A Passionate Defense of The Little Mermaid
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2022
- I can't believe the Internet convinced some people that this movie isn't an animated masterpiece when, in fact, it is.
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The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 28th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the 1837 Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film tells the story of a teenage mermaid princess named Ariel, who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, which leads her to make a magic deal with the sea witch, Ursula, to become human and be with him. The Little Mermaid was written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and produced by Musker and Howard Ashman, who also wrote the film’s songs with Alan Menken. Menken also composed the film’s score. The film stars the voices of Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, and Buddy Hackett.
Walt Disney planned to put the story in a proposed package film containing Andersen's stories, but scrapped the project. In 1985, while working on The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Clements and Musker decided to adapt the fairy tale and proposed it to Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who initially declined due to its similarities to a proposed sequel to the 1984 film Splash, but ultimately approved of it. Ashman became involved and brought in Menken. With supervision from Katzenberg, they made a Broadway-style structure with musical numbers as the staff was working on Oliver & Company (1988). Katzenberg warned that the film would earn less since it appealed to females, but he eventually became convinced that it would be Disney's first blockbuster hit.
The Little Mermaid was released to theaters on November 17, 1989, to critical acclaim, earning praise for the animation, music, and characters. It was also a commercial success, garnering $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release,[4] and $235 million in total lifetime gross worldwide.[3] After the major success of both the 1986 Disney animated film The Great Mouse Detective[5][6] and the 1988 Disney/Amblin live-action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid is given credit for breathing life back into the art of Disney animated feature films after some films produced by Disney were struggling. It also marked the start of the era known as the Disney Renaissance. The film won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Under the Sea").
The film's success led to a media franchise. A direct-to-video sequel was released in 2000, focusing on Ariel's daughter, Melody. A prequel followed in 2008. The first film was adapted into a stage musical with a book by Doug Wright[8] and additional songs by Alan Menken and new lyricist Glenn Slater opened in Denver in July 2007 and began performances on Broadway January 10, 2008 starring Sierra Boggess. Other derived works and material inspired by the movie, include a live-action film adaptation, directed by Rob Marshall, currently scheduled for release in 2023, and a 2019 live musical presentation of the film aired on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney.
#disney #thelittlemermaid #animation #littlemermaid - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
The funny thing about these bad faith arguments against the film is that I still clearly remember how I felt as a kid when I watched it. Ariel supposedly wanting to give up her voice for a man completely flew over my head and I was way more interested in wanting to be a mermaid like her.
To be fair to Ariel, she gave up her voice for legs. Getting the prince to kiss her was just the green card for her to keep those legs.
Exactly! As usual it’s just crazy over protective parents fabricating issues that their kids won’t even notice! Poor kid lol
So here's the thing. I do think Ariel is a bad, selfish character now but ain't no way I was having those thoughts as a little girl. I thought she was beautiful and nice and sang prettily. Like nearly every kid. People are taking their personal opinions and turning them into a crusade and it's tacky. I can dislike Ariel all I want but of course I'd cheerfully show my future niece this movie, because I know how magical it was as a kid. People just want to rob kids of the same experiences because of their boring adult gripes.
Yeah, as a child, I saw Eric as a concrete symbol of the surface world she wanted to inhabit that helped to double her resolve.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 I don't think she was she was a 16 year old girl who has wants and desires but is only seen for her voice and she's the kings daughter , i think Triton is the real villain in the beginning and I wish they didn't make the sea witch as the bad guy for merely filling out a bargain to impress apon what is she willing to trade to be human .
We can rag on Disney as a company for all the shit they did (and continue to do so), but at the same time, dumping on Disney Princesses because of their saccharine, girly-girl nature is unwarranted especially for those who know the series by heart and understood the characters and their message.
Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora all get shat on for their seeming passivity, but those who said so forgot the memo that Snow and Cindy are victims of domestic abuse, and Aurora a victim of circumstance. None of them deserved to live a drudge of a life, and in Cindy's case she only wanted a brief respite from all the physical and emotional suffering she got from the Tremaines.
AMEN.
I absolutely loved Sleeping Beauty in preschool, and still do. It's a great movie.
Yes, I couldn't agree more!
I feel like the people who say those kinds of things about those three particular princesses either don't understand their stories, or are just choosing not to understand. There's something else that I speculate on concerning these bad faith critics, but I'll refrain from doing so because it'll probably get me some angry comments.
There is also the problem I have with people calling Aurora a weak protagonist because "She doesn't do much."
And yes, that's true. But there is a reason for that. She doesn't do much because she is NOT the protagonist. The Three Good Fairies are.
They are the ones who weakens Maleficents curse so it doesn't kills, only stuns. They are the ones who come up with the plan to raise Aurora in hiding, and they are the ones who do it. They are the ones who infiltrate Maleficents castle and frees Prince Phillip and, may I add, while Phillip is the one to deal the killing blow, he only does so after Flora has enchanted the sword.
