A Modern Disney Fairy Tale "The Little Mermaid" received criticism long before it was even released. Well, of course it did. People couldn’t help but protest—even those who weren’t actually viewers yet (after all, you can’t be a viewer of a film that hasn’t even come out)—about the choice of actress for the lead role. Where was the familiar, perfectly faithful film adaptation, where the Little Mermaid would look exactly like she did in the original "The Little Mermaid"? Fortunately for me, I’m free of such prejudices. I was simply very curious to see the new project from The Walt Disney Company. The classic animated film is probably known to every viewer who was a child in the 1990s. Viewers from that time, myself included, remember both the feature-length "The Little Mermaid" and the animated series, where the young girl, together with the crab Sebastian and the fish Flounder, constantly got into trouble and bravely headed toward new adventures. The 2023 "The Little Mermaid" tries not to fall short of the high bar set by those projects, offering a new vision of the now-classic story of Ariel, her father Triton, the girl’s aunt Ursula, and others. It works quite well and feels engaging. The acting is good, and the characters in the film are varied: cheerful, sometimes wildly funny, and at times stern and important. There is no real need to dwell on the plot. It’s a familiar story that many people know. A fairy tale in all its beauty, unfolding in an intriguing, unfamiliar, and warm world somewhere among islands in the ocean. There are plenty of colors here, bright smiling faces, and of course fairy-tale songs and dances that are skillfully staged and interesting to watch. The story introduces the characters, shows their personalities, leads the viewer through diverse locations, and creates a truly fairy-tale atmosphere. What impressed me most in this film was the visual side. It so happened that progress in visual effects over the past decade has sometimes looked more like regression. What once seemed unimaginable in "Transformers" or "Avatar" should now be routine thanks to the development of computing systems and the skills of specialists. But in the race for profit, as it seems to me, the studios themselves have lowered their requirements for the final content, which results in audiences getting low-quality graphics. There are many such examples. In the case of The Little Mermaid, however, the creators clearly put in serious work. The colors are magnificent, the palette is vibrant, and the shots are gorgeous—each of them resembles a painting. The cinematography is impressive, and the visuals are very достойные. The songs and voices are good (although I watched the film dubbed, which didn’t give me the chance to hear the original voices). Each character’s musical number is a whole little story, briefly and concisely told through a song. This format allows the film to convey joy and pain, emotions and charisma. Altogether, it weaves the classic story of Ariel and her entire family into a single whole. The story of the Little Mermaid feels quite familiar. I liked the somewhat reworked story of the prince. Instead of being just an object of Ariel’s interest, the character in the film becomes something more—a fully developed character with his own interesting motivation. And that motivation, in many ways, mirrors Ariel’s. If the girl has always dreamed of seeing and exploring the land, the prince, on the contrary, dreams of setting off on a sea voyage. This emphasis in the screenplay allows us to understand the characters’ motivations more deeply and makes the narrative more dramatic. It’s a strong move. "The Little Mermaid" is a film I liked. Many people didn’t enjoy it—the ratings clearly reflect that. But for me it revealed a bright and memorable picture that was carefully prepared for the audience. In addition, the film contains everything needed for a fresh viewing experience: a vivid story, interesting characters, and solid acting. 8 out of 10