While lighting itself isn't all that expensive, darkness can be used to hide a lot of things. Halle Bailey is not actually a mermaid, and so having the scenes be darker makes it easier to disguise the CGI work.
Why is the lighting in The Little Mermaid so dark?
The film's reason for its minimal lighting is to cover up the special effects. It's a common trick of the trade. If your special effects don't look great, place it in a dark setting or obstruct it with something.
From Ursula's terrifying final form to the devastating shipwreck, 2023's live-action The Little Mermaid is much darker than 1989's animated classic. Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid is making a splash with the original movie's fans.
On the significance of casting a Black actress as Ariel
Sherri Hope Culver: To have a Disney character who is not just a princess but a live-action, real flesh and blood person that children can be inspired by is important. This is because people of color are less likely to see themselves reflected in the media.
Why are new Disney movies so dark? While some social media users have theorised scenes are being made darker to cover up shonky CGI, industry experts say the current trend towards dimmer scenes comes down to two main factors: artistic choice, and the switch from film to digital shooting.
Arguably the darkest film in the entire Disney animated canon is the 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The movie opens with Frollo killing Quasimodo's mother and attempting to kill an infant Quasimodo before he's forced to stop. He attempts to atone for the sin of murdering Quasimodo's mother by taking the boy in.
The reported box office result of The Little Mermaid 2023 remake is about $560 million. On paper, these numbers look good. The film grossed over $298 million domestically and more than $263 million internationally.
As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races. The animated “Little Mermaid” movie only portrayed her with light skin and red hair because that was the American interpretation at the time.
So why are so many filmmakers keeping the lights low? The simple answer is: because they can. It's been a decade since digital video overtook the use of celluloid, and by 2016 more than 90% of films were shot digitally.
Ariel, is a fictional character, with no defined skin color in her original material. She was originally written by a Danish author in the 1800s. She has been portrayed in ballet and movies by Asian, Russian, and mixed-race individuals, her cartoon depictions are typically pale.
Disney's The Little Mermaid changes were also required due to Andersen's story structure. The original story adds so many details to Ariel's deal with the sea witch that just don't help the story.
In the movie The Little Mermaid (Clements & Musker, 1989), Ariel displays symptoms of disposophobia, which is defined as the fear of getting rid of things.
It was released theatrically on May 26, 2023, in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. A sing-along edition of the film was released in theaters on August 25, 2023.
While some of Sebastian's features resemble a lobster, Sebastian is definitely a crab, as is stated in The Little Mermaid itself a few times. This includes the scene where the obsessed Chef Louis refers to Sebastian as a crab, and since he's a professional, he really should know.
Of course, the animated mermaids are the daughters of King Triton and Queen Athena, but that may change in the live-action version with the implication that Ariel's sisters have different mothers.
All of king Triton's daughters represent their own seas all over the world and as such they are all different ethnicities in the movie. It is not specified where the movie takes place, i.e. where Ariel lives but it's obvious it's not in Denmark.
How much did Halle Bailey make for Little Mermaid?
According to Showbiz Galore, she was reportedly paid $1.5 million to don the tail and seashells, though some news outlets reported slightly more modest earnings of $500,000. Despite the online backlash about casting a Black Ariel, this project made Halle Bailey a household name, especially among young Disney fans.
In the case of The Little Mermaid, Disney's $284.8 million share of the box office left it with a $44.6 million profit after deducting its $240.2 million net spending.
The film has reportedly made only $ 3.6 million in China since its release on May 26. The lackluster response at the box office is being attributed to racist critiques in some quarters which have raised questions about the casting of black actress Halle Bailey in the lead role of Ariel.
Disney's new short film "Reflect" promotes body positivity and a healthy self-image through the main character, Bianca, its first plus-sized heroine. The film started streaming on Disney+ Sept.