Yes, Aurora is the title character. But she isn't the main one. No more than Zelda is the main hero of The Legend of Zelda series. Link is.
Aurora is the stakes character, the Three Fairies are the Heroes/Protagonists of the story and Maleficent is the villain. It's a very female centered film and a damn good one at that (it's my favourite of the classic three Princess movies).
And an other thing is modern feminism oppressing women who want to be traditionally feminine. Femininity is demonised and women who are feminine (like these princesses) are seen as undeserving of what feminism is fighting for.
I also hate the arguments that Eric only wanted a pretty face. His whole arc is about letting go of his idea of the perfect woman and accepting the love that is developing right in front of him. I understood that even as a kid.
Especially as he fell in love with the voice of a girl first!
I didn't.
@@Demonetization_Symbol There's an exchange right at the start of the film about how Eric isn't interested in anything that isn't real love. Grimsby had suggested a few pretty possible fiancees to him and Eric refused to entertain the idea, because he wanted true connection and love over something superficial. If you only saw the movie once or didn't pay much attention until Ariel was on screen, it could be easy to miss for a kid.
Right??? He’s such a sweet guy too. We see his stellar character from the beginning too. He hates the statue and then risks his life for his dog. Come on- what a catch!
I think people forget that it takes a bit to make people truly Remember a movie, the little thing mention in this video and the idiot critics of this film forget
Well said. When I was a girl, I hated King Triton for being so harsh and even in my adult life, him destroying everything she collected is an act of abuse and violence. And honestly... he pushed Ariel into being that desperate.
Ahh you still have some growing up to do. He did something extreme to try to stop her daughter from doing something insanely dangerous. And lo, she did almost get killed. Did he do the exact right action in that case? No. Parents aren't perfect, and it's obvious he didn't do it out of hate. Is the scale of his action consistent with the potential of the problem he's trying to avert? Losing your stuff vs your life? I'd say so.
I liked him because of his growth as a character. His love for Ariel was visible from the start. He made mistakes but at the end, he gave her what she had dreamed of.
@@sirellynyou’ll be a terrible parent if you actually believe abusing your child will do anything but harm them. Yes, he messed up. The whole story was saying he did mess up, and both learned their lesson. So it’s not like Triton remains bad and that’s the end, they forgave each other by the end.
Want to know the SMART thing? Educate your child. Maybe if you educate them they won’t endanger their own lives and I’ll know what to do to not hurt themselves. Sheltering your child forever and then expecting them to be able to know how to survive without your guidance is absurd. Does Triton expect to have control over his daughter for the rest of his life?
@@BelBelle468 You ARE a terrible parent if any restrictions the parents place on the kids are abuse, and you add the ability to not make mistakes.
I think you proved my point. His mistake wasn't destroying her stuff and getting angry with her. His mistake was trying to shelter her too much, and not showing her the real ramifications of this behavior.
But ignorance (on Ariels part) is no defense for making bad decisions. Especially when warned repeatedly by their parents against it.
Ariel screwed up big time. She tried to make amends by the end of the show and thankfully she didn't die. Triton was overjoyed to see her alive, and like every good parent he went over all the things he could have done that would have been better.
But in the end it was always Ariel's decision to do this stuff, the fault lies squarely with her.
Kids who are taught it's all the parents fault (or someone else's) for all the bad decisions they make are going to fail at life.
And that advise is the #1 worst advice anyone can give to a child.
@@maplepainttube8158 Are you kidding me?
The material was effectively contraband.
He warned her not to do it many times.
You don't plead being "traumatized" after you were warned against this over and over. YOU screwed up.
The guy is both her father and the LITERAL king. He sets the rules. I'd be more upset if he made an exception for his daughter after telling his subjects the same thing.
Try pleading to the police about the destruction of contraband material because you were "emotionally traumatized".
If you are pleading "emotionally traumatized " after losing contraband, that goes to show how spoiled someone really is.
Honestly I hope some kid doing this stuff is GREATLY "emotionally traumatized" because if they try that same crap in the real world they will be dead or in jail for a very long time.
What the hell advice are you giving kids??
You have no idea how relieved I am to know that there's still sensible people like you in the world.
I just rewatched this film. I've argued that this is one of the most important films in not just Disney's history but in animation history. The impacts on this film is felt to this very day
@@RockSmithStudio I agree. There's a lot more to history in entertainment than people think.
I agree. I know deep down that Ariel is doing this because she wants to know everything about the human world, not to be with a man she met.
