‘The Little Mermaid’ Filmmakers Talk Sea Creature Designs, Bypassing ‘Les Poissons’, Cutting Javier Bardem’s New Song

The little MermaidThe brain trust of director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca decided early on that verisimilitude was the name of the game. They knew their live-action reimagining of the 1989 animated classic couldn’t have it both ways, so they went for photorealism at every turn instead of a hybrid of realistic and fantastical elements. That meant that Ariel’s (Halle Bailey) beloved sea creatures Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), and Scuttle (Awkwafina) also had to be reimagined.

“We knew from the start that we were going to create a photoreal world underwater,” Marshall says The Hollywood Reporter. “We had an animated film, but…now we’re in a live-action genre. We want to believe we’re in that space, so there wasn’t a version of creating a Flounder that didn’t look like a fish. There was no version of creating a crab that didn’t look like a crab. We worked with the amazing CGI artists from THE Lion King (2019) to really bring these characters to life and make them feel like real creatures.

As a result, Sebastian and Chef Louis’ (René Auberjonois) animated showdown to the tune of “Les Poissons” also had no place in a more realistic live-action story.

“It’s literally a Saturday morning cartoon section. If we had filmed it – I don’t know how we would have filmed it – it would never have played. It’s also a vacation from the story and it has nothing to do with the story, so you can’t do that in a live-action movie,” Marshall says.

The longtime creative and life partners behind the winning Best Picture Chicago (2002) even killed loved ones, including a new original song by Javier Bardem’s King Triton.

“What we learned very quickly is that (Bardem’s song) was stealing from the end of the movie. And Javier knew it too,” admits Marshall. “But he was so spectacular in the song, and it sounds amazing. Then we’ll be able to share that new piece with the world after the movie comes out.

Below, during a recent conversation with DAYMarshall and DeLuca also discuss Bailey’s spectacular audition and if they have another Disney musical in them, post-Siren, Mary Poppins Returns (2018) e In the wood (2014).

So what if someone told you in 1989 that you were going to do live-action one day Mermaid, would a part of you have believed him?

John DeLuca: Never, but we saw it together.

Rob Marshall: Yep, we wouldn’t believe it, especially since we weren’t in the movie in any way, shape or form. At the time we did theater. In fact, the Broadway community was so excited (The little Mermaid (1989)) because it was the comeback of the musical film. There weren’t any movies with music or musicals at all in that era, and it ushered in that amazing era of animated musicals. And, in a way, he opened the door to Chicago for us years later, because people were starting to accept the idea of ​​people singing and breaking into a song, even if it was animated.

DeLuca: That’s better.

Marshal: So there’s no version of us that ever believed this would happen.

When have you seen Halle Bailey audition for the first time, did you quickly call it a day and break for lunch? Did the search end there and then?

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

DeLuca: First, Rob wiped his eyes. Halle came in, she sang and I looked over to see tears streaming down his face. So I thought, “Oh, he’s in love.”

Marshal🙁He laughs.) It was very powerful, but it’s hard to believe that she was the first person to audition for us. I remember turning to John and saying exactly what you just said: “Is that it? Are we done?” But we didn’t quite believe it. So we started the search after she entered…

DeLuca: We saw everyone.

Marshal: Everyone! We made sure to see hundreds of women and great actors and singers afterwards, but she immediately set the bar so high that no one has surpassed her. Nobody did. And we saw every ethnicity. There was no agenda for choosing a black woman. It was actually just “Let’s find the best Ariel” and Halle claimed the role. We always tell ourselves this, but our goal is to never even have to really choose; is chosen for us. So she claimed the role and said, “I’m Ariel.”

I preferred the direction you took with the talking sea creatures, but I’m sure you were expecting a bit of a tummy ache as people are so fond of the animated versions. Have you still tested a number of different designs, from realistic to the most fantastic?

