they were brought into the Little Mermaid ride at Disney theme parks. On my last visit to Disney World, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure was temporarily stopped at the point where Flotsam and Jetsam welcome you to Ursula’s lair, and I was thrilled to hear all of their dialogue before the dark ride started up again.
Prior to the new movie’s release, there was a ton of chatter about The Little Mermaid’s live-action appearance for characters like Scuttle and Jacob Tremblay’s Flounder. But I thought the design for both worked quite well in the finished product. Daveed Diggs’ Sebastian was the movie’s biggest scene stealer, and I just wish that Flotsam and Jetsam got the chance to do the same.
The Little Mermaid is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
