Tag: The Little Mermaid

Comic Adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid’ Diving Onto Your Bookshelf!

Swim into this news, Disney fans! A comic adaptation of Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, has been announced a week after the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel the upcoming live action remake of the Disney film. The comic will retell the story of the animated film with the classic designs that you doubtlessly remember from childhood. According to The Hollywood Reporter  the series will be released by Dark Horse Comics. The series will be adapting the animated film’s story, which is based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, very closely but through Ariel’s eyes, allowing us a more intimate look at the events strictly from her POV. The aim of the series will be to truly see what Ariel was thinking as she deals with finding true love, grappling with her father King Triton, and fighting against the evil sea-witch Ursula.

 

Image via The hollywood Reporter 

The comic will be entitled Disney: The Little Mermaid and will be launching as a three issue limited series. The series will be written by Cecil Castelluci, with artwork by Zulema Scotto Lavina. Castelucci’s previous writing credits include the critically acclaimed Soupy Leaves Home, as well as other comics such as The P.L.A.I.N. Janes, Female Furies, and Shade: The Changing Girl. She has previous experience working on a Disney adaptation comic, having written Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, which also told the classic animated film’s story from Snow White’s point of view.

 

Image Via Amazon

 

The comic will be launching October 16th, doubtlessly building hype for the upcoming live action film in the future. Are you excited to revisit the sea and all the denizens within in comic form? Tell us in the comments! In the meantime, you can revisit the original animated film or even better, read the story it was based on! But be warned, it’s a little darker.

 

 

Featured Image Via Variety 

The Little Mermaid

‘The Little Mermaid’ Originally Meant as Gay Love Letter to Author’s Crush

The Little Mermaid is getting the live reboot so many other Disney classics have seen over the years, like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. This one in particular, however, is causing some controversy with the casting of Halle Bailey, R&B singer, as Ariel. I wonder if everyone so upset with the casting knows the roots of the story. It isn’t just a sweet fairy tale where the princess falls in love with a prince and everyone lives happily ever after. The original tale written in 1837 is much darker and has a deeper connection with Hans Christian Andersen’s life.

Before penning The Little Mermaid, Andersen had fallen in love with a man of much higher class, Edvard Collin. Andersen was attracted to both men and women according to many biography writers, but he was pining for this one man in particular. Collin never returned Andersen’s affections, actually bothered by the special attention that Andersen had paid him and one of his sisters. Collin ended up marrying a woman, and it broke Andersen’s heart. The Little Mermaid became his love letter to Collin.

 

 

Ariel from The Little Mermaid

image via heroic hollywood

In fact, Andersen’s story and that of Ariel are actually quite similar, both tales of unrequited love. Like Andersen, Ariel falls in love with a prince, but she is a mermaid and can’t just walk up to him and tell him. She has no legs! So she sells her voice to a sea witch in exchange for legs and the ability to walk on land to get the prince to fall in love with her. In both Andersen’s original story and Disney’s animated version, the prince does love another woman. In the Disney tale, it is the sea witch, Ursula, who is overcome by Ariel and her animal friends. Ariel gets her prince in the end. In the original tale, the other woman is just another woman. With no voice to express her feelings, something highly symbolic of Andersen’s situation, the prince marries someone else. Ariel, distraught, cries so much she turns into sea foam.

featured image via nerdist

More Cast Members Join Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Remake

 

The Little Mermaid is one of the many Disney animated classics that will get the live-action treatment in the near future. Directed by Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and with the music from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film is scheduled for production in early 2020. Recently, some new cast members joined the adaptation.

 

Image Via ComingSoon

 

Recently, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy was in talks to play Ursula in the remake, though the deal has not been finalized. Yesterday, it was revealed that Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and Jacob Tremblay (Room) were also in talks to star in the film. Awkwafina will play a gender-swapped version of Scuttle while Tremblay will play Flounder.

 

Even though the supporting cast seems to be filling out, there is still no word on who will play Ariel and Prince Eric.

 

 

Who do you think should play the lead in The Little Mermaid remake? Are you excited for this new adaptation?

 

 

Featured Image Via Celebrity-hub

Disney Villains Series in Development!

As Disney prepares to launch its new streaming service, Disney+, news about the various projects being developed for the service continue to come out. Now, a new show has been announced based on some classic Disney characters.

Disney and ABC will be developing Book Of Enchantment, a television show based on a series of novels by Serena Valentino. It focuses primarily on Disney villains like Maleficent and Ursula and how their stories interconnect in an epic fantasy world. Since the project has just been announced, there is no word yet on casting or filming dates.

 

Close ups of Ursula, The Beast and Maleficent's faces
Image Via Amazon

 

There are currently five books in the series. The first three focus on Ursula from The Little Mermaid, The Beast from Beauty and The Beast, and The Evil Queen from Snow White. Book four focuses on Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and book five on Mother Gothel from Tangled.

Disney+ is expected to launch later this year. Previously announced shows for the service include Marvel series based on Loki and Scarlet Witch, a television version of High School Musical and the newest season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Several movies are also being made for the service, including another Muppets reboot as well as an updated version of Don Quixote.

 

 

Featured Image Via ComicBookResorces