The other thing I think people forget? Gloss over? is that she is a teenager, teenagers aren't exactly known for always making the best or most thought through decisions, and as you pointed out Ursula then gave her that final push during her most emotional and vulnerable point. This was an impulsive, emotional choice (and it wasn't like Ursula exactly gave her the choice to think it over and come back later with a clear head it was- sign now or never)
We were all teens at a certain point in our lives, how do people easily forget teens fuck up more often than they should?
Older adults make horrible mistakes too, her being 16 has nothing to do with anything.
Ariel had an overprotective dad who turned abusive when she disobeyed him. She already wanted to be part of the human world, but that only made it worse. There are a lot more factors outside of Eric.
I love Triton as a character because he doesn't stay that way,
Over the movie he actively changed to support her.
@@AdaTheWatcher I appreciate that he regretted his actions, though I feel like a lot of people forget/ignore that he drove Ariel away originally.
@@OpticalSorcerer that's true.
I like to use the context clues of certain lines from characters because sometimes they help show more than what we see. And one of them for him was the fact him and Ariel had multiple conversations and arguments about the human world. So his actions aren't all recent, it's been building up. And while he doesn't like it, he has been a bit lienant. I don't want to say he's abusive straight up. As the youngest child of 4 kids, I went through similar stuff. He's protective and loving. But if talking doesn't work and being firm doesn't either, it takes a drastic measure to get through to someone.
@@StefonTV1 Destroying all your prized possessions (especially when you're begging them not to) definitely counts as abuse. Even if Triton isn't a full-on abusive parent, that was certainly abusive behavior. It's a shame to realize almost all of their interactions are filled with tension/conflict.
I feel like the argument that some disney princess/ characters don't make good role models is in poor taste. They weren't written to be role models, they have flaws that's what makes us connect with them. A good character doesn't always mean a morally right one.
But they also have dreams/goals, and they do whatever it takes to make it come true despite their flaws and the obstacles in their way, which is something relatively relatable.
Tangent aside I love seeing people analyzing old disney movies. Lovely video~
I think what cause the "Bad Role Model" phase for the Disney Princesses that's still going on right now has to be the marketing as the princesses on how they were promoted in the 2000s were depicted as shallow 1 dimensional Barbie dolls who want nothing more than just a prince, wait to be saved by a prince, sing, look pretty, have tea parties, and other disgusting girly stuff, and also was the when the Disney Princess franchise reached its peak in the late 2000s.
That what caused the "Bad Role Model" nonsense and I think the marketing also played a role, too.
Ariels apology to Triton was originally going to be longer, but due Jeffery Katzenberg wanting a larger climax, the apology was sadly rushed. The original apology does exist in the deleted scenes.
EXACTLY! Tiana is the only princess I would qualify as an actual role model, because of her work ethic and more relatable down to earth dream. That doesn't make the rest of the princesses inferior, it just means they either weren't designed to be role models for little girls (I doubt Disney execs had that in mind when the writers were making Ariel), or the character's arcs trump their marketing (it was more important for Mulan to struggle to gain confidence and push her own needs aside than to "be a good example of strength and independence" for an audience).
Jordan Joestar Too bad Princess and the frog didn’t do well in the box office.
People who say that never consider that someone can be a role model is showcasing what NOT to do
Not main character , but I think it is amazing how SEBASTIAN was changed and transformed. At the beginning he was a coward, cared only about his music, forced to be Ariels guardian , then turned to be her protector, and finally, a friend .
The interesting thing is, what Eric loved most about Ariel was her voice, which is why Ursula knew it was imperative to take it away from her before making her deal. No man took her voice or wanted her to lose it, but she did fall for the tricks of a witch. What you learn from this is NOT to let a villian pull the wool over your eyes and to stay away from sweet-talking sales folk who will take much more than they are willing to give.
I loved this analysis, little mermaid is my favorite film, thank you for beautifully defending its merit and true message
Excellent point and well-made.
10/10 definitely one of the best interpretations of The Little Mermaid I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked what I had to say!
@@DanielGoldhorn this is the perfect analyis on The Little Mermaid. PERIOD.
Oh my golly, it's Jesus!
Nah she didn't, like Ema Watson didn't watch Beauty and the beast. And Naomi Scott probably didn't watch Alladin.
It's my theory that Disney spesifically instructs their actresses to shit on old princess movies and cater to online pseudo feminist bad faith arguments so that they then can market the remakes as the "correct" versions
Very much
I took it that Ariel's motivation is to see the world and Eric is just a bonus. In general, there was no way she was gonna let the poor man drown when she's floating there witnessing the storm. Ursula was def watching by then and used Eric as a bargaining chip. Ariel was probably gonna be fine if Eric doesnt pay her any attention, as long as she gets to live and explore the land.
