Since the animated release of “The Little Mermaid” in 1989, the love story between star-crossed Prince Eric and mermaid Ariel has been known as a classic Disney tale. Since that was 34 years ago, Disney did what Disney does and created a live-action version of the classic film. While I feel many of these remakes have been disappointing — such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King” — “The Little Mermaid” stood out as something a little more exciting.

Ariel’s enchanting siren-like voice couldn’t have been replicated better by anyone other than Halle Bailey. While never missing a note, Bailey embodied Ariel’s adventurous and youthful spirit through every song. Bailey is able to show off both her singing and acting abilities, as this version creates far more personality for both her and Prince Eric through more extensive storylines.

Some may notice the film’s length, two hours and 15 minutes, to be much longer than the 1989 film. In this additional time, they added a few original songs. Even after the sea witch, Ursula, takes her voice in exchange for legs to go on land, Ariel is still able to sing in her head. These extra songs based on her internal monologue not only keep the movie from lagging but serve as a way to expand her thoughts, worries and feelings.

Jonah Hauer-King performs a new solo as Prince Eric, which makes the separation between this version and the previous very clear. Where he had little original or interesting traits before, this character now has his own life outside of being a love interest. With both characters being far more developed, there was a chance for them to show some kind of compatibility–as much as people can have after three days.

While most songs were beneficial, the added song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, “The Scuttlebutt” performed by Awkwafina as Scuttle, was something the film really didn’t need.

One thing that holds this film back is the design of Ariel’s best fish friend, Flounder, and her guardian crustacean, Sebastian. Seeing an incredibly realistic CGI fish speaking with his little fish mouth was, at times, a little goofy. While Jacob Tremblay was the obvious choice for Flounder, the look simply did not match the lovable cartoonish demeanor Trembly brought to the role.

Ursula being played by Melissa McCarthy was not something I was necessarily excited for, but she rose to the occasion and proved herself as a respectable choice for the sea witch. Her vocals were not only powerful but impressive enough to make her solo one of my favorite parts of the movie.

As a fan of the original, the 1989 version is the movie I’d still prefer, but I think the live-action “The Little Mermaid” is an overall win for Disney and a movie worth seeing for fans of the original.

Rating: 7/10