The director of 'The Little Mermaid,' Rob Marshall, believed it was "fate" that he would take on the job.
The 1989 animated film, which, like his directorial debut, "Chicago," helped "kick the door open" for big screen musicals,
has always held a "deep connection" for the 62-year-old director, who is anxious to push things even farther with the new real action Disney film.
"When I did 'Chicago,' I felt a deep connection with 'Mermaid,' because they had kicked open the door for movie musicals,
we then pushed the door even further with a live-action musical," said Rob, who has also directed film adaptations of the classic musicals "Annie" and "Into the Woods."
The audience was open to actors switching from scene to song.
"So it felt like fate when they came up to me and asked me to do this." Rob, on the other hand,
claims that the new film is more "modern" than the animated one since Halle Bailey's character Ariel gives up
her voice because she believes the sea monsters are keeping people out for the wrong reasons.