Just last week, ABC broadcasted “The Little Mermaid: LIVE!” from Disney in California. The production was a celebration of the films 30th anniversary and featured celebrities such as Queen Latifah and Shaggy. The event was highly anticipated, but it was not what most people were expecting. For starters, only portions of the event were really “live”. For a majority of the production, the original cartoon film played and occasionally the live performers would chime in with a song. This was not what the event was being advertised as.
So…….it’s half original cartoon and half live action? Might as well watch the original… #LittleMermaidLive #LittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/QZ29UY65UV
— Queen Petty (@ClassyVintage) November 6, 2019
Am I the only one who thought there’d be more “live” in #LittleMermaidLive? pic.twitter.com/XLjO6hZGUa
— Heather Concannon (@hmmconcannon) November 6, 2019
Viewers also made comments about the live performers singing abilities as well. While watching the production with my friends, we even noticed that a lot of the notes sounded off and it made us cringe to listen to. Turns out, we weren’t alone!
that last “world” note … #LittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/mKRKV9yDn9
— Denise ✨ (@_xocarlaaa) November 6, 2019
That note was a little….#TheLittleMermaidLive #LittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/3u2hr2JhPS
— Marcus (@MarcusUntrell92) November 6, 2019
Although a lot of viewers took to Twitter to criticize the performance, there were also a handful of supporters! One tweet was posted applauding the inclusivity and diversity of the cast. In today’s society, these casting strategies do not go unnoticed.
Ok Little Mermaid Live I see you with all the different races and sizes of the sisters AND I LOVE IT!!!! #LittleMermaidLive
— katie sipple (@ksipple98) November 6, 2019
And of course, everyone loves the Queen. Queen Latifah got a lot of praise in the Twitter world for her unreal performance as Ursula.
Wow. Queen Latifah STEALING this show. Holy hell. #TheLittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/te2ZvT4yYX
— MissSaintG (@theRealMSG) November 6, 2019