'The Little Mermaid' differs from Disney original in a big way

The Little Mermaid's much awaited live-action remake will be deviating from Disney's original storyline, according to director Rob Marshall.

The Disney movie tells the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, who dreams of becoming a human and falls in love with Prince Eric.

In the original film Ariel exchanges her voice for a pair of legs as part of a deal made with the sea witch Ursula. Ariel in the new edition does not give up her voice for the prince, instead her motivation is different.

Speaking to Empire Magazine, Marshall said:

"A lot of people forget how modern she was, especially at that time in 1989. The power that she has inside is something that leads her to build a bridge with this other world.”

"That contemporary theme has always felt like an antidote to the divisions we feel today in the world, and a reminder that we're all one."

Marshall continued: "With our filming we've been able to expand upon that. She doesn't give up her voice for a guy – that's something that was sort of baked into that original. That's not how we play it in our film.

"She wants so desperately to be part of this other world and wants to prove – to her father and to everyone – that there's nothing wrong with [the people there]."

The Little Mermaid is a live-action version of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name, which itself is loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen. 

The film cast includes Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy.