We have already discussed in detail in our podcast Canvas Love how successful we find the new design of the title character in ‘The Little Mermaid’, the remake of one of the most popular Disney classics. The figure now has real scales, he feels much more like an underwater creature than just a human with a fin, as was the case in the original.
In an interview with Legendary costume designer Colleen Atwood gave insight into her ideas when designing the main character, played by Halle Bailey. Because even though there is of course a lot of CGI in the game, Atwood, who has already won four Oscars (for ‘Chicago’, ‘The Geisha’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’) An actual costume was designed, which played a crucial role in the character’s appearance.
Because Atwood designed costumes, which then served as a template for the CGI implementation. Bailey rarely wore a finch costume, but one was made anyway so the CGI experts could use it as a guide. To achieve the most perfect execution of the fins, the costume designer took fish as a model – as was the case with the legendary bra.
If you want to see the new look of ‘Arielle’, you don’t have to (but can!) go to the cinema. The live-action film can now also be found on Disney+.
The bra: fish skin instead of shells
They opted for the shell bra and therefore opted for the fish skin approach. Not only the fins themselves are made from this fish skin, but also other parts of the body. This also includes the breasts. So it feels to us like it’s all one body. On the one hand, Arielle is somehow naked, but everything is still suitable for young people – also because, in our opinion, due to the curved transitions (see also our article photo) it looks like a mix of body and clothes.
It felt strange when these creatures suddenly strapped shells to their breasts, Atwood says. Because of course this makes little sense. In addition, shells simply tied to the breasts do not look good in a live-action performance. And finally, it is less “aggressive”. After all, in the final film it looks like a body and there is not suddenly a foreign object attached to it.
Each mermaid now visually depicts a different ocean
Of course, Atwood was not only responsible for Arielle, but also for her sisters, who also don’t wear shell bras. They each manage an ocean on behalf of King Triton (Javier Bardem). Care was taken not only in the selection of the actresses to ensure that it is clear which ocean they represent, but also in their costumes. Instead of just giving everyone green fins, This (similar to the skin covering the breasts) is influenced by a fish that feels at home in the ocean in question.
This is a reissue of an article previously published on FILMSTARTS.
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