‘The Little Mermaid’ film offers a new take on the Hans Christian Anderson story
No, it’s not a live action version of Ariel’s animated story.
This live action film starts by referencing the Hans Christian Anderson story being read by a grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) to her adorable little granddaughters. The story then slides into her sharing the story of the little mermaid of Mississippi who traveled the country as part of the circus proving to those who saw her that mermaids were real. Predictably, there is magic associated with mermaids and the male lead is determined to free the mermaid from the circus and return her to the water.
CHECK OUT BELOW FOR A COUPLE OF PHOTOS FROM THE Q&A AT TAMPA THEATER
Filmed mainly in Georgia with the underwater mermaid scenes filmed in Weeki Wachee, the film Is partly produced by the Steinbrenner family as an independent film. That said, the only parts of the production that seem “low budget” are the scenes with the annoyingly obvious green screen backgrounds. William Moseley and Poppy Drayton were wonderful in the lead roles and young Loretta Peralta is one to watch for the future.
Young children will love this film adaptation of the popular fairy tale. The circus leader villain is scary enough for little ones without being terrifying. For the parents, there are plenty of reminders to keep the possibility of magic alive for the children in your life while possible. For everyone, it’s a nice little escape from reality for a while.
The Little Mermaid received 3 out of 5 stars
Add a star for the kids: 4 stars out of 5 stars
Author: Debbie Sage
