I love my streaming. Love it! I don’t think there is a service out there to which I am NOT subscribed.

As a natural introvert, streaming films on my large TV with my hubby meets my needs. Add that to the cost and it is a rare movie that I make sure I am in a cinema. Marvel films always make the exception list. Pixar films are a close second.

When I was invited to a press screening of Disney’s new live-action, “The Little Mermaid”, however, I was more excited about an outing with my niece and nephew than seeing the film on the big screen. I might have been lulled into complacency of a Disney+ Premium membership and waited a few months, having told myself that I saw the original in the theaters so many years ago.

Wow, was I wrong! I would put that in bold, but I am afraid that my husband my actually read this post and then immortalize it for my headstone — LOL!

A Must Theatrical See

With all the lush beauty of a Pixar and all the action detail of Marvel, this Little Mermaid is a must ticket purchase. It is possibly the most beautiful film I have seen. You never doubt that Ariel and her family are fully three-dimensional creatures alive in water. The shots of the burning ships and other large sea-borne scenes are extraordinary. This is a Mermaid for my 11yo nephew who went along begrudgingly and exclaimed with joy after an especially large water-action scene, “wow! That was amazing. I didn’t think it would be THAT good!”

All of that said, there is more than surface to this underwater beauty. The music is still the real shining star of this epic. And it is well cared for in the hands of this Ariel. Halle Bailey is simply magnificent. If the best answer to your critics is doing the work, then Ms. Bailey is Google. Her lilting voice is at once powerful and youthful. Her joy, fear, pain, and love is present in each note and each frame. A rare performer can bring a classic to life in a way that meets the expectations of a new generation without letting go of the original She is that unique talent and I am blinded by how bright her future is.

Now and Then

There are too many and yet too few words for this film. The rest of the cast, notably Javier Bardem as Triton, Melissa McCarthy in a star-turn as Ursula, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian provide an emotional depth to this sea tale. Above ground, Noma Dumezweni and Art Malik bring regal elegance and gravitas to their guidance of a love-sick Eric. He is played to rich delight by Jonah Hauer-King whose voice is worthy of the new song added by Alan Menken and Lin-Manual Miranda.

All in all a treasure that is easy to find - your local movie theater. I recommend it for all ages with one caveat. The action is written for children but it is, as I mentioned above, worthy of a Marvel. The scenes are on a massive scale, often in semi-darkness, and can be scary. Be aware of your own children’s tendencies with this in mind.

The entire team, but most especially the beautiful Mermaid herself, Halle Bailey, bridge that difficult divide between the two worlds of the 90s Animation Glory Days and our modern cinematic world. Ms. Bailey is the perfect mermaid of this time or anytime and the film with its modern cast transforms old to new without a splash of afterthought.

A Classic for Our Time

The Little Mermaid was a tale of all time that just became a movie of this time and baby, I am here for it.