Less than a year after the Disney live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023) arrived in theaters to an enormous yawn, there’s a new trailer about the sea princess who wants to walk on land.
The Walt Disney Company has been banking on live-action remakes for years. While there was some precedent with Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1994) and the Glenn Close-starring 101 Dalmatians (1996), the most recent wave of remakes really began with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010). The film grossed over a billion dollars on the strength of Johnny Depp’s post-Pirates of the Caribbean wackiness, and Disney’s template for the next two decades was set.
Related: ‘Snow White’ Copyright Seized as Rachel Zegler Disney Remake Canceled
But the success of Disney’s live-action remakes of its classics has been double-edged. While movies like Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Aladdin (2019) may have had huge box office receipts, they have also left virtually no imprint in pop culture, especially compared to the Disney Renaissance movies they are based on.
The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as the eponymous underwater princess, was released in theaters in 2023 and is already almost entirely forgotten despite a huge box office gross and the presence of supporting ringers like Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula. Unfortunately, the immense production budget and the controversy over casting a Black actress as Ariel seem to be the lasting legacy of the Disney remake.
So, now, a new horror remake of The Little Mermaid (using the same public domain 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale source) is on its way, and a trailer has landed. MSR Media International describes the plot of the film as:
Dr. Eric Prince, an archaeologist, makes a dramatic discovery on a small Caribbean island—proof of an ancient, advanced prehistoric society. While his dig is in progress, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Aurora Bey and falls in love. Her arrival coincides with several mermaid sightings and strange disappearances.
When Eric’s friend and mentor, Dr. Ashley, arrives on the island, Ashley uncovers the true identity of Aurora and the dangers of the hidden evil inside Eric’s dig site. Will Eric heed his friend’s advice, or will he be blinded by love and the power of the siren, allowing the world to fall to the forces of evil?
Based on the original story by Hans Christian Andersen.
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The new Little Mermaid follows in the footsteps of the Blood and Honey films featuring Winnie the Pooh as a deranged slasher. There is a wave of movies starring children’s classic stories in the goriest possible fashion, and it seems this new film will be taking things under the sea.
The Little Mermaid is directed by Leigh Scott and will star Lydia Helen, Mike Markoff, and Jeff Denton. It does not yet have a scheduled release date.
Why are there so many horror remakes of Disney films happening? Tell us your theories in the comments below!
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