Walt Disney’s trend of live action remakes continues with “The Little Mermaid,” a retelling of the beloved 1989 classic that pretty much began the revival of the Disney animated department.

While this remake is on the higher side of recent attempts to bring animated features to life, “The Little Mermaid” still comes up a bit short. It’s a bit uneven, with a couple of strong performances overshadowed by a remake that adds nearly 45 minutes to the original run time. In this case more is definitely not better.

The story in “The Little Mermaid” remains intact with Ariel (newcomer Halle Bailey), a young mermaid who longs to be part of the human world – a desire that grows stronger after she meets Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Her father, King Triton (Javier Bardem), objects to his daughter’s wishes, sending Ariel off to make a deal with sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy).

Ariel trades her voice for human legs and is given three days to make Eric fall in love with her, sealing that love with a kiss, or else her soul belongs to Ursula.

For the most part, director Rob Marshall and writer David McGee stay true to the original story – with a lot of the plot and musical numbers very familiar to fans of the first film.

Some of the transition from animation to live action is smooth. “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World” both recapture the magic of the original, while the addition of talking animals (including Triton’s loyal servant crab Sebastian voiced by Daveed Diggs) is more seamless than I expected from the trailers.

Bailey really nails it as Ariel, a star-making performance that signals her arrival. She has wonderful screen presence and a dynamic voice – a combo that really shines through in her work. McCarthy is also spot on, having a lot of fun as the villain. She knows just when to ham it up and when to reel it in, finding that perfect balance to make Ursula memorable but not over the top.

Where “The Little Mermaid” hits rougher seas comes in the decision to add on to the story – specifically the addition of several musical numbers. None of the additions adds to the experience in a positive way, serving more as a way to bog everything down.

Perhaps the best gauge for “The Little Mermaid” remake is how you feel about the iconic musical number – the Oscar winner “Under the Sea.” In the 1989 original, it’s an iconic showstopper, the kind of musical number that is in the conversation as the best of all time when it comes to Disney animation.

This version lacks the same spark, despite a lot of high energy throughout the song. It just falls flat and serves as a reminder how much inferior this version is to the original.

This “Little Mermaid” is a solid effort, but one that falls well short of making the same impact as its source material.

Starring: Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy

Directed by: Rob Marshall

Rating: PG for action/peril and some scary images

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)

Grade: C