The argument against the little mermaid is only half right...so it's also half wrong
Ariel gave her voice not only for a man, but for a chance to explore an entire NEW world, which also had the man she loved. But for the most part of the time she is on the surface, she is far more interested in the world than she is with the man she loves. If anything, she is more frustrated that she can express how fascinated/captivated and happy/exited is for learning than she is for not expressing love for the man. After all, they barely know each other, so she has less interest for him than she has for the NEW world.
As an artist (creative person) and a curious mind (scientist-mind), I can understand Ariel so much. A chance to discover and learn all that is NEW (with the added bonus there is some1 you might get a chance to build a love relation)....so yeah, I think this movie was way ahead of her time. She wanted independence and discovery, the man (love interest) was just a Bonus, so much it would make sense in a follow-up movie she ends up with some else. The Guy is a prince, has duties and would stay still in his "kingdom". So if she was a chance to go with, let's say, and explorer, she WOULD. She would actually join a circus (all that is odd, NEW and constantly move place to place)
Your comment is so stupid in so many ways XD
There it's just one thing. That in the movie they never actually expressed specifically that she was more interested in the world than the man, it was like 50/50 she went from" I want to be part of that world" to " wwowoowowow, this man it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, I dont know when I don't know how I will be part of his world" to a mix between both ,world and man and finally she ended up in man, without the third film that people actually didn't like (idk why) , we wouldn't know that she were more interested in the world, but then if you consider the book ,there the little mermaid( not named Ariel) she was way more interested in the man,coz, you know , the author was more interested in the romance
@@shadowsac5949 The most important song in the movie IS her expressing her desire to be a part of the human world. The fact that the reprise for that song is about Eric is symbolic of how Eric is the personification of her love for the human world. A lot of Disney movies are laced with metaphors and symbolism. Besides, even if you are right, it doesn't change the fact that the core of the movie is about how King Triton's hatred for humans and being an overbearing father drove his naive daughter to do something foolish. If you think Ariel giving her voice away "for a man" is a bad decision that's because it is. We are never meant to think that giving her voice away was a smart thing. She was emotionally vulnerable and Ursula manipulated her. People will bash the movie for Ariel giving her voice away, but the movie shows that this was the scheme of an evil person.
@@paulfritz3552 oh yeah I know that. I was just saying a point people not always see.ariel wanted the human world and the man that is how she was portrait but hat in the book she was more into the man. And that how people see her real "wish" it's mostly made by our own perspective just the author of the film would know which one had more impact in her. I still love her being naive she it's just like the other princesses. I really want to see the live action
If anything Ariel just wans Eric so she can stay on land longer.
She does love him, but she loves her passion more
im so done with ppl dissing old, WELL WRITTEN movies and painting them as outdated or problematic without any good context just to sound 'hip' or 'cool'. SO DONE
Ariels apology to Triton was originally going to be longer, but due to Jeffery Katzenberg wanting a larger climax, the apology was sadly rushed. The original apology does exist in the deleted scenes.
@@orangeslash1667 damn it would have been great to have it included
@@amyfalls Katzenberg also wanted to remove Part of your World due to bad test screening. The only reason the song stayed is because animator Glen Keane.
@@orangeslash1667 That could also explain why the song “Part of Your World” vacillates between Ariel singing the lyrics and Sebastian futzing about in Ariel’s grotto as a way to mitigate the “squirm factor”.
@@beethovensfidelio Sebastian was originally going to have a British accent, but the great Howard Ashman suggested a Jamaican accent would be more fitting.
What about your thoughts on Ariel being called out for being "another weak and helpless damsel in distress"?
She outmaneuvered a shark and saved Flounder along the way, destroyed Ursula's eels in the climax, and saved Eric 2 times. But, many people are saying it's not good enough and continue to dismiss Ariel as weak and helpless (like Princess Peach or Mary Jane Watson from the Spiderman Trilogy (2002-2007) because she had to be saved in the third act.
The way I see it, Ariel is far from helpless. She takes an active role in the plot. It's the choices she makes that drive the story forward and spark change in the people around her. She's an active agent in rewriting her own destiny.
Personally there was a way for both Ariel and her father to understand each other without having to get Ursula involved during the scene in The grotto when King Triton believes that "all humans are the same; spineless harpooning fish eaters incapable of any feelings", instead of Ariel blurting out "daddy I love him" which pushed him to his rage point, she should have brought up the fact that she actually went up to the surface got close to the ship saw what kind of person Eric is and the fact that he actually went back onto a burning ship to save his dog which disproves Triton's belief that all humans are incapable of any feeling.
And had Triton kept a lid on his temper and decided to at least give Ariel a chance to talk to Eric. Triton could have watched Ariel and Eric from a distance and decide to give Ariel a chance three days of being up on the surface with her legs and her voice and then she'd come back down to the water.
no need to get Ursula involved who would manipulate both of them to get power
Don't forget Ariel was planning to just swim up to the surface and talk to Eric before Sebastian started singing under the sea
@@Wiiguy1606 As a mermaid. Don't forget as a mermaid. Ursula gave Ariel the idea to change herself into a human.
