Luckily they didn't dub over the animated film with the live actors, so that was good. The stage production parts were amazing, and I would have loved to see more. As others have said, the audio could have been better. Often, you don't hear the first minute of all the songs. As usual for me with these live productions, I felt the live performers could have used more rehearsal time.
57 Reviews
Show is Ok but Live Action Sound Fades In and Out; Mostly Out
buddybradley-226656 November 2019
The sound in the live action portions is poorly done. When the performance begins, the singers' volume suddenly drops with a few seconds here and there of normal volume. The performers sound like they are singing in another room while the orchestra is playing in the foreground.
Doesn't Translate
nancyldraper6 November 2019
I love live theatre. I love musical theatre. But, I'm still struggling to be excited by this new wave of Live TV productions of classic musical theatre, classic TV shows and now animated classics. This one set itself a gigantic task to perform live a story that was about mythical worlds is both on land and under the sea where the primary character is confined to sitting. What, in fact, they did was project the original animated movie for the story and interposed live performances of the songs. I can only image it was a spectacular feast for those in the live theatre: puppets, aerials (cum Cirque du Soleil), characters in costumes, dancers and stars belting out award winning songs. However, even on my big screen TV, it failed to capture the excitement that must have been in the studio. I also didn't find all the stars up to the task. Queen Latifah was absolutely perfect. Graham Phillips was a revelation, his voice and bearing befitting a prince (who knew Zack had such hidden talents?). Auli'l Cravalho's beautiful voice was compromised by aerial harnesses and by being forced to sing sitting because of her fish tail (she was breathless and pitchy). Shaggy and John Stamos were just plain bad casting giving cringe worthy performers. This production just didn't translate to its medium despite some genius elements. I give this production a 6 (fair) out of 10. {Live Rebrand of Animated Classic}
live + animated movie
SnoopyStyle9 November 2019
It's an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. It's been 30 years since the release of the original movie. It's the animated movie cut with live performances of some of the scenes. Relative unknown Auli'i Cravalho is playing Ariel. At first, I thought she might be too old but she's actually a teen. One has to be aware of how she looks. On the other hand, Graham Phillips looks the part of the prince. Then there is Shaggy. It's been a decade since I've thought about Shaggy and here he is. He needs a more elaborate outfit to play Sebastian. He looks like Eddie Murphy's red outfit. He does not look like a crab. For inspiration, look towards Queen Latifah. She goes all out and her outfits are amazing. As for the performances, they are fair. It may be asking too much especially for the younger performers. I would suggest having only little girls in the audience. It's a little strange to see a middle aged dude whopping it up in a Little Mermaid show. Overall, it's fine.
Amateur Hour
drednm7 November 2019
Queen Latifah was the showstopper!
HotToastyRag30 November 2020
I've seen quite a few live tv musical performances, and The Little Mermaid was extremely well executed. The set-up sounds odd, but it's actually very clever. A screen is set up in the back of the "dinner theatre" auditorium, and snippets of the original cartoon are shown to set up the story and provide dialogue. When it's time for a song, there's a seamless cut back to the stage and the actors (in full costume with great set pieces and backdrops) sing the musical numbers. After the applause, the camera cuts back to the screen and we watch more of the cartoon. It's hard to believe ABC fit in all the songs (plus two numbers from the Broadway production) and snippets from the cartoon in just an hour, but it did!
It's understandable that everyone's really nervous during the live musicals. After all, Graham Phillips has to open the show with "Fathoms Below," Auli'i Cravalho has to belt out "Part of Your World" while hooked up to a flying holster and pretending to swim in mid-air, Shaggy has to worry whether anyone remembers him from the 1990s, John Stamos has to humiliate himself with a ridiculous mustache, and Queen Latifah has the pressure of the showstopping song. That's a lot to be nervous about!
