The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

67% Tomatometer 346 Reviews 94% Audience Score 10,000+ Verified Ratings

The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life -- and her father's crown -- in jeopardy. Read More Read Less

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The Little Mermaid

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The Little Mermaid

What to Know

Critics Consensus

With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-action Little Mermaid ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings.

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Audience Says

Halle Bailey is outstanding in The Little Mermaid -- and most of the other new additions to this version of the story hit the mark as well.

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Critics Reviews

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The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Caroline Siede Girl Culture (Substack) The delightful sits alongside the baffling in Marshall’s adaptation, which is so often the way it goes with these Disney live action remakes. Oct 2, 2023 Full Review The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Nell Minow Movie Mom Parts of this movie are truly enchanting, especially the underwater scenes. The opening moments on Prince Eric’s ship are thrillingly filmed and the “Under the Sea” number is a glorious Busby Berkeley underwater fantasia. Rated: B+ Jul 7, 2023 Full Review The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Wenlei Ma News.com.au It’s trying so hard to not upset fans of the original that it often feels like imitation with a couple of adjustments. And that’s about as flat as Flounder’s new-found photorealism. Rated: 2.5/5 Jun 16, 2023 Full Review The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Savina Petkova A Good Movie To Watch The film feels at once too stunted for an actual musical and too expansive to be just another movie. Rated: 6.9/10 Oct 29, 2023 Full Review The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Shawn Edwards Fox 4 Kansas City The music does seem to soar for the most part, and the movie is all elevated by Halle Bailey, she's fantastic. Rated: 3/5 Oct 27, 2023 Full Review The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Jackson Weaver CBC News [U]nfortunately, you do gotta (slightly) hand it to them — in the disenchanting, decomposing pile of animated adaptations, The Little Mermaid at least lies somewhere in the upper half. Oct 16, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Annette I give it a 7 out of 10. I definitely enjoyed the movie, mostly well done. I didn't notice or pay much attention to the changed lyrics in the classic songs, so that's not a bother. The actors were well cast for their roles. The new songs were amusing and had meaning. Some scenes looked like they were shot for shot from the animated version, which may or may not be a good thing, since in some parts it felt redundant in that it felt like it was imitating the animated version. Still, I understand wanting to keep some things from the original and not change too much. My favorite change made in the live-action is (spoiler alert) the relationship between Ariel and Eric because they built a bond gradually throughout the movie and made their love believable. This is the reason I would rewatch the movie, because Halle Bailey and Jonah Haur King had great chemistry and I loved watching them together, and the ending is beautiful and innocent, and convincing. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/08/23 Full Review Dabria Loved every minute of it! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Schenique It was a great re make I will watch it again:) Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Super bummer. Only saving grace was Ursula and Scuttle, and only because of the actresses that play them. The movie and filming were awful. Super bummed. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Ade The mermaid seems much younger than the prince. Why the mermaids sibling came from different races? Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Angelica Simplemente me Encant!!! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Little Mermaid

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Cast & Crew

Rob Marshall Director Halle Bailey Ariel Jonah Hauer-King Prince Eric Javier Bardem King Triton Melissa McCarthy Ursula Daveed Diggs Sebastian
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Movie Clips

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The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid: Extended Preview The Little Mermaid: Extended Preview 9:37 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - The Scuttlebutt The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - The Scuttlebutt 1:11 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Poor Unfortunate Souls The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Poor Unfortunate Souls 0:52 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - You Listen to Me Bird The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - You Listen to Me Bird 0:35 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - So Here's the Deal The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - So Here's the Deal 0:37 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Under the Sea The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Under the Sea 0:59 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Kiss the Girl The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Kiss the Girl 0:55 The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Part Of Your World The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Part Of Your World 0:48 View more videos

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Related Movie News

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The Most Anticipated Movies of 2023 Weekend Box Office Results: The Little Mermaid Rises to the Top with Solid Holiday Opening What to Watch This Week: The Little Mermaid, American Born Chinese, Platonic, and More