@@jonnyboy4289 I feel you completely missed my point in my topic cuz I said there was no need to get Ursula involved if King Triton and Ariel came to some kind of understanding. Ursala was an opportunistic waiting to prey on desperation
What???
She rescued Eric from drowning!
How the hell is she a weak and helpless damsel in distress?
This got me choked up and tears in my eyes. Thank you for making this.
I saw the little mermaid when I was 4 or 5 and I loved it so much. I would play with my Ariel doll in the bath and would pretend to be a mermaid when I went swimming. I remember not really caring so much about the Eric plot but her fascination with humans, because I ended up wishing to be a mermaid like her. It has almost become shameful to like this movie and means you aren’t enough of a feminist if you do. I remember my aunt watched it with me once (a lawyer who never married with no kids, very ahead of her time with feminism and civil rights) and after finishing the movie she said “don’t you ever make any sacrifices like this for a man.” It made me feel like there was something wrong with me for liking it, even though her intentions were coming from a good place. But you articulated exactly what this movie meant to me, and I appreciate it.
Your aunt wasn’t wrong!
I never saw her wanting to give up her voice as 100% for Eric. Yes he was a big new reason why, but also she was always drawn towards the surface because all her life Triton forbid everything about it. She wanted to learn about our many customs about walking, dancing, fire, having free will to CHOOSE what we want (especially the women) since Triton was always such a controlling father.
Where have all these wonderful writers gone?
You covered so many aspects of this movie I never noticed before.
It truly still is a classic that should stay as is.
John Musker and Ron Clements retired from Disney.
Basically, Ariel wants to be isekaied, and boi do I relate so much to that... Yearning for a world that is supposed to be untouchable that it makes you feel so lonely. I'm just glad that in her paticular case, the world she yearns for is not completely untouchable, just prohibited, so I'm happy for her that she was able to be a part of that world at the end.
To those who complain about Ariel giving up everything (her family, her aquatic friends, her underwater home, her species) in order to be with a guy on land, let me ask you this:
How would you feel if the genders were reversed in that scenario: *A man gives up everything (his family, his friends, his business, his life on land, his species) in order to spend the rest of his life under the sea with the mermaid he loves?*
I am genuinely curious because what I described above is basically the ending of the 1984 fantasy rom-com “Splash”: th-cam.com/video/sMFNp4Q5SRU/w-d-xo.htmlm59s .
SPOILERS FOR A 38-YEAR-OLD MOVIE! 🤣🤣
(Interestingly enough, “Splash” was the first film released under Disney’s adult banner “Touchstone Pictures”, so technically speaking, “Splash” IS a Disney movie 😂)
Splash is really cute lol and you make a good point :)
@@RedRoseSeptember22 Thanks! #SplashNeedsMoreLove
It's been a long time since I watched it (and I think I'd smoked before) but didn't that happen in Avatar also?
@@spriken Yes, but the Na’vi aren’t merpeople, and “Avatar” wasn’t produced by Disney (although thanks to Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Disney now owns “Avatar”).
Can guarantee they wouldn’t have a dang thing to say about that movie because he’s a man and can have his own dreams and choices, which is honestly all I ever hear outta these self-proclaimed “critics”.
Little Mermaid is a progressive film. Has a strong female protagonist, with her own goals and aspirations who saves the Prince twice. She drives the plot and has a mixture of heroic qualities and flaws.
Jokes on you, Bobby, but “The Little Mermaid” has always been a feminist nightmare since the 1980s.
John Musker recalled during a press tour that there were some female reporters who gave him and Ron Clements grief because Ariel married Prince Eric at the end of “The Little Mermaid”.
Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to assure the female reporters that Ariel loved all things human, not just Prince Eric, but sadly this didn’t change the mind of female reporters.
Jeffrey took Ron and John aside by saying to them during a “Beauty and the Beast” meeting:
*”Sheesh!! They put me through the ringer! Guys! Whatever we do, I don’t wanna get tagged like that again! We gotta make sure that doesn’t happen on this one!”*
Therefore, the “feminist” changes made for Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” were the result of Jeffrey Katzenberg getting “roughed up” by female reporters during a press tour in Florida, as well as Jeffrey not wanting any critique that would diminish the movie’s box office returns.
Source: howardashman.squarespace.com/blog/john-musker-question-countdown-5
I love Ursula so much as a villain. Like, she’s just so cool, she has my favorite villain song out of every Disney villain
THANK YOU!
If I may say so too, it’s good to hear a dude defend this film and give his perspective.