Hopefully, after the show, everyone was able to relax and enjoy watching the tape. They were great! The production was fantastic, with flawless transitions, well-timed audience participation, and immersive sets and backgrounds. Jodi Benson (the original voice of Ariel) treated the audience with an introduction to the show, and the voice of Disney's Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) got to enjoy another aquatic lead. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" really was the showstopper. You'd think no one would be able to follow Pat Carroll's incredible rendition from the cartoon, but Queen Latifah was just fantastic. These Thanksgiving live shows are a great tradition, and this year when the tradition was paused, it was nice to go back and watch last year's performance.
It's understandable that everyone's really nervous during the live musicals. After all, Graham Phillips has to open the show with "Fathoms Below," Auli'i Cravalho has to belt out "Part of Your World" while hooked up to a flying holster and pretending to swim in mid-air, Shaggy has to worry whether anyone remembers him from the 1990s, John Stamos has to humiliate himself with a ridiculous mustache, and Queen Latifah has the pressure of the showstopping song. That's a lot to be nervous about!
Hopefully, after the show, everyone was able to relax and enjoy watching the tape. They were great! The production was fantastic, with flawless transitions, well-timed audience participation, and immersive sets and backgrounds. Jodi Benson (the original voice of Ariel) treated the audience with an introduction to the show, and the voice of Disney's Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) got to enjoy another aquatic lead. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" really was the showstopper. You'd think no one would be able to follow Pat Carroll's incredible rendition from the cartoon, but Queen Latifah was just fantastic. These Thanksgiving live shows are a great tradition, and this year when the tradition was paused, it was nice to go back and watch last year's performance.
Muddy voice mics sank this production.
david_stever6 November 2019
Was good in theory
ConchordsCanFly8 November 2019
I am such a fan of the original animated film, so viewers will always be more critical (including myself) when watching these Live! Action remakes every year.
That being said, I was impressed with the performances from the live actors. How Auli'i was able to sing like while being harnessed in the air?? It was good, for sure. I agree though that switching between the animated and live action wasn't quite as cohesive as they had hoped. Especially because I'm pretty sure they cut part of the animated portion just to speed up to another live action. So although the casting was awesome, it's hard enough to compare to the original, but especially when they're performing along side it giving you no choice but to compare.
Singing was great, really good execution
shannonbarker16 April 2020
Pull out the DVD
tim-gates-522-7627226 November 2019
Get the blanket and popcorn and hold onto your children tight and ENJOY!!!!
Ed-Shullivan10 November 2019
Both the live performances and the corresponding studio sets on which the stars sang and danced on were simply marvelous! How the animation was seamlessly interwoven with the live performances was amazing! Purest be gone! For those of us who have never grown up and have maintained our wild imagination through adulthood and our whimsy for pure Disney entertainment, then you are in for another Disney classic treat that only the Disney studios know how to do that I for one can't wait to purchase a Blu Ray version for my children and grandchildren to also enjoy.
Forget the naysayers and purists who think that you cannot fiddle with a Disney classic, this is proof that you can and with marvelous results.
I loved this Little Mermaid Live musical and dance version mixed with the original animated Little Mermaid characters. It reminded me very much so of my own childhood days when Mary Martin wowed us back in 1960 with a live musical (black and white) version of Peter Pan on our little 24 inch black and white television.
Thank you Disney for another grand slam....under the sea !!!! A perfect 10/10
Forget the naysayers and purists who think that you cannot fiddle with a Disney classic, this is proof that you can and with marvelous results.
I loved this Little Mermaid Live musical and dance version mixed with the original animated Little Mermaid characters. It reminded me very much so of my own childhood days when Mary Martin wowed us back in 1960 with a live musical (black and white) version of Peter Pan on our little 24 inch black and white television.
Thank you Disney for another grand slam....under the sea !!!! A perfect 10/10
It had so much potential
cmgage34556 November 2019
Poorly Done
LiveLoveLead9 November 2019
Surprised that Disney's live versions of their classics are just not up to par. This might have been fun to watch in the live audience, especially for children, but it lost it's glimmer on TV. The performances were lacking and except for Queen Latifa the singing was not good. And the biggest surprise was the costumes were horrible. Looked worse than a high school play. Disney, you need to stay away from these live, theater like performances In My Humble Opinion!
