The Little Mermaid's Queen Selina Is A New Addition To The Story, But Is She Necessary?
The following post contains spoilers for "The Little Mermaid."
Disney's live-action version of the 1989 animated classic "The Little Mermaid" is finally in theaters. In the earlier film, Prince Eric's (Jonah Hauer-King) family isn't mentioned, but in the new one, he's got a mom. Queen Selina is played by British actor Noma Dumezweni. If the name sounds familiar to you, it may be because she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her work in the plays "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," in which she played Hermione Granger. She was also Penny Farthing in "Mary Poppins Returns" and appeared in HBO's "The Undoing" and the Netflix series, "The Watcher."
With Queen Selina in the mix, there are some changes to the story and to Prince Eric himself. So, does this new character work? Is Queen Selina necessary to the story? I recently attended the press conference for "The Little Mermaid," where Dumezweni spoke about her character and joining the production.
'We want you to be part of this, and we're creating this story'
Noma Dumezweni was asked about joining the cast and the challenges that came with it. She said:
"In the loveliest way, no challenges, because what I'm trusting is [director] Rob Marshall and Benny Johnson and all the people involved and Disney to go, 'We want you to be part of this, and we're creating this story.' Because they know the story inside and out [...] I was very lucky that I just got to trust. All I do is just trust the work, the people I'm working with. And when you can play with people in that way, it's easy to just let be, not to hold on tight."
So, is Queen Selina necessary to the plot? I mean, she wasn't there before, right? Honestly, I think she is absolutely necessary. Maybe not to the plot, but I think she's incredibly important to both Prince Eric's character and to the film in general. As I watched, I wrote down four separate times in my notes, "Love her!" It wasn't just because Dumezweni is a wonderful actor, though she is certainly that. Selina's caring and concern for her adoptive son, and how much her people seem to love her, fills out the world in such a lovely way.
Letting go
"The Little Mermaid" is about that time in the lives of young people when they have to break away and do their own thing. That's exciting and scary and filled with hope for said young people, but it's not easy on those who have been loving and protecting them for their whole lives. It's hard to let go and trust your children to go off on their own (I say this as a person without kids, but I do live in the world, and I certainly do have parents). You can see that struggle on her face in the same way you see it on Ariel's father, King Triton (Javier Bardem). They have different ways of doing things, with Triton being overprotective and Selina more supportive, but both are truly loving in the end. You also get Selina's frustration with Eric as he runs off for adventure at sea while she desperately wants him to take his responsibilities as heir more seriously.
It's not a large role, but it just feels right to have her there. Noma Dumezweni stood out as one of the reasons Prince Eric has become a good man. She makes him less of a generic Disney Prince. Now I want to see Dumezweni in a leading role. Long live Queen Selina!
"The Little Mermaid" is currently in theaters.