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Parents' Guide to

The Little Mermaid (2018)

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Watered-down retelling has poor acting, production values.

Movie PG 2018 85 minutes
The Little Mermaid (2018) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 19 parent reviews

age 8+

I couldn't watch an old cartoon so I just watched this version and I liked it. I think The Little Mermaid 2018 is the cutest movie I have ever seen.

I'm not a mermaid fan or believe in them personally, but this movie made me feel happy that I watched it. True the acting might not be the best, but I think they did a good job on the whole mermaid thing, Ha! Ha! Even though this movie is pretty mithical I say its a good movie to watch, especially if you have young kids. I mean Cam, Ell, and Elizabeth are great characters in the movie so why not watch it. Give it a try!

This title has:

Great role models
age 7+

Original Mermaid Story

I don't know why this movie has such a poor review. It is a watered down story of The Little Mermaid - but movie isn't Hans Christian Anderson's original story included the tragic death of the little Mermaid, and the almost death of her prince. Anyway, I loved the movie, mostly because it wasn't like The Little Mermaid. True, there is a Mermaid, and she does fall in love - but the rest of the story is quite original. There's mystery, intrigue, a carnival, and an escape plan. It's one of the better Mermaid movies out there, I think.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19 ):
Kids say (13 ):

Unless your child is the breed of mermaid fan who must see everything possible about the mythological sea creatures, this is one Hans Christian Andersen retelling that families can skip. Despite veteran actors like Drayton (Downton Abbey), Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Gina Gershon, and the brief presence of the legendary MacLaine in the framing story, the acting feels phoned-in, particularly among the supporting ensemble. As the villainous Locke, Gutierrez (who's also one of the movie's producers) gives a particularly amateurish performance. But it's not just the stale overacting that's the problem here, it's the cheesy special effects, the clunky script, and the off-putting historical elements.

For example, why did writer-director Blake Harris need to hire two Brits to play the principal roles when the movie is set in America? Plus, he set the film in the Jim Crow-era Deep South, only to water down the history of segregation by including a black character who's not only close friends with white townsfolk but allowed to eat in the same restaurants and celebrate on the riverboat with everyone else. This isn't the sort of diversity audiences need; this is ignoring the painful history of Mississippi's racial segregation. Bottom line? There's very little to endear most viewers to this disappointing spin on The Little Mermaid.

Movie Details

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