Mostly good, except sound in live performance
vchimpanzee7 November 2019
I thought I had seen the movie, but I didn't remember hardly any of it.
But it was like enjoying this for the first time.
Auli'i Cravalho made a fantastic Ariel. Her singing was nearly flawless and her personality came through. And she was absolutely beautiful. She was so graceful swimming, which was actually flying since it wasn't really water, so lots of credit to those who held her up and those who kept us from seeing just what help her up. I only have one complaint which is hardly worth mentioning--her high note at the end of her first song maybe could have been lower.
Graham Phillips also did a great job as the prince.
John Stamos I have seen in many roles over the years. Can he sing? I'm not sure. He sounded talented as a singer a few times, but mostly he was really talking. That's okay. His personality came through and he did a wonderful job. I just wish I could have heard him better.
Queen Latifah did a good job too. I have heard her sing standards, and I think she was better there, but for this role she was effective even if she didn't come across as the talented singer she is.
I'm not quite sure who Shaggy is. I think he accomplished what he intended to. There was a very specific voice and accent which were effective for his song. Still, I couldn't understand a word on "Under the Sea" because there were too many drums and other noises including the audience.
The dancers and singers did a great job but I could hardly hear them on some of their songs. The costumes for the live show were also great. And so was the set decoration, if i can include the parts of the set that moved.
Mixing live and animated was a choice made for the movie's 30th anniversary, and I won't argue with it. We got to see the best of both worlds. The excellent Disney animation and acting performances by those doing the voices, and on the stage fine performances we might have enjoyed more without all the distractions.
And, yes, the film. Pure Disney magic, and great work by everyone. The animators responsible for Ariel did an amazing job showing us her personality even when she couldn't say a word. And when she did say a word, Jodi Benson was brilliant.She also showed up to introduce the production.
Lots of funny characters, as Disney always does, and lots of emotion, giving us a full range. It was a great story.
Was the live audience really necessary? I couldn't really tell that they added much, and I couldn't see faces like I did in other live performances done with an audience in recent years. The audience did wave blue ribbons to represent the sea, and held crab legs in the scene with the chef, and held some kind of light resembling a butterfly. I don't know that any of this added to the experience for me. The applause made it feel like more people were enjoying the production with me. I do wonder how the audience knew when to applaud when the film stopped for one of the live performances, because apparently I couldn't see what they saw.
But if you ignore the minor weaknesses, it was a great experience for the whole family.
But it was like enjoying this for the first time.
Auli'i Cravalho made a fantastic Ariel. Her singing was nearly flawless and her personality came through. And she was absolutely beautiful. She was so graceful swimming, which was actually flying since it wasn't really water, so lots of credit to those who held her up and those who kept us from seeing just what help her up. I only have one complaint which is hardly worth mentioning--her high note at the end of her first song maybe could have been lower.
Graham Phillips also did a great job as the prince.
John Stamos I have seen in many roles over the years. Can he sing? I'm not sure. He sounded talented as a singer a few times, but mostly he was really talking. That's okay. His personality came through and he did a wonderful job. I just wish I could have heard him better.
Queen Latifah did a good job too. I have heard her sing standards, and I think she was better there, but for this role she was effective even if she didn't come across as the talented singer she is.
I'm not quite sure who Shaggy is. I think he accomplished what he intended to. There was a very specific voice and accent which were effective for his song. Still, I couldn't understand a word on "Under the Sea" because there were too many drums and other noises including the audience.
The dancers and singers did a great job but I could hardly hear them on some of their songs. The costumes for the live show were also great. And so was the set decoration, if i can include the parts of the set that moved.
Mixing live and animated was a choice made for the movie's 30th anniversary, and I won't argue with it. We got to see the best of both worlds. The excellent Disney animation and acting performances by those doing the voices, and on the stage fine performances we might have enjoyed more without all the distractions.
