‘Little Mermaid’ Director Breaks Down Filming ‘Under the Sea’ in Live-Action
thewrap.comThe Little Mermaid” proved a challenge for even this seasoned director. “It was exciting because it was so complicated, but [it was] definitely the most complicated one I’ve ever done,” Marshall told TheWrap.
He cites his work on the 2018 feature, “Mary Poppins Returns,” as a foundation for working on this. “That animation sequence helped me with this because once again, working with nothing,” he said.
Marshall, a fan of complex choreographed numbers, wondered how that same kinetic energy could be brought to an undersea environment, particularly during the high-energy “Under the Sea” musical sequence.
Marshall ended up employing a technique utilized in Disney’s 1940 musical feature, “Fantasia.” For that feature’s second segment — a tribute to the “Nutcracker” Suite composed by Tchaikovsky– Disney employed the famous Ballet Russes to come in and guide the animators. “I thought, ‘Maybe that’s the way.’ Maybe I’ll bring a company over to London,” Marshall said. “You watch ‘Blue Planet’ and it’s like there’s already a ballet going on anyway,” he said.
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