The Little Mermaid has become another smash hit for Disney, but having a large part of the movie set in or under the sea provided a number of challenges for director Rob Marshall and the movie’s cast. Movies have been putting people underwater in movies for decades, with varying degrees of realism and success. James Cameron reportedly put his actors in some dangerous situations in order to get the shots he needed for Titanic, while more recently Kate Winslet was seen breaking the record for the length of time an actor has held their breath underwater while filming Avatar: The Way of Water.

When it comes to The Little Mermaid, there was a broad mix of actual shots taken in a large water tank, and there were many shots that were digitally created via blue screen. However, the challenges of being “underwater”, both physically and otherwise, are still daunting for those involved. In a feature piece for Deadline, star Halle Bailey and director Marshall explained some of the biggest challenges they faced on the movie’s complex underwater scenes. Marshall said:

"Underwater was so complicated, but our goal was never to let you see the machinery behind it all because sometimes there would be… In "Part of Your World," Halle would sing two lines, and we'd say, 'Cut,' and then she'd be back on another piece of equipment or apparatus. It was all choreographed in advance. But then it was so complicated to think, 'How do we do an underwater musical, really?' It's never been done before. So that was the goal, to make sure the audience doesn't see any of that."

Related: The Little Mermaid: It Could Have Been Better, but It Could've Been a Lot Worse

Halle Bailey Struggled To Be Serious About Some Dramatic Ocean Scenes

Ariel Halle Bailey
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

While there is plenty of fun to be found in The Little Mermaid, such as the bright and energetic ‘Under The Sea’ show-stopping number, the film does have some dramatic moments played out in the water as well. This included the moment Ariel saves Eric from a shipwreck during a storm, something Halle Bailey revealed she couldn’t help but see the funny side of due to one thing. She said:

"Whenever I think of fun and hilarious, I think of all the tank work Jonah and I had to do together. We had to be very serious in the middle of a thunderstorm, but it was quite hard to be serious when we're terrified in the middle of this water rainstorm that feels like you're in the middle of the ocean, and then I had to lift Jonah up. And if anyone has seen us stand next to each other, he towers over me. So, we were laughing at that. It was just a really good moment."

The Little Mermaid has already been a huge success having taken just under $200 million on its opening weekend, putting it straight into the top 10 highest grossing movies of 2023. Where it will end is journey is still to be seen but with a huge audience approval rating, despite critics and Paloma Faith not being quite so happy, things are going swimmingly for the latest Disney live-action remake.