Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has been bluntly criticized by John Musker, director of the original, for its lackluster story and the designs of its CGI characters. The 2023 adaptation of the 1989 animated film is one of many live-action remakes the company has made of their classic animated films. Despite The Little Mermaid getting generally positive reviews, though, others have criticized it for unnecessary story alterations and CGI that makes its animal characters look too realistic.

Speaking with Variety about Disney’s current film output, Musker specifically criticized the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid, singling out its story and character flaws. The director – also responsible for directing movies like Aladdin and Moana – was critical of Ariel’s connection to her father in the remake’s story, as well as the decision to make characters like Sebastian and Flounder so real. Check out what Musker had to say below:

Companies are always like, ‘How do we reduce our risk? They like this, right? We’ll just do it again and sell it to them in a different form.’ Or they think, ‘Well, we could make it better.’

They didn’t play up the father-daughter story [in 2023’s The Little Mermaid], and that was the heart of the movie, in a way. And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with ‘The Lion King.’

That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal. That’s what animation does best.

The Little Mermaid Can Teach Disney How To Improve Their Live-Action Remakes

The Little Mermaid remake currently sits at 67% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many praising it as enjoyable but as not being able to surpass the quality of the animated original. This aligns with Musker’s criticism that Disney is hoping to create live-action remakes that are better than their original counterparts, something they seemingly haven’t been able to achieve yet. Since remakes are a staple of Disney now, they’re unlikely to stop making them in the near future. However, mixed reviews for their latest remake could help them to improve the ones coming soon.

One key criticism Musker has for live-action remakes is CGI, which makes animal characters look too realistic, axing their stylized animated versions. This can be remedied by giving them more expressive designs, allowing their faces to better show their feelings. This should especially be applied to the upcoming Mufasa: The Lion King. While not a remake, this prequel to the live-action adaptation of The Lion King can improve on its predecessor by making its characters’ feelings stand out through their designs and expressions. This can then be applied to future remakes in the works.

As for the storytelling, The Little Mermaid veers from the original by adding a multitude of scenes and songs that weren’t there before. While this doesn’t alter the key story beats, it makes the experience feel very different when compared to the original. As Musker indicates, it may be more effective for remakes to stick closer to their source material, so things like Ariel’s relationship with her father aren’t lost in the cracks. While Disney has their own model of success for their live-action remakes, the director’s statement shows how much they could still improve.

Source: Variety