His new film “Asteroid City,” set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955 against a backdrop of space-age hopefulness and paranoia, finds him poised to hit his stride again after a few (relative) stumbles.

Yet his reputation for fastidiousness and melancholy overlooks how varied his films are - and the wild emotions he explores. It’s become too easy to take Wes Anderson for granted, with his reliably intense level of filmmaking craft and impeccable attention to detail. Yvonne Villarreal ‘Asteroid City’ (June 16) Reenvisioning a classic is always a tall order, and I don’t expect this update to live up to my memories of the animated version, but I’m grabbing my dinglehopper and snarfblat and hoping for some fun. Then there are, of course, Ariel’s scene-stealing animal companions, Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttle, who have caused a stir on social media with their disturbingly naturalistic looks - adding to the discourse on realism as it relates to what people want from fairy tales. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film features Halle Bailey as our beloved mermaid, Melissa McCarthy as the terrifyingly wicked Ursula the Sea Witch, and Javier Bardem as Ariel’s strict father, King Triton. And grown or not, I’m looking forward to watching the live-action reimagining (and “Barbie” too!) with the kids and women in my life. There’s photographic proof in my family circle of my failed attempt as a toddler to dress as Ariel for Halloween - my mom couldn’t find a red wig and thought one that looked more like Tina Turner’s coif in the “What’s Love Got to Do With It” music video was somehow a suitable alternative.

Here are some of the movies we’re most excited for this summer: ‘The Little Mermaid’ (May 26) So dust off those Havaianas, fire up your favorite ticketing app and get ready to hit the cinema. Times entertainment staffers, the titles below - all scheduled to open between Memorial Day weekend and the dog days of August - represent the full range of possibilities that longer days and sunny weather seem to offer, from in-your-face indies to Indiana Jones, with films for all tastes arranged in between. With all due respect to “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis” and “Nope,” this summer movie season marks the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that feels like it’s firing on all cylinders.

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin