"Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be, part of your world ..."
Hello everyone!
Or well, a return to my roots, one could say.
Once upon a time, you see, I used to LIVE for these movies - I even watched a bunch, reviewed a fair few as well, because why not?
So then when Disney+ suggested stuff to me after watching the newest The Little Mermaid take, I was like
why not?
Which means you get to sit back, relax, and read through as I discuss the merits of on stage singing during a special viewing of The Little Mermaid.
And bemoan that I never got to see it.
Live, that is. The Little Mermaid Live.
And just to be clear, I'm not recapping the entire thing again, because it's still the same: teen mermaid wants to explore the world above the sea level and walk with humans, her dad won't let her, she goes to the sea witch because she just HAS to meet the prince she saved earlier, trades her voice for legs, nearly gets usurped by said sea witch, and ends up in an epic battle with her after which her father (conveniently the king) grants her legs to live on the shore forever with her now-husband, the prince.
The end!
Ahem.
The way this live performance was set up is, they showed parts of the original movie, but the singing bits were the ones that got real-life, live-action reimaginings.
And I LOVED them.
We got to witness Part of Your World, Under the Sea, Poor Unfortunate Souls, and the like, all performed on stage live by some of the best performers in their generation.
Auli'i Cravalho absolutely SLAYS as Ariel after being introduced to us as Moana, and she really captures the essence of Jodi Benson from twenty-odd years ago.
I have to say though, in contrast, Graham Phillips LOOKS the part of Eric, but doesn't have such a memorable performance for his part. He's okay, but he's nothing to really lose sleep over, and I think that Jonah Hauer-King is the better choice for Eric overall.
Moving on however, Queen Latifah as Ursula? THE BEST DECISION EVER MADE! She has the time of her life up there, channeling her inner baddie, but I have to admit that the costume was a bit of a miss there ... she could barely move during some of her scenes, and that's unfortunate, pun intended. Her voice leaves you breathless, however.
Now who are we missing, you ask? Our favourite crustacean of course! Sebastian's singing is given to none other than Shaggy, whose costume is also a bit eh, but he definitely knows how to bring the crab to life if you ask me.
The one person I do have to wonder about is John Stamos here, because I have NO clue how they signed him on, and yet ... when he IS on stage, he outshines them all! I don't know how it happened, I don't know who made the decision, but I applaud it. I really do!
There's a little guest appearance from Amber Riley who sings us the song about Triton's daughters, and that about concludes the roundup - because obviously, the pooch playing Max has a category all for himself DUH.
Overall, this is a lovely and enchanting experience, which should transport children very easily. Adults may take some convincing, but I'll be honest and say I didn't watch this for the nitpicks.
I watched it for the nostalgia, and the music.
Part of Your World still moves me to tears every single time I hear it sung, and it doesn't matter how many times it is.
So if you have the time, I highly encourage you to see this, because I promise you won't regret it. It's something for the whole family to enjoy!
10/10 recommend.
xx
*images and video not mine
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