"There are things we can do in live-action that you can’t do in an animated world,” explains 'The Little Mermaid' director Rob Marshall. — Photo: Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
Look at Rob Marshall’s filmography – isn’t it neat? He’s got adaptations of stage musicals aplenty, from acclaimed stage musicals like Chicago (which won him the Best Picture Oscar in 2002), Nine, and Into The Woods, to books like Memoirs Of A Geisha, which also won three Academy Awards. He’s also got franchises and sequels galore, like Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Mary Poppins Returns.
But his latest adaptation is a thingamabob that posed new challenge for the seasoned director – a live-action remake of one of Disney’s most beloved animated classics – 1989’s The Little Mermaid.
The story for both the animation and live-action aren’t that different – Ariel (Halle Bailey) is the youngest daughter of Triton, King of The Ocean (Javier Bardem). She longs to be part of the surface world and meet humans, despite being given explicit instructions not by her father, who sends his loyal majordomo Sebastian the crab (voiced by Daveed Diggs) to watch over her.
However, after she rescues the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a sinking ship, and falls in love with him, she makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to trade her voice for a pair of legs so that she can go and be with him.
Rob Marshall arrives for the world premiere of 'The Little Mermaid' in Hollywood, California, on May 8, 2023. – Photo: AFP
During a virtual roundtable interview from Australia recently, Marshall talked about the challenges he faced when filming the movie, which is currently showing in cinemas.
According to him, it was a ‘balancing act’ to come up with something that was faithful to the original while also being fresh enough for someone who had never seen it before to enjoy.
“I knew that we were in a different genre. Live action is different from animation. There are things we can do in live-action that you can’t do in an animated world,” he explained.
“I actually went back to the Hans Christian Anderson tale, just to really see what the core of the story was. I loved that the story was actually very modern - it was the story of a young girl who feels displaced and doesn’t feel like she belongs.
"Then she embarks on this journey to bridge the two worlds – her world and the human world, and isn’t afraid of breaking down barriers. It felt very contemporary to me, to not be afraid of people who are not like you.”
Marshall says the live-action genre allowed him to flesh out Eric and Ariel's stories more. — Photo: Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
Marshall also knew he had the opportunity in this live-action version to flesh out some stories, especially the Ariel and Eric story.
“Why did they connect? Who are they? Can they meet in a less superficial, and more profound way?” he mused.
“I think she falls in love with his substance and who he is, and sees similarities in terms of their journeys. I liked that we can bring that to life in a more modern way. But that all comes from the fact that we had the live-action genre to work with and to create a fuller piece.”
That ‘balancing act’ also included his treatment of the songs and music in the film, and Marshall said in terms of that, it was very clear what was missing from the animation, what was needed in the live-action version, and what wouldn’t work.
“Again, some things work in an animated form that just don’t work in live-action. For example, there’s a fun song (in the animation) called Le Poisson, which is with the chef and Sebastian.
"But it’s kind of a vacation from the story. It’s more of a Saturday morning cartoon concept that works better in animation, where a chef runs around trying to chop up a crab. It just doesn't work when you try to tell a fully live-action story,” he explained.
Unlike the original animated film, Ariel gets more than just one song in the live-action version. — Photo: Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
Marshall also realised when he watched the original film that for some reason, Ariel only had one song in the entire film, despite her voice being one of the most integral pieces of the plot.
"That’s crazy! She’s the lead actor, and I want to hear from her more!” he said. “I decided wanted to hear from her when she first comes on land – what does it feel like to be on land for the first time? It’s wonderful, scary, beautiful and kind of awkward. So we found a song called For The First Time, which she was able to sing in an internal voice.”
He also realised that Eric didn’t have a song in the original film, and gave him one as well. “Who is he? What does he want? What’s his journey? That’s a major character in any musical – and a character like that always has a song,” he said.
The film also boasts a star-studded cast including the likes of Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy. Marshall explains that when he casts a film, he is always looking for actors who can bring a sort of three dimensional quality to the role. He was especially excited to see the likes of Bardem and McCarthy in roles that were different from what they used to.
Javier Bardem as King Triton . — Photo: Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
“I know Javier in person, and I know his relationship with his children. I know his huge heart and vulnerability he has as a person,” he said.
“So I thought it would be fun to let us see that. It’s a very emotional and strong performance, and of course when he lets (Ariel) go in the end, you see that change in him that is so important for the film.”
“As for Melissa, I was just so knocked out by her performance! She was so surprising, because she has so much to offer as an actor. And I knew she would be able to play all the colours – she’s not just an evil villain, but she’s not just funny either. The depth she brings to the part, the injured person that she plays too... you get to understand her a little bit more.
“It’s a technically challenging film, so the most important thing for me was that the acting, the story and all that is up front, and with this cast, that happened,” he concluded.
