Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Little Mermaid review says the outrageously gorgeous special effects delight, but the sum of all the magical parts do not make a supremely satisfying whole.

The live action version of one of Disney’s most beloved animated features faces almost insurmountable odds. You could say it was swimming upstream from its very inception.

How do you surpass, or even match, what has become an iconic film? Some people wonder why even try, but the profit to be mined from the remake answers that question before it’s even asked out loud.

New versions of Disney classics are well-received by Disney fans for the same reason they return again and again to the theme parks. There is comfort to be found there, and pure childlike delight.

We can set the burdens of the world aside for a few hours, and immerse ourselves in a world of creativity, color, music and imagination. There are far worse ways to escape.

And The Little Mermaid does indeed provide a kaleidoscopic, immersive escape. The underwater world is truly magical. The big production Under the Sea number is a joy to behold. Director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns, Into the Woods) has definitely hit some high visual notes,

So why was I left, for the most part, unmoved when I left the theater? Sure I was impressed, but this version just didn’t have the gravitas I longed for. I’ve cried like a baby through some Disney animated films, and left the theater dancing and singing. I’m not immune to the Disney charm.

And I will say this film is bursting with it. Halle Bailey as Ariel is everything we hoped she’d be and more. Hey sweet and salty demeanor is a pleasure to watch, and those pipes! Let’s just say she brings it.

And her sidekicks are excellent, especially Awkwafina as Scuttle and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian. Their performance addition of the Lin-Manuel Miranda song Scuttlebutt is great fun.

Surprisingly enough, I was not overwhelmed with Melissa McCarthy as Ursula—the script didn’t do her justice, in that she was mostly given cliched expository. Her character was not what you’d call layered.

And don’t even get me started on Javier Bardem as King Triton. Hopelessly miscast, he looks dazed and confused most of the time, as if wondering, “What in the hell am I doing here?”

The Little Mermaid review — What do the fans think?

But the avid Disney fans I brought with me to the advance screening suggested that perhaps I’m jaded by my critics’ gaze. They were delighted by the film—said it was everything they’d hoped for and more.

And after all, theirs are the opinions that count. That’s why I invited them—to give me Disney fan perspective. The people who this film was made for seem thrilled by it. And in the end, that’s what really matters.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 29 Minutes

If this The Little Mermaid review encourages you to paddle over to your local cineplex, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Little Mermaid review says the outrageously gorgeous special effects delight, but the sum of all the magical parts do not make a supremely satisfying whole.