In Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, the oceans are cornflower-blue and clear as purest glass. But retelling The Little Mermaid today calls for a consideration of environmental damage and Disney’s 2023 blockbuster had Ariel’s father, King Triton, rebuking humans for disrespectfully “spoiling our waters” with the wreckage of their adventuring.
Directed by Miranda Cromwell, Sonali Bhattacharyya’s eco-fable is a timely call to arms for young audiences (it’s aimed at over-sevens). Her mermaid, Sereia (Liana Cottrill), is primarily driven to leave her home not for a crush on a prince but in order to save the dying Coral (personified by Nandi Bhebhe). And what better tragic villain than oil itself, in the demonic character of Coral’s sibling Inky Slick (Alison Fitzjohn), exploited by the world above the water and polluting the depths? If only Sereia’s beloved, the nature-loving Kai (John Leader), wasn’t the son of shameless oil profiteers (Michael Elcock and Corrina Buchan).
