When news broke of Disney’s plans to make a live-action movie of the Little Mermaid earlier this year, we had our fingers crossed – things weren’t confirmed after all. Thankfully, now plans have become reality, and Disney will be reviving its classic flick, with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken appointed as songwriters.
Musically speaking, fans have a lot to look forward to. Menken has written some pretty neat jams for Disney over the years, including scores for the original Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast films. So moviegoers can expect some of their favourite tunes from the 1989 animated film, as well as the infusion of brand-new music from Miranda.
That said; Disney’s remake isn’t going to be the only live-action Little Mermaid adaptation to hit the big screens. Universal Pictures and British production company Working Title are working on their own version, which will be based on Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale rather than Disney’s popularised animated film, with Chloe Grace Moretz starring as a blonde, non-red headed Ariel.
While there’s no official word on who’s being cast in Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid yet, or its exact release date, there are plenty of other rebooted animated classics to look forward to in the meantime. There’s the remake of Beauty and the Beast, which comes out in theatres next year, as well as the 101 Dalmations origins story of “Cruella”, which has Emma Stone starring as the iconic villain.
Whatever the case may be; it’s a good time to be alive if you’re a Disney fan.