I was really sick a kid and Ariel and Belle pulled me through a lot of things. They were and are my heroes.
I think it was in a later film that they gave more backstory for Triton, how he lost his wife who was adventurous, even loved a human made music box, and of whom Ariel is the spitting image. His struggle with grief and trauma was so deep and at times yeh, it consumed him and he took it out on Ariel. To recognize her for the whole person she was and begin to trust her decisions is quite a message for both parents and children. I wished they included those scenes then. Ariel went to Ursula because she was reeling from her father’s frequent outbursts and harshness. It was very reactionary. It’s a cautionary tale not to push kids away.
The only real hiccup I have for this film is that Ariel could have gotten to know Eric for a year or two before she married him.
Well, she didn't marry him immediately after those 3 days. There's an implied timeskip between Triton giving her legs and the wedding scene, so that could've happened a couple years later.
@@Rom-gv8ry I hope so! I wish it were more heavily implied.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes Ariel. I used to have a friend who hated her because she's a Disney Princess and thinks that all Disney Princess do nothing and Ariel got her happy ending on a silver platter, but she liked the original Hans Chrisian Anderson version of the Little Mermaid because it has a tragic ending.
Once upon a time I would have agreed - sad ending good, happy ending bad and boring. But I've found that it's all about what's most emotionally fulfilling. Sometimes a sad ending can have a greater impact or a stronger message, but a happy ending can deliver a theme or show how a character is able to reach their goal and, by extension, hint at a way for us to reach ours.
It's also worth nothing that the tragic ending for Hans Christian Anderson's version is actually bittersweet, because she does still get what she wants: an immortal soul. And there's a certain bittersweetness in the Disney Little Mermaid too, because she does leave her father behind. They both tell very good stories that have their own meaningful payoffs.
@@DanielGoldhorn True, at least in the Disney version, even though Ariel is human, she and her family can still visit each other every once in a while, they just need a middle point. In the Hans Christian one, if a child laughs, the little mermaid gets a year taken off from her stay on Earth, if a child cries, another year gets add on. Do you know how many children there are on Earth and if all of them cries, the little mermaid will never go to heaven.
@@shampooh8r I even heard that PL Travers kind of called out Hans Christian Anderson for the moral that children need to be good or the mermaid will never get her soul saying it was something like blackmailing
@@Wiiguy1606 I would like to hear more about that.
@@shampooh8r it's just something I heard.
Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the bittersweet ending of the original book because it was more like Anderson's story of how he was a bisexual who had a crush on a man like him but he was already betrothed and he couldn't say that he loved him given the time period So he was much like the little mermaid who couldn't speak of her love for the prince and had to endure so much pain walking on legs as a metaphor for his own pain of not being able to profess his feelings.
Animated Little Mermaid I always saw her more as not letting her family's prejudice get in the way of her getting to know other cultures rather than trying to give up her voice just for love.
Made me so happy when Triton and Ariel reconciled even though I argued that the Broadway version did a much better job of having them apologize to each other after Ursala's defeat while in the animated version it was done in very few words and more body facial expressions
i agree with a lot of this , now i have my gripes with disney but i think its become too fashionable to hate on disney ( specifically their classics ) and honestly i think a lot people come across as overly cynical/bitter when they complain when she ( or sometimes any character gets the guy or girl) as if the presence of a love interest diminishes anything or someone becomes the sole motive
p.s also i thoght the romance was fine maybe not great but i think people complain way too much about it
I agree, obviously with a shorter runtime it isn't the most fleshed out romantic arc, but I think it's still really sweet. It serves the story as a whole quite well.
Yeah, I think dismissing any kind of love interest for a girl in a movie is just so prudish and stuck-up.
@@fruzsimih7214 " prudish and stuck-up" that is a great way to describe it
Ariel is a badass in Kingdom Hearts when her world isn't relegated to a singing minigame!
I think the Minni game is fun :)
Sad that a lot of people overlook or just ignore Ariel’s “I want song.” Musical composition 101. Probably one of the most important parts of every musical, giving us insight on the character and their actions as the story progresses.
It's unfortunate how adults who must have grown up with this films around miss the memo. Disney Princesses are not man crazy harlots, but often victims of circumstance or abuse who find the strength to overcome. They are not naturally strong, but they FIND that strength without losing themselves. The only character that I cannot think of as a victim is Belle. And she is far from man crazy. She doesn't deal with crap, be it from Gaston OR Beast. If people assume just because a man waltzed into their lives it got better, it didn't. They MADE it better, made decisions and found the strength to GROW. That's powerful.
Ironic since “Beauty and the Beast” came about because Jeffrey Katzenberg didn’t want to get feminist backlash after he personally experienced it during a press tour of “The Little Mermaid”.
Yes really!