Marshal: No, because we knew from the start that we were going to create a photoreal world underwater. I wanted to believe we were there. For example, Triton’s (Javier Bardem) palace is carved out of a coral reef. It’s all natural. Anything. We had an animated film, but this is a different genre. We are now in a live-action genre. We want to believe we’re in that space, so there wasn’t a version of creating a Flounder that didn’t look like a fish. There was no version of creating a crab that didn’t look like a crab. This (Sebastian) is real crab based on real crab. We worked with the amazing CGI artists from THE Lion King (2019) to bring these characters to life and make them look like real creatures. For example, with Scuttle (Awkwafina), John and I chose to make Scuttle a diving bird (that can go under water). It was very important to us because we didn’t want Ariel to ever get to the surface. It was very important to up the ante so that she was never up there, ever. So the only way he could know the surface through Scuttle was as a bird diving under water. And upping the ante, it’s so thrilling the first time she enters the real world. In the animated film, she’s up and down, up and down. So the stakes are raised, and that’s what you can do with a live-action film. You can bring things to life. You can make it more fully realized, more exciting, more profound, more expansive, more epic. So it was really important for us to reinvent this and make it work as a standalone live piece.

You had to cut a new song led by Javier Bardem, and while it’s never an easy phone call to make, was it especially terrifying given that Javier Bardem is on the other end of the line?

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

DeLuca: Well, we’re lucky because he’s a great friend. The whole family is: Penélope (Cruz), Javier and their children. So knowing them for a long time makes it easier.

Marshal: Yes, and he’s a real gentleman. He understood that we were creating, in many ways, a new piece. We’re obviously taking the big bones of what was there, but you try things out. We also do stage musicals and when you take a show or musical out of town, you learn what works. So the movie tells you, and what we learned real quick was that (Bardem’s song) was stealing from the end of the movie. You have to protect that moment when Triton’s inner feelings are revealed and he comes to terms with Ariel and learns to let her go. So the song was stolen from that moment and it was very important to protect it. And Javier knew it too. But he was so spectacular in the song, and it sounds amazing. Then we’ll be able to share that new piece with the world after the movie comes out, but you learn to listen to what the movie is telling you.

DeLuca: Now you’ve ruined the movie! Now people know how it ends.

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

Just out of curiosity, did the “Les Poissons” sequence ever get very far during development?

DeLuca: Never.

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

DeLuca: When we wrote our first schema, there was simply no space.

Marshal: The whole thing is also an animated concept.

DeLuca: As funny as it is…

Marshal: It’s literally a Saturday morning cartoon section. If we had filmed it – I don’t know how we would have filmed it – it would never have played. It’s also a vacation from the story and has nothing to do with the story, so you can’t do that in a live-action movie. It was a wonderful animated concept, but like I said, we’re in a different genre. So it was very important that the story move forward in a very live-action way.

As for what’s next, do you two have another Disney musical in you, or is it time for a left turn?

DeLuca: It’s time (for a left turn)!

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

Marshal: Listen, musicals are in our blood. We love the genre so much and believe in it. It’s also a very difficult genre to work with because it’s delicate. Any moment can go off the rails and become a Saturday Night Live sketch. So you always have to make sure that when someone starts singing, it’s earned and sounds natural and organic, not gratuitous. Otherwise, it’s that awkward moment where someone starts singing and you’re like, “This isn’t working.” But we love it and will probably continue to work with musicals. One thing I know for sure is that John and I don’t like to do the same thing again. We don’t want to do Chicago 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. We did Chicagoso we don’t have to do anything else. The little Mermaid it was four and a half years of our life, so we want another journey and another world.

DeLuca: We’re definitely open to anything, though.

Marshal: Why, do you have something for us?

Based on that recent viral videohow about Transformers the musical?

DeLuca & Marshall: (LAUGH.)

Marshal: Here it is! I look forward to that opening issue.

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The little Mermaid opens in theaters May 26. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.