My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "The Little Mermaid Live!" - The Broadcast Celebration Mashup of the Movie and Live Performances

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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It`s going to be hard to perform live under water ;)

We`re floating above
the ice.So we won`t
slide :)

Disney are known for exposing their properties through various forms. Whether it`s through their merchandise, spin off properties, but last and not least their Theme Parks attractions, Stage Adaptations or their famous Disney on Ice. So in that regard, Disney has always kept it`s audience reminded of the existense of their products. Some naysayers have detested this method and therefore blaming them for their sheer overexposure of their marketing. And yes, while there is some truth to it, at least Disney sometimes does have genuine, inspired intentions of interpretating their products through various mediums. And regardless of it`s criticism, it still can be a genuine treat for a true Disney fan to see the movies through other forms.

Information

It will be live on this screen :)
Even though it`s small ;)

With The Little Mermaid Live! (or also The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!), Disney has done something that is pretty noteworthy: To Broadcast a new show that was a blend of the animated movie and live performances. True, Disney has done similar things with both Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin during the 1990`s. With showing their Disney on Ice-shows with footage of their Motions Pictures. And the same with their concerts of Beauty and Mermaid at Hollywood Bowl (which also has the same producer, Richard Kraft).

This is our version of
Cancan :)

These waves are trying to be
my walls :) Don`t blame them
for trying :)

But at least Mermaid Live! differs with having actual show being Broadcast to Television. As well as having a Live Audience in the show. The special was aimed to the recent trend of live made-for-television productions of Broadway on Network TV, such as those of NBC. The "Dive-in Theater" included a projection surface in the middle of the room. Which played the animated feature (which is what viewers saw on TV), and when a song came on, the screen transitioned to the live performances.

Our theory will
make the bang
smaller this time :)

Directed and produced by Super Bowl`s Hamish Hamilton, Mermaid Live! premiered at ABC on The Wonderful World of Disney on November 5, 2019 and afterwards became available on Disney Plus (which`ve was a deliberate choice, to cross-promote the streaming device). Being ABC`s first-ever live-musical event. And frankly, it's an inspired way for Disney to honor this pivotal classic. No matter all the cynical intentions behind it and how cynics have frown at this. Considering that the original movie turned 30 in the fall of 2019, there's no better way to honor the iconic feature with such a show that happens to be a hybrid of the animated movie and live performances.

The network was looking to stage a live Disney musical for some time. The special was performed on the Disney lot. Being was watched by 9.01 million viewers, making it the highest-rated made-for-TV musical since Grease: Live in January 2016. It was the highest-rated entertainment telecast since the finale of The Big Bang Theory in May 2019. While it was originally going to air in 2017, it was postponed due to budget issues. Until it was revived to synergize to the 30th Anniversary (being announced the same August). In the US, the telecast received a 2.6/12 percent share among adults between 18 and 49, which it was seen by 2.6 percent of all households. And yes, Peta, no live fish was taken out of the water for the production ;)

The Casting

I'm spinning around,
move out of my way :)

It`s our version of sliding
doors :)

Since Mermaid Live! is pretty much is a screening of the animated

classic, there`s been little changes to the story itself. However, it`s noteworthy how a couple of songs from the Broadway show was added to the piece (proving that the Broadway show is connected to other properties. With lyrics by Tangled`s Glenn Slater). Of course the casting is worth to mention, by having big celebrity names as Queen Latifah as Ursula (who`ve already posed as Ursula for Disney Parks Dream Portrait Series in 2011), Shaggy as Sebastian (both of them announced the same August of 2017) and John Stamos as Chief Louis (whom he had already played in the Hollywood Bowl production).

At least we both have a flower
on our hairs :) Even though it`s
not the same color :) But what
gives? :)

My hair looks like ice
cream :) And that`s why
I wanna eat it :)

But the casting of Ariel herself could be seen as gimmicky, as we have the voice of Moana as our ginger mermaid herself. The casting is also a synergy, since Moana was another movie by John Musker and Ron Clements that was set in the Ocean. And yes, having an celebrity cast is pretty much a gimmick. But we`ll have to be honest and confess that it`s a gimmick that is well known for a reason. Yet the crew knew they had the right person when Cravalho walked into the room for bringing “joy and wonder" to Ariel.

And yes, Auli'i gets to wear Ariel's red wig (for all the rants of casting an African American lead as Ariel to the Live Action remake of Mermaid, at least Mermaid Live! is another property where a non-White actress is cast as Ariel).

Be glad that you`re looking
straight ahead :) Otherwise
you`ve would`ve seen us :)

And yes, wearing the wig was really strange for her. And no, my intention was not to bash the choice of Cravalho, as I personally do think it`s an inspired choice (Cravalho have stated that she "shares the joy that Ariel has" and that "she won’t have to worry too much about what she brought to the character because she brought herself, and she felt like that’s enough.”) Cravalho is huge fan of Jodi Benson and has gotten to know her, saying that the veteran actor has become like an older sister to her. Auli`i also had to soar during her performance (and used the pun that "Ariel gets to do aerial work", which she liked.

It's also noteworthy to have Queen Latifah herself as Ursula (who was widely praised for her performance). But it`s also an inspired choice to have Shaggy as our ginger crab (who already had recorded a rap version of Under The Sea in 1996). Considering that Sebastian was meant to be Jamaican after all, it was a choice that worked. Of course it`s also a synergy that Benson herself gets to introduce the whole piece (which she announced on Facebook). While some may find it contrived, it`s still an inspired choice. Graham Phillips appeared as Prince Eric. Guillermo Rodriguez from Jimmy Kimmel Live! has a cameo as "dat blowfish" during Under the Sea.

Reception & Epilogue

Be glad that my crew ain`t
pirates :) We wouldn`t sink that
low :)

Otherwise, there's not so much to say about this show. For everyone who knows Mermaid, knows exactly what they`ll get. At least this show expands the Fanthoms Belows with some new verses. And at least the settings and decorations are well made. With some pretty darn good choreography (by choreographers Nick and RJ Durrell, who worked on P!nk’s The Beautiful Trauma World Tour). While the reviews have been overall mixed, the screening has been a success, nonetheless.