The Little Mermaid is called ‘absolutely perfect’ by viewers

The Little Mermaid has been labelled ‘absolutely perfect’ by viewers, who also praised Halle Bailey’s performance as Ariel in the Disney film. 

The live-action remake of the 1989 cartoon, which was released on Friday and features CGI animation, also stars Melissa McCarthy as sea witch Ursula and Jonah Hauer-King portraying Prince Eric.

Despite some backlash over Halle’s casting, the movie topped the box office with the number one spot over Memorial Day weekend in the United States with a whopping debut of an estimated $118 million.

Fans were quick to take to Twitter to share their excitement over the remake – with one person writing: ‘The Little Mermaid ate so bad, why was everyone in the theatre gasping and clapping… it was like a concert in there.’

Another said: ‘I am 27 and I never liked the animated version that much. I don’t know what happened but I was crying every time Halle sang and in the end with Triton.’ 

‘The Little Mermaid was absolutely perfect,’ insisted another fan, while a fourth wrote: ‘Woke up thinking about The Little Mermaid and how beautiful Halle looked throughout the entire film.’

Many viewers were equally full of praise for Halle’s performance, with one person writing: ‘The Little Mermaid was so good. Halle was born for that role, you hear me? Nobody could’ve done it better.’

The film’s debut of an estimated $118 million would make it the fifth highest Memorial Day opening in history, according to Variety.

Last year, Top Gun: Maverick became the number one highest grossing film to debut over the Memorial Day weekend at $160.5 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Despite winning over the audience, the film has scored mixed reviews from critics, and currently sits at a 68 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

While some experts claimed it was close to being ‘the best live action Disney movie’ and praised Halle’s performance as Ariel, others insisted it ‘can’t’ escape its animated legacy, which has a an overall rating of 92 per cent, with an 88 per cent fan rating. 

Halle has also revealed how she broke down watching videos of children gleefully reacting to her playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid live action film.

The actress, 23, discussed black representation in the film during an interview with Glamour magazine.

The live-action remake of the 1989 cartoon also stars Jonah Hauer-King portraying Prince Eric (pictured right)

Reaction: Fans were quick to take to Twitter to share their excitement over the remake – with one person writing: ‘The Little Mermaid ate so bad, why was everyone in the theatre gasping and clapping… it was like a concert in there.’

During the chat, Halle touched on the emotional videos of young girls seeing a black woman as a Disney princess and how she managed to keep her own identity during filming.

When asked about the videos, Halle said: ‘When I saw those for the first time, I just cried. I was sobbing uncontrollably. The fact that these babies are looking at me and feeling the emotions that they’re feeling is a really humbling, beautiful thing.’

She compared the feeling when Anika Noni Rose played Tiana in the Princess and the Frog in 2009, saying: ‘I know how much of that movie changed my whole perspective on life. Wow, this is possible. Black princesses are possible.’

She added: ‘We deserve to take up these spaces too.’

Cast: The live-action remake, which is also mixed with CGI animation, stars Melissa McCarthy as sea witch Ursula (pictured) 

One to watch: The Little Mermaid made a reported $118 million on opening weekend