After what feels like an eternity, Disney's The Little Mermaid is officially in theatres — and it's already received rave reviews from both critics and audiences who are in love with Halle Bailey's portrayal of Ariel.
While this modern adaptation stays faithful to the original movie released in 1989, there have been several changes made to enhance the storyline and characters.
One of the biggest differences has to be that the 2023 version is live-action, meaning that characters like Scuttle, Sebastian and Flounder had to be animated while appearing lifelike.
But, of course, that presented various challenges when it came to filming scenes with the CGI-generated animals in The Little Mermaid. In fact, it was one of the things that I kept on thinking about while watching the movie.
Well, luckily, I got the chance to ask both Halle and Melissa McCarthy (who plays Ursula) all about the behind-the-scenes movie magic in The Little Mermaid.
In an interview with BuzzFeed Australia, Halle said that when it came to filming scenes with Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle, the crew would often use a tennis ball or a very, very small version of the sea creature that they would hold in place.
But according to Halle, sometimes there was nothing there and she would just have to film her scenes. And honestly, props need to be given to her acting skills because she pulls it off.
If you want to learn more about how the talented cast and crew brought this magical film to life, you can watch our interview with Halle and Melissa here.
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Or, head on over to the BF Oz TikTok to see some clips there!
The Little Mermaid is out in cinemas now — and if you haven't watched it yet, I would definitely recommend it for the nostalgia factor, the wholesome vibes and witnessing Halle's incredible singing on the big screen.
