Why did Halle Bailey get the gig as Ariel in this live-action take on the much-loved 1989 cartoon musical? Well, 10 minutes in and the answer’s obvious. Lily James and Emma Watson were charming in bringing other Disney cartoons to life – in 2015’s Cinderella and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast respectively – but Bailey is in a different league. She is a phenomenal singer, actor and “batty lip burbler”... but more of that later.
Much of the cartoon’s plot has been tweaked. Scriptwriter David Magee introduces new characters a-plenty; he’s added topical themes galore. You want new songs? Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken provide four.