Only 4 min into the video so idk if it’s mentioned or not. Even if her kid watches that movie and gets the idea of giving up your voice for a man it’s HER JOB as a mom to discuss those things with her child and show her child what healthy relationships look like. Not letting her kid watch a whole ass movie because of one possible interpretation and avoid a conversation about it is L A Z Y!
What a great point! You can't shield your kids from everything!
Most romcoms, including Knightley's own Love Actually, have waaaaay more toxic relationships than The Little Mermaid.
Probably your best work yet. Really love the analysis of Part of Your World, very informative and thoughtful.
Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun seeing this video come together, I'm glad that you found it informative! 😁
The Little Mermaid is Triton's movie as far as I'm concerned, and I enjoy the movie a lot more through that lens.
This was awesome My only wish would be if you explained how Ariel started the trend of Disney heroines rescuing their loves.
The scene where Ariel explores the kingdom with Eric and we experience all her joy and wonder has always been my favourite part of the movie. I love how you described it in the video and your amazing insight into the movie's parallels with the LGBTQIA+ struggle. Amazing video! Got me all emotional 😍
I love this!!! I’ve written a defense of Aurora before and Snow White for being critiqued in what I think is bad faith, too. So I love this!!
Yes!! Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorites and I can’t stand hearing Aurora get so much undue flack. She clearly has a lot of character, she faces struggles and acts according to her own volition, often against her advisors (the three fairies & her father). She and Philip dream of love, Aurora meets him AS she is singing about it, BECAUSE she is singing about it (+ the owl is cosplaying with his hat); Philip joins her in virtue of her voice, her gift which also charms the woodland critters, and they fall for each other in a very authentic young-romance scene with song and dance. When that is challenged by the two kings’ betrothal scheme, both lovers refuse to participate in a marriage that’s not based on feeling and connection, i.e. love. “Father, it’s the fourteenth century!” This is after finding out she’s a princess! Aurora still doesn’t want to marry “some prince,” she wants the young man she met in the woods who sang her song back to her.
I’m sorry, where is the problematic patriarchal agenda here? Those complaints are truly in bad faith, because if you actually engage with the story and empathize with the characters, it is simply a compelling love story, a modern fairy tale. I won’t go into the conclusion, Maleficent, the spindle (which Aurora chooses to touch because she’s lost her will by having her heart broken by life), and the prince’s battle, but we get the point. Glad to know there are more Aurora stans out there.
@@TheCapedWanderer you forget Aurora was manipulated by maleficent to touch the spindle when the three good fairies shout out "don't touch anything" Aurora briefly breaks free of the spell and willingly pulls her finger back to the point where maleficent had to firmly shout "touch it, I say!"
@@Wiiguy1606 Right, Maleficent clearly entrances her and at the end commands Aurora to touch it. I was rushing at that point in my comment and conflated the spindle with the green glow; what I meant is that Aurora was vulnerable when Maleficent struck, crying on her bed, and in an emotional state where she was willing to follow anyone or anything, willing to let herself be entranced rather than stay in her own misery. I believe that had she been at peace with her parents, and not just had her love severed, Aurora would not then have been susceptible to manipulation by the witch’s spell. A person with no terrible longing, no black chasm eating at their heart, is not so easy to entrance.
@@TheCapedWanderer fair point.
Still I defend Aurora because all she was living as briar Rose she was quite content only feeling bad that she's not allowed to meet anyone. she actually wanted the cute boy in the forest to come to her house so that she can get to know him better and introduce him to her "aunts" and if he actually tried to do anything to her, her aunts would most certainly get him to back off
@@Wiiguy1606 yeah Briar Rose is shockingly well-adjusted considering she grew up in a hollow raised by three fairies who cannot bake a cake. That she and Phillip meet on their own terms and without any royal context is crucial, it shows they have a real connection, which is what she dreamed of. And if I heard that voice singing in the woods, I would probably fall in love on the spot too. That he joins in, taking over for the owl, is so sweet.
This was so beautifully put and poignant. It's been annoying me so much every time someone trashes the disney classics, especially the princesses, because they seem such easy targets. Thank you for making this video. I loved every second of it.
Omg, thank you for vocalizing exactly what's been in my heart. The Renaissance Disney Princesses were frankly queens, and anyone looking at these ladies the way Keira Knightly does are doing them a great disservice (not to mention, insulting!). Pretty sure she also had similar bs to say about Cinderella; yes, Ms. Love Actually, let's blame the actual victim because she happens to fall in love with a man in the end! 🙄🙄🙄
Absolutely. Keira Knightly just doesn't understand the movie at all! STOP THE MISINTERPITATION!
@@racheljackson4428 Seriously, stop reducing them to what they aren't 😒
What did she say about Cinderella and what's the truth?