And, yes, the film. Pure Disney magic, and great work by everyone. The animators responsible for Ariel did an amazing job showing us her personality even when she couldn't say a word. And when she did say a word, Jodi Benson was brilliant.She also showed up to introduce the production.
Lots of funny characters, as Disney always does, and lots of emotion, giving us a full range. It was a great story.
Was the live audience really necessary? I couldn't really tell that they added much, and I couldn't see faces like I did in other live performances done with an audience in recent years. The audience did wave blue ribbons to represent the sea, and held crab legs in the scene with the chef, and held some kind of light resembling a butterfly. I don't know that any of this added to the experience for me. The applause made it feel like more people were enjoying the production with me. I do wonder how the audience knew when to applaud when the film stopped for one of the live performances, because apparently I couldn't see what they saw.
But if you ignore the minor weaknesses, it was a great experience for the whole family.
Cute, but lacking
laughing_cat18 July 2020
The concept is great, but it's flawed. Live Ariel is pretty boring. Would've liked to see a live version of King Triton so the ending could be live. I was happily surprised to see Graham Phillips as Prince Eric since I'm a huge fan of The Good Wife. John Stamos was funny as the chef, but even he needed more energy. Shaggy as Sebastian was OK. Amber Riley and the ALWAYS FABULOUS Queen Latifah were the best of the live performances. Wonderful, colorful visuals, puppetry, and arielist gymnastics added a lot. It was good, but it could've been so much better.
Seeing is Believing????
ToTo20258 November 2019
How do you celebrate one of Disney's most beloved animated films? By doing it in true Disney fashion and making it live. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Little Mermaid, Disney decided to turn the film into a live interactive event. Staged in front of a live audience, the production was a mixed mash of the animated movie fused with live performances of the songs with the audience helping recreate the scenes. The overall premise for the production was a great idea but it lacked steam for it being a live event. Fans should be very hesitant in watching this if they are expecting something along the lines of Broadway's version of The Lion King...they are two very different experiences. There are many mixed feelings about the production for whatever reasons. However taking in the account of it being a Disney film aimed at little kids, they will love the interactive experience of their favorite songs being played out against a film they like. So if seeing is truly believing, grab the little ones and take a trip 'Under the Sea' with Ariel and her friends.
Eh
AmazingAspie8 November 2019
obviously pretty corny but Queen Latifah slayed
clairethe-chair1124 May 2022
In my opinion, all of these live shows are pretty corny verging on cringy. Like really don't think John stamos needs to be doing this with his career. But honestly this one was a lot of fun and like the majority of it was just watching the movie. But really Queen Latifah is absolutely incredible in this. She seriously killed it and saved the entire show.
What a waste
theunk-5691820 November 2019
This was just a train wreck. Completely unnecessary. Acting was awful. All they did was live perform the songs. The rest of it was watching the original animated movie with an annoying orchestra in the background. Shaggy couldn't even be bothered to wear an actual costume or do any acting. They completely killed my favorite Disney movie. So many things to say about it....all negative!!
Very brave but not disney
karstenmulder27 November 2019
I just saw this version on Disney+ and it's in the middle between good and bad.
The good part : the singing and the switch between the animation and stage is good highlight for me is John Stamos.
The bad part are the way they filmed it and in between some backstage shots because they remind you it's a musical : magic gone 🤷♂️ And the sea creatures it doesn't look like their animation counterpart just like in the parks.
A big hit and miss for me so disney: do better next time.
The good part : the singing and the switch between the animation and stage is good highlight for me is John Stamos.
The bad part are the way they filmed it and in between some backstage shots because they remind you it's a musical : magic gone 🤷♂️ And the sea creatures it doesn't look like their animation counterpart just like in the parks.
A big hit and miss for me so disney: do better next time.
Why?
auontheplains6 November 2019
Last night I watched "The Little Mermaid" movie with various small singing breaks. Even the producers must have been worried because at various times at the bottom of the screen there were captions to inform you of when the next "live" scene would be shown. Some of the wire stunts were the show's only saving grace. I thought the costumes were not very well designed either. Next time just re-broadcast the movie.
