Putting my school teacher hat on to match the spirit of this website, The Little Mermaid, like every movie really, is, for better or worse, a series of tests. It has become nearly impossible during this current cycle of Disney “re-imaginings” not to have questions of comparison arise between the original animated classics and their newfangled remakes. Depending on a person’s fandom or scruples (or both), that list can be long, short, casual, or petty.
Read MoreYet, we forget about Tom Hanks, “America’s Accomplished Actor.” We forget the two-time Oscar winner wears that very shiny sash as well. When committed, and it’s hard to cite a movie or role where he isn’t, he can convince us of any emotion, behavior, portrayal, or story arc. Hanks pulls off that kind of magic with A Man Called Otto for Finding Neverland and World War Z director Marc Foster. We root for the charmer, even when we know the charmer is there inside of something repulsive.
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