@@Demonetization_Symbol Something silly about not letting her daughter watch Cinderella, cuz she thought it was bad for feminism, or something.
I'm paraphrasing, I don't remember her exact words (pretty sure it was an Ellen interview), but it came off as very reductive to Cinderella, and sort of just missing the whole actual point of the film (she wasn't looking for a man, she was looking to finally get to enjoy ONE night out, and sure, she ended up meeting a guy who turned out to be the prince 🤷♀)
Excellent! Correct across the board on our leading lady Ariel, but the most interesting to me was your two points about a key supporting role: that King Triton is really the antagonist of the film, while at once the character whose arc has him grow the most over its course. As a boy with no dad (two moms) I loved Triton (always wanted a parent with a beard (or a mane, lookin at you, Mufasa)) and he was my favorite character when I was younger (7-18). But having not seen it in years, I’m 27 now and a huge cartoon/animation buff, I watched The Little Mermaid last week and was just floored by the musical storytelling, and the characterization of Ariel.
Part Of That World is insanely important to the whole: it shows the audience right into Ariel’s heart, where we reside for the rest of the narrative. I have watched the movie two more times this week, because it’s affected me so much, and I tell you I, an adult man, cry each time she sings it: in her cavern-“What’s a fire and why does it- what’s the word- Burrrrn, when’s it my turn?”-again at the reprise to Eric on the shore-“where would we walk, where would we run”-then right after as he’s leaving-“I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but I know something’s starting right nowwww-watch and you’ll see, someday I’ll be, part of your world” ~cue title splash~ ~also cue my tears~ Then yet again when Eric is playing her melody on his little flute (shnarfblat), looking out at the sea. The fact that he’s in love with her voice, the very cost of the deal she made to get close to him (“What would I give, to live where you are?”), is incredibly effective as a literary device, hats off to Hans, but it’s just delivered in unbelievably moving fashion by Menken & Ashman.
Lion King’s Hans Zimmer achieves a similar effect with the melody that plays when Mufasa shows Simba the kingdom (This Land), when Simba steps into his footprint (Father’s Footsteps), when he sees Mufasa’s ghost (Under The Stars), and finally when Simba ascends the throne/stone in the rain to give his royal roar (King of Pride Rock). But even this, great and moving as it is, and we’re talking about my favorite movie here, is just a theme. And boy do I love me a theme! But what Ashman did with The Little Mermaid is on another level. The way he embedded the core emotion of our lead, the elemental text, into the binding of the story is unique and unmatched: Needle of Music and Lyrical Thread, together woven through the very fabric of the film.
To conclude, the piece shines once more at the brilliant close. King Triton, looking upon his daughter looking upon her love and world, Eric, finally sees what he did not before, that Ariel lives to run free, that she must follow her dreams, dreams alive and right in front of her. So Triton, having come around at last from control to blessing, gives his daughter her wish and sets his little mermaid free. The fanfare begins as Ariel transforms and steps out of the sea to embrace Eric, wedding bells clang along to seal the deal, and our Part Of That World theme returns as the fishfolk look up and wave to the wedding ship. It goes softer for Flounder’s personal goodbye, the bells interrupt for Sebastian’s defeat of the cook, and then we are treated to one final statement of the theme, slowed and more tender than ever, as Triton rises to see Ariel off and in a real sense, give her away. At their hug she whispers, “I love you, Daddy.”
So released and unrestrained, the classic Disney chorus descends to close the musical as the king smiles at his princess happy, repeating the lyric from the first reprise when she sang to her prince, then in the future conditional tense-“where would we... if... and I could be...”-here resolved in the present tense: “Now we can walk, now we can run, now we can stay all day in the sun- Just you and me, and I can be, part of your world!” Ariel and Eric, arm in arm, standing as one, wave at the sea; Triton makes a rainbow on the last word, “World.” His may have been the growing arc, but hers was the moving one, if you will, the flipping tale. My feeling of satisfaction at watching her go from her cavern, to the shore, out of the water and into the human world with her prince’s love and her father’s blessing, is as deep as a movie can reach. Ariel is a fully realized character, and her film is phenomenal. She is not weak, nor shallow. The Little Mermaid is lovely and truly inspiring.
We need to mention that these princesses are a reflection of the time they were created. Snow white today could not be the same Snow white as before.
Snow White finds herself in a toxic situation for which she is largely unaware of and only really becomes aware of when the huntsman takes her into the woods to kill her. She appeals to his humanity to save herself and manages to find a safe haven in a dangerous wood. She finds a group of dwarves willing to take her in despite her being a different size, and she cleans and organises that space to make both her and her new friends comfortable. Her only flaw is her great trust in people and her ability to look beyond the surface. The dwarves reduced stature would make most people ignore them, so when she sees an elderly haggard woman, who a Prince would