It doesn't replace the original, but it's fantastic nonetheless!
cinephile-276906 November 2019
I'm 21 and the last time I saw the 1989 animated feature was 6 years ago, shortly after I moved in with my Grandma. I may be of drinking-age, but I still love animated movies! If you cherish Disney, you'll love this production!
I can understand the complaints against this, since it's technically another "remake" that Disney is milking out, like they have for about 4 years, but at least they didn't make us PAY for it!
If you have seen the original movie, you know what this film is about. Ariel is a mermaid, she wants to be with humans, she falls for a prince, and so on. Aside from some minor omitted parts and 2 new songs, this is the same exact movie.
The main difference is when a song occurs, a stage production of the song is performed. Aulii Cravalho-who voiced Moana, plays Ariel to sing Part of Your World-and take part of Under The Sea and Kiss The Girl.
John Stamos, aka Uncle Jesse on Full House, plays Louis, the chef that tries to cook Sebastian, and sings "Les Poisson."
And for my final example, Queen Latifah(Miracles From Heaven, Hairspray, etc.)plays Ursula to sing "Poor Unfortunate Souls."
Watching this is a reminder of how great the hand drawn animation was(and is) and also shows how dazzling the stage can be! Every image, whether animated or gorgeous, is a pleasure to the eye!
Revisiting the movie also made me fall in love with it again. This viewing made The Little Mermaid part of my Top 5 Disney Animated Movies. That must count for something!
The actors do a fine job with their roles as well. My favorite would have to be Queen playing Ursula-let's just say she lives up to her name playing the villain!
I really don't have any major complaint. The minor changes I mentioned could have been done without, but they don't really bother me. It's true that you could just watch the original movie, but there's no harm in experiencing this version at least once!
The Little Mermaid Live is not to be missed by Disney lovers or movie lovers in general for a new, exciting experience. Those who miss it when the chance comes, I'm afraid, are poor unfortunate souls!
I can understand the complaints against this, since it's technically another "remake" that Disney is milking out, like they have for about 4 years, but at least they didn't make us PAY for it!
If you have seen the original movie, you know what this film is about. Ariel is a mermaid, she wants to be with humans, she falls for a prince, and so on. Aside from some minor omitted parts and 2 new songs, this is the same exact movie.
The main difference is when a song occurs, a stage production of the song is performed. Aulii Cravalho-who voiced Moana, plays Ariel to sing Part of Your World-and take part of Under The Sea and Kiss The Girl.
John Stamos, aka Uncle Jesse on Full House, plays Louis, the chef that tries to cook Sebastian, and sings "Les Poisson."
And for my final example, Queen Latifah(Miracles From Heaven, Hairspray, etc.)plays Ursula to sing "Poor Unfortunate Souls."
Watching this is a reminder of how great the hand drawn animation was(and is) and also shows how dazzling the stage can be! Every image, whether animated or gorgeous, is a pleasure to the eye!
Revisiting the movie also made me fall in love with it again. This viewing made The Little Mermaid part of my Top 5 Disney Animated Movies. That must count for something!
The actors do a fine job with their roles as well. My favorite would have to be Queen playing Ursula-let's just say she lives up to her name playing the villain!
I really don't have any major complaint. The minor changes I mentioned could have been done without, but they don't really bother me. It's true that you could just watch the original movie, but there's no harm in experiencing this version at least once!
The Little Mermaid Live is not to be missed by Disney lovers or movie lovers in general for a new, exciting experience. Those who miss it when the chance comes, I'm afraid, are poor unfortunate souls!
Best live integration I could conceive
rayres07083 December 2019
My sister in law HATED this, so I had very low expectations when I saw it pop up on Disney+. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did my daughter. The vocal performances were great, although the sound mixing could have been better. The costumes were beautiful and the scenery was amazing. What do people expect from a live performance of a tale that takes place more than 50% underwater?! It was fun and I found myself smiling at several points. If you enjoy musical theater, give it a shot. If you are not someone who enjoys live musicals, go watch something else.
