Original ‘Little Mermaid’ Director John Musker Thinks Disney Missed “The Heart Of The Movie” In Their Live-Action Remake

Not all films were seemingly (mer)maid for live-action, according to John Musker. The co-director of the original The Little Mermaid recently shared his thoughts on Disney’s 2023 live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic.

While speaking with Spain’s El País, Musker lamented the entertainment giant’s push to adapt their fan-favorite films into live-action versions.

“Companies are always like, ‘How do we reduce our risk? They like this, right? We’ll just do it again and sell it to them in a different form,'” he said. “Or they think, ‘Well, we could make it better.”

He then said he “think[s] there was a question even with The Little Mermaid.”

“They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way,” he added.

In last summer’s adaptation, Halle Bailey and Javier Bardem starred as Ariel and her father, King Triton.

Musker’s critiqued the film’s “father-daughter story,” and also questioned the “expression” conveyed by the sea creatures.

“And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with The Lion King,” he added. “That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal. That’s what animation does best.”

Musker is tied to a multitude of beloved Disney animated films, including The Great Mouse Detective, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana. As for the last in that list, which is set to be adapted into a live-action film and is slated to kick off production this fall. With respect to the project, he said, “I hope that they do it well, but we have nothing to do with it.”

He ultimately suggested that Disney, “do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters.”

Both iterations of The Little Mermaid are streaming on Disney+.