Videos

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The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid: Music Video - "Part Of Your World" In 22 Languages The Little Mermaid: Music Video - "Part Of Your World" In 22 Languages 3:25 The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Choreographing Under The Sea The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Choreographing Under The Sea 1:33 ‘The Little Mermaid’ Cast on Ariel and Prince Eric’s Chemistry, New Music, & Getting Into Character ‘The Little Mermaid’ Cast on Ariel and Prince Eric’s Chemistry, New Music, & Getting Into Character 31:03 Everything You Need to Know Before Seeing 'The Little Mermaid' Everything You Need to Know Before Seeing 'The Little Mermaid' 9:25 The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Music of The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Music of The Little Mermaid 2:47 The Little Mermaid: TV Spot - Unfortunate The Little Mermaid: TV Spot - Unfortunate 1:00 The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Halle's Ariel The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Halle's Ariel 1:32 The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Cast Goes Under The Sea The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Cast Goes Under The Sea 1:56 The Little Mermaid: Spot - Choices The Little Mermaid: Spot - Choices 0:59 The Little Mermaid: Featurette - A World Reimagined The Little Mermaid: Featurette - A World Reimagined 1:49 View more videos

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The Little Mermaid

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Movie Info

Synopsis The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life -- and her father's crown -- in jeopardy.

Director
Rob Marshall

Producer
Marc Platt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John DeLuca, Rob Marshall

Screenwriter
David Magee

Distributor
Walt Disney Pictures

Production Co
Walt Disney Pictures, Marc Platt Productions, Lucamar

Rating
PG (Some Scary Images|Action/Peril)

Genre
Kids & Family, Musical, Fantasy, Romance

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
May 26, 2023, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 25, 2023

Box Office (Gross USA)
$298.2M

Runtime
2h 15m

Sound Mix
DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby, Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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The Little Mermaid (2023) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

How much did Halle Bailey get paid for The Little Mermaid? ›

It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.

What are people saying about The Little Mermaid in 2023? ›

With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-action Little Mermaid ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings. Halle Bailey is outstanding in The Little Mermaid -- and most of the other new additions to this version of the story hit the mark as well.

Is The Little Mermaid doing well in theaters? ›

Its success on Disney+ follows a strong theatrical run this summer. The movie—which was directed by Rob Marshall and opened over Memorial Day weekend to $118.6 million in North America—was one of the top five highest-grossing films of the summer domestically with nearly $300 million.

Will The Little Mermaid 2023 have red hair? ›

The Little Mermaid 2023: The Little Mermaid: Halle Bailey's red hair as Ariel cost a whopping $150K; here's why - The Economic Times.

How much did Melissa McCarthy get paid for The Little Mermaid? ›

Melissa McCarthy, who played the devious Ursula in the live-action, made $500,000 for her work in the film.

Was The Little Mermaid a flop or success? ›

The film grossed $298 million domestically and $569 million worldwide.

What are critics saying about The Little Mermaid? ›

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a mediocre film readaptation that pays tribute to the original film while also adding some new twists and depth. It is not perfect or groundbreaking, but it is good and nostalgic. However, it could have been better if it had followed the same aspects of the original.

How many Disney movies have flopped recently? ›

The majority of Disney movies (9 out of 11) that came out in 2023 flopped (= lost money). Do you expect this bad streak to continue for Disney in 2024? The only wide releases of Disney in 2023 that didn't lose money were GotG 3 and Elemental. The other 9 movies all lost money.

Why was Ariels hair so expensive? ›

The hair that was added was Keratin-infused, three different shades of red, and 30 inches long — which meant the price tag was high. “I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out," Friend said.

How much did Ariel's wig cost? ›

And putting her in a wig was going to look crazy,” Friend told Variety. “I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out. You couldn't use it and we'd have to start again. It was a process,” she continued.

Why did Ariel have dreadlocks? ›

The actress has now opened up about how it felt to include that feature as part of Ariel's identity. Speaking to Glamour, Halle says the film's producers – including director Rob Marshall – were keen to stay true to her Black heritage through the character.

How did Halle Bailey get cast as Ariel? ›

In LA, everybody is somebody, so people don't really bother you. They kind of just leave you alone.” Bailey was asked to audition for The Little Mermaid after Marshall saw her at the Grammys, with Chlöe, performing Where Is the Love, in tribute to Donny Hathaway. “I didn't think it would be for Ariel.

How old was Halle Bailey when she filmed Little Mermaid? ›

Filming “The Little Mermaid” was a metamorphic experience for Bailey, who was 18 when she auditioned and 21 when she finished production.

How much does Halle Berry make? ›

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Halle signed with Revlon in 1996 for $3 million and re-upped her contract in 2004 for $5 million. The outlet estimates that she currently "earns north of $10 million per year from Revlon alone."

How much do mermaid actors make? ›

$42,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $46,000 is the 75th percentile.

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