When Disney announced Halle Bailey would step into the fins of the The Little Mermaid 2023 Ariel, the internet basically imploded. Honestly, it was a lot to take in. You had the nostalgia purists on one side clutching their 1989 VHS tapes, and on the other, a generation ready to see a version of the reef that looked a bit more like the real world. But now that the bubbles have settled and the box office numbers are in the history books, we can look at what actually happened on screen. It wasn’t just a color-blind casting choice; it was a fundamental shift in how Disney approaches its "princess" problem.
Rob Marshall, the director, didn't just want a singer. He wanted a specific kind of ethereal vulnerability. He's gone on record saying that Bailey was the very first person they saw for the role, and she set a bar that nobody else could touch. That's rare in Hollywood. Usually, these things are grueling months-long searches, but Ariel was found almost immediately.
Why the New Ariel Had to Change
The 1989 Ariel was a product of her time. She was sixteen, impulsive, and—let’s be real—her entire motivation was centered on a guy she saw for four seconds. In the The Little Mermaid 2023 Ariel version, the writers (including David Magee) tried to bake in a little more agency. This Ariel isn't just "boy crazy." She’s an amateur glass-bottom-boat-wreck historian.
She's obsessed with the surface world because it represents a forbidden intellectual curiosity. Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, is similarly restructured. He’s not just a handsome chin with a ship; he’s a collector of artifacts, an outsider in his own palace. This creates a "mirror" effect between the two leads. They don't just fall in love because they're both attractive; they fall in love because they’re both nerds for things they aren't supposed to have.
It makes the "Part of Your World" sequence feel different. When Bailey sings it, there's a desperate, almost frantic need for knowledge. It’s less about a crush and more about an existential crisis. The song, which has always been the heart of the franchise, became a viral sensation all over again, hitting the Billboard charts and proving that the vocal performance was the anchor of the entire $560 million global haul.
The Design and the "Uncanny Valley"
We have to talk about the look. Transitioning a cartoon mermaid into a live-action environment is a nightmare for VFX artists. The The Little Mermaid 2023 Ariel design leaned heavily into photorealism. This meant the hair had to move like it was actually underwater, which is a massive computational challenge.
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Hair is hard. Digital hair is harder.
The team used a mix of real footage and CGI to get the flowing effect of Ariel’s locs. They didn't want a wig that looked like a plastic helmet. They wanted movement. Camille Friend, the lead hair stylist who has worked on Marvel films like Black Panther, worked closely with Bailey to incorporate her natural hair into the Ariel look. This wasn't just an aesthetic choice; it was about identity. They spent upwards of $150,000 on the hair alone to get the shade of red-orange just right while maintaining the texture.
The tail design also went through iterations. In the original, it's a simple green. In the 2023 version, it’s iridescent, shifting colors based on the light. It looks more like a real tropical fish and less like a costume. This groundedness helped sell the stakes, even when she’s talking to a CGI crab voiced by Daveed Diggs.
The Music: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Touch
Alan Menken returned, which was a huge win for the production’s credibility. But adding Lin-Manuel Miranda to the mix changed the DNA of the soundtrack. We got new songs like "For the First Time," which captures the sensory overload Ariel feels when she finally hits land.
Think about it.
You’ve never felt gravity. You’ve never felt "hot" or "cold" in the way we do. You’ve never worn shoes. That song tries to communicate the literal pain and excitement of those first few hours. Then you have "The Scuttlebutt," which... look, people either loved it or hated it. It’s a fast-paced rap that feels very Hamilton, and while it was a jarring shift for some, it added a frantic energy to the second act that the original lacked.
Bailey’s vocal range is objectively massive. She brings a jazz-influenced phrasing to the classic tracks that makes them feel fresh. She isn't trying to mimic Jodi Benson. She’s doing her own thing. Benson herself even gave the performance her blessing, appearing in a brief cameo during the market scene to symbolically "hand over the dinglehopper."
Breaking Down the Box Office and Cultural Impact
The movie didn't just exist in a vacuum. It became a flashpoint for discussions about representation in media. While the "review bombing" on sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes was a real phenomenon—forcing those sites to update their scoring algorithms to mitigate bot activity—the actual audience reception was generally high.
- CinemaScore: "A" grade from opening night audiences.
- The movie outperformed the original's adjusted-for-inflation earnings.
- It sparked a massive wave of "mermaidcore" fashion trends.
The The Little Mermaid 2023 Ariel proved that there is a massive market for diverse reimagining of classic tales, despite what the loudest voices on social media might claim. It wasn't a perfect movie—some critics found the underwater scenes a bit too dark or "muddy"—but the central performance was almost universally praised. Even the harshest critics usually started their reviews by saying, "Halle Bailey is a star."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
In the 1989 version, King Triton saves the day. He’s the one who ultimately deals the blow to Ursula (mostly). In the 2023 version, Ariel is the one who steers the ship into the sea witch.
It’s a small change with huge implications.
It shifts the narrative from a girl being rescued by her father to a woman taking responsibility for the mess she accidentally helped create. It’s a more modern heroic arc. She isn't just a bystander in her own climax. She’s the protagonist. It makes her eventual departure to explore the world with Eric feel earned rather than just a "happily ever after" gift from her dad.
Real-World Lessons from Ariel’s Journey
If we’re looking for the "so what" of this whole thing, it’s about the value of curiosity. Ariel’s character is defined by a willingness to leave her comfort zone—literally her entire world—to understand something she's been told is "dangerous" or "evil."
In the film, the humans are terrified of the "sea people," and the merfolk are terrified of the "ship-wreckers." The romance is the bridge. It's a classic trope, sure, but it's handled with more nuance here. Eric’s mother, the Queen (a new character for the film), represents the human fear of the unknown, mirroring Triton’s prejudice.
Next Steps for Fans and Creators
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of The Little Mermaid 2023 Ariel, you should start by listening to the "Art of the Score" podcasts or watching the "Making Of" featurettes on Disney+. Specifically, look for the segments on the "dry-for-wet" filming technique. The actors weren't actually underwater for most of it; they were on complex rigs that simulated the movement of water.
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For those interested in the cultural legacy, compare the 2023 script to the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. You’ll find that the new movie actually pulls a bit more from the melancholy of the source material than the 1989 version did, particularly regarding the physical pain of having legs and the feeling of being caught between two worlds.
Watch the performance again, but this time, ignore the CGI. Look at Bailey's eyes. The ability to act while suspended 20 feet in the air on a harness, singing at the top of your lungs, and reacting to a tennis ball on a stick (the stand-in for Sebastian) is a technical feat that deserves respect. The movie stands as a testament to the idea that some stories are universal enough to survive—and thrive—with a new face and a new voice.