On May 26, the film Tea little mermaid (There little Mermaid) will hit theaters — and most likely top the box office as well. Long-awaited, like most live-action adaptations of Disney studio animated classics, this blockbuster stands out from the previous ones. Cinderella (Cinderella), Jungle Book (The jungle Book) and others Beauty and the Beast (The beauty and the Beast). In fact, when it was announced in 2019 that young Halle Bailey would play Ariel, he found himself upset that the beloved mermaid was played by a black actress. Never mind, the studio stayed the course, placing director Rob Marshall at the helm of the ambitious project.
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, the film follows Ariel who, much to the chagrin of her sea-king father, is drawn to the earthly world in general and a human prince in particular.
“The first actress we met for the role was Halle,” Rob Marshall recalled during a virtual conference at which The duty was invited. “And the first thing she did when she arrived was sing for us. She closed her eyes and started to sing the song [Part of Your World]. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I found her so deeply connected to what she was singing… It was so moving. It was so beautiful. And I thought, “We started auditioning just five minutes ago. Have we found our Ariel yet?” »
For the record, Rob Marshall knows a thing or two about musical films, notably having made Chicago, Into the Woods (In the woods) And Mary Poppins Returns (Mary Poppins Returns), the latter two produced by Disney.
As for this “connection” between Halle Bailey and the songs – and the tribulations – of the character, it will endure. “Ariel really helped me find myself; to find this version of me, as a young woman, entrusts the singer and actress. You know, it represented almost five years of my life: from 18 to 23 years old. These are intense, transformative years where you grow as a young woman. With everything Ariel is going through, and considering her passion, her determination, her desire to be heard even though it can be scary… She taught me a lot. »
She who lends her eminently recognizable voice to Scuttle (Eureka in VF), the simple but endearing gull, Awkwafina for her part had this to say on the controversial issue of diversity: “The distribution reflects the world in which we live. And I believe that everyone deserves to see themselves represented on screen. »
What’s more, tearing his shirt about the color of skin that an imaginary creature can or cannot have, therefore which does not exist, is a bit absurd, to say the least.
“Melissa is not afraid of anything”
Either way, Rob Marshall and his huge team had much more pressing logistical considerations to deal with during the film’s on-the-fly shoot, which was postponed and then halted by the pandemic, and whose budget kept secret would amount to around 200 million US dollars (not counting the expensive advertising campaign).
On the one hand, there was the digital aspect, which involved innumerable special effects necessary for the creation of the underwater kingdom (fauna, flora, erasing air bubbles, etc.). On the other, there was the physical component, spread over several locations.
Some exterior sequences were filmed in Sardinia, for example, while the underwater scenes were shot at the famous Pinewood studios in London, in huge water tanks where Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy sometimes went as far as 16 hours a day.
“When they activated the thunder and the lightning and the wind and the waves around us, it was as if we were in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of a storm”, assures Halle Bailey.
“I didn’t set foot on the ground the whole shoot,” says Melissa McCarthy, who plays the vile, sprawling Ursula.
And Melissa McCarthy to describe how she was attached to huge scaffolding and apparatus. “If I was diving, it was a type of rig. If I was spinning, it was a different type of rig. And there were all these dancers and stuntmen, under the water, who were my fins, or finally my tentacles…”
The irresistible star of spy (Spy) And The Heat (A hell of a duo) is also offered a rare “wicked” score. That, in addition to being a gifted singer: her sinister and funny version of the song Poor Unfortunate Souls turns out to be the highlight of the film.
“Melissa is fearless, but she couldn’t believe it was out of her,” notes John DeLuca, the film’s producer and, in town, husband of Rob Marshall.
The latter adds: “John and I like working with actors and actresses who are newcomers to musical films, because they approach the songs from the right place. They sing as the character, and they bring the scene to life through song. »
More emotion
Finally, it is worth pointing out the addition, as an epigraph to the film, of a quote taken from the original tale: “… but the mermaids have no tears and only suffer from them more”.
“We were immediately aware that this story was already very current in the 1830s, with this young girl who feels out of place and who goes in search of herself in another world. So finding something specifically from Hans Christian Andersen that would allow us to establish that was important to us,” summarizes John DeLuca.
Rob Marshall nods, before concluding: “We bring more depth and emotion. So, this idea that a mermaid has no tears and therefore suffers more… It set the stage for a more moving rereading of this story. »
The film The Little Mermaid hits theaters May 26.