The Little Mermaid live action remake’s runtime leaked and it’s left people divided

Film fans have been left divided after the runtime was leaked for Disney's upcoming live action remake of The Little Mermaid.

Disney has been remaking its classic films for years now, but none of them seem to have gained as much attention as the upcoming movie about Ariel the mermaid.

For reasons both good and bad, the movie has sparked conversations about casting, music choices and even whether it needed to be remade in the first place.

Whatever your thoughts on it though, the movie is happening and is set to be released on 23 May.

Actor Halle Bailey takes on the role of Ariel in the live-action remake, in which she's joined by Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton.

The film will largely follow the same plot as the original animated movie, which was released in 1989 and tells the story of a young mermaid who, intrigued by life on dry land, makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her voice for legs.

Disney

The animated movie managed to tell this tale in 83 minutes, while also packing in a good few songs.

The upcoming remake looks set to include even more detail than before though, as the leaked runtime for the film reveals it will surpass the two hour mark.

Details about the length of the film come from One Take News, who spoke to sources after a listing for The Little Mermaid appeared on the website for AMC Theatres.

Multiple sources have told the publication that the upcoming movie will have a runtime of a whopping 135 minutes, or two hours, 15 minutes.

That's almost an entire hour longer than the original, and the news has left people divided.

One film fan wrote: "I think this is going to test audience’s patience in these remakes, because the original was perfectly paced and there going to change so much of what people liked that they might as well not go."

Another commented: "It’s crazy how all these remakes are 45 minutes to an hour longer than the original animated movies and yet barely add anything."

Disney

Others made clear they're more excited for the extra time, with one writing: "People complaining about the runtime should not watch this film at all. I'm glad it's longer so they can expand on the world building and story."

The remake isn't that much longer than some other Disney remakes, like Cruella (134 minutes), Beauty and the Beast (129 minutes) and Aladdin (128 minutes), though it does break the record for the longest live-action Disney remake.

Some fans have pointed out that at least 10 minutes or so of the film will encompass the credits and all those responsible for bringing Ariel to life once again, though there's no denying it's still a big increase from the original.

We'll have to wait until May to find out for sure, but hopefully the lengthy movie will be packed to the brim with entertaining scenes to keep us hooked the whole time.