Neither fish nor fowl, but an ill-conceived hybrid
VinnieRattolle6 November 2019
The Little Mermaid has been successfully transplanted to the stage, and live musical productions have been the rage on TV for a few years, so it seems natural that the current(ly-clueless) regime at Disney would want to exploit it. The way that it was promoted, I was fully expecting to see a televised variation of THE STAGE MUSICAL. Instead, it was primarily the animated movie with cutaways to live performances of the songs. Oh, those poor, unfortunate actors...
On their own merits, the live actors were quite good and would've been worthy of a rave review if they'd done the full stage show or even an abridged hour-long karaoke show like VH1's "Rocky Horror 25." Unfortunately, by seguing directly from the movie to the theatre, it becomes impossible not to compare the live performers to their superior animated counterparts. And to boot, there were sound issues, the continuously-panning camerawork was nauseating, and Disney resorted to stunt-casting celebrities instead of hiring the best singers for the material.
Auli'i Cravalho came close to capturing the essence of the Jodi Benson's recordings, although she still fell a little short. It's a shame that we didn't get to see her act out the rest of the part, because she seemed very appealing as Ariel. Queen Latifah had the daunting task of singing Ursula's "Poor, Unfortunate Souls." Again, impressive performance in its own rite, but she didn't match the frenzied, maniacal power of Pat Carroll's rendition. Shaggy landed the role of Sebastian simply because he's a famous Jamaican, but Samuel E. Wright he's not. (Plus, there's no logical explanation for why they dressed him in a shiny red coat that too-closely resembled Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller jacket.) John Stamos stepped into Rene Auberjonois's shoes as Chef Louis, but the funniest thing about it was that he flubbed a joke at the very end. As Prince Eric, Graham Phillips walked away pretty much unscathed because there's no basis for comparison -- the prince didn't sing in the movie, so his song just felt out of place.
In the end, it felt like an infomercial, pathetically attempting to persuade viewers to go out and see the stage show... or trying to build up excitement for the forthcoming live-action remake. Either way, they missed the mark. I didn't think it was even possible, but by half-assing it, Disney somehow managed to hit an entirely new low with their never-ending recycling of popular properties.
On their own merits, the live actors were quite good and would've been worthy of a rave review if they'd done the full stage show or even an abridged hour-long karaoke show like VH1's "Rocky Horror 25." Unfortunately, by seguing directly from the movie to the theatre, it becomes impossible not to compare the live performers to their superior animated counterparts. And to boot, there were sound issues, the continuously-panning camerawork was nauseating, and Disney resorted to stunt-casting celebrities instead of hiring the best singers for the material.
Auli'i Cravalho came close to capturing the essence of the Jodi Benson's recordings, although she still fell a little short. It's a shame that we didn't get to see her act out the rest of the part, because she seemed very appealing as Ariel. Queen Latifah had the daunting task of singing Ursula's "Poor, Unfortunate Souls." Again, impressive performance in its own rite, but she didn't match the frenzied, maniacal power of Pat Carroll's rendition. Shaggy landed the role of Sebastian simply because he's a famous Jamaican, but Samuel E. Wright he's not. (Plus, there's no logical explanation for why they dressed him in a shiny red coat that too-closely resembled Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller jacket.) John Stamos stepped into Rene Auberjonois's shoes as Chef Louis, but the funniest thing about it was that he flubbed a joke at the very end. As Prince Eric, Graham Phillips walked away pretty much unscathed because there's no basis for comparison -- the prince didn't sing in the movie, so his song just felt out of place.
In the end, it felt like an infomercial, pathetically attempting to persuade viewers to go out and see the stage show... or trying to build up excitement for the forthcoming live-action remake. Either way, they missed the mark. I didn't think it was even possible, but by half-assing it, Disney somehow managed to hit an entirely new low with their never-ending recycling of popular properties.
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