The Little Mermaid | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Rob Marshall |
Screenplay by | David Magee |
Based on | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Dion Beebe |
Edited by | Wyatt Smith |
Music by | Alan Menken |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 135 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $240.2 million[2] |
Box office | $569.6 million[3][4] |
The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by David Magee. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, DeLuca Marshall, and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, which itself is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale. The film stars Halle Bailey as the title character, with Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy in supporting roles. The plot follows the mermaid princess Ariel, who is fascinated with the human world; after saving Prince Eric from a shipwreck, she makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula to walk on land.
Plans for a remake of 1989's The Little Mermaid were confirmed in May 2016. In December 2017, Disney announced Marshall was being courted to direct the film. Bailey, Hauer-King, McCarthy, Bardem, Diggs, Tremblay, Awkwafina, and the rest of the cast joined between July and November 2019. Production was expected to begin in London between late March and early April 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, before ultimately took place from January to July 2021, primarily at Pinewood Studios in England and on the island of Sardinia, Italy. Composer Alan Menken returned to augment the score and write new songs alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, who serves as a producer with Platt, John DeLuca, and Marshall. The film is dedicated to the late Howard Ashman, who co-produced and co-wrote the songs from the original film. The film is Disney's twenty-third most expensive to date.
The Little Mermaid premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 8, 2023,[5] and was released in the United States on May 26. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $569 million worldwide, $298 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2023 and the seventh-highest-grossing amongst Disney's live-action adaptations.
Its financial statements reveal that a total of $297 million (£243.5 million) had been spent on the movie by August 31, 2022 and then comes the cash reimbursement… The Little Mermaid received $56.8 million (£46.6 million) from the UK government bringing its net spending down to $240.2 million.