Why Director Sofia Coppola Left The Little Mermaid Movie

"Lost in Translation" and "The Bling Ring" director Sofia Coppola nearly took to the seas for her own live-action interpretation of "The Little Mermaid." However, her style of filmmaking ultimately contended with the reality of big studio productions. 

In 2014, Coppola found herself attached to Universal Pictures' adaptation of the 19th century Han Christian Andersen story. This version was stated to be more true to the darker original tale as opposed to following in the footsteps of Disney's popular 1989 musical rendition. Even then, Coppola found herself clashing with the business-oriented mindset that the ever-growing production was taking on. Some her ambitious ideas, such as filming underwater, were shut down by the studio. 

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone about her latest film, "Priscilla," Coppola recalled the moment that ultimately made her realize that the project was ill-fit for her approach. "Yes, there was [a breaking point]," she commented. "I was in a boardroom and some development guy said, 'What's gonna get the 35-year-old man in the audience?' And I just didn't know what to say. I just was not in my element. I feel like I was naive, and then I felt a lot like the character in the story, trying to do something out of my element, and it was a funny parallel of the story for me." 

She officially exited the film in June 2015, with the studio reporting that they'd be moving forward with the production. Currently, no major news has been announced for the movie, although its IMDb page listing "Stranger Things" Season 2 director Rebecca Thomas as the feature's new visionary. As for Coppola, her idea for the film lived on in a very different way. 

A true blue version of Sofia Coppola's take on "The Little Mermaid" may have yet to come to fruition, but for fans who'd like an idea of what it might look like, a YouTube parody video is sure to scratch that itch. Uploaded in May 2014, only a few months after Coppola became attached to the Universal film, Funny or Die's "Sofia Coppola's Little Mermaid" makes for a unique blend of the Disney version and some of the director's most beloved works. 

The two minute video acts as a fake trailer that envisions Ariel and Eric as young party-going pool lovers played by fictional versions of AnnaSophia Rob and Evan Peters. The clip reimagines beats and songs from Disney's "The Little Mermaid," starting with Ariel texting Flounder about her longing for a new experience while a soft instrumental version of "Under the Sea" plays in the background. Amongst meeting Eric and writing her name on his arm cast, they go about on various ventures, which largely parody key moments from "Lost in Translation," "Somewhere," and "The Bling Ring." 

The cozy, slow pace and coming-of-age approach lends itself surprisingly well to the Disney version, making it all the more upsetting that we never got to see her own spin on the classic tale. Nevertheless, Funny or Die's parody is a welcome treat for fans of the director and the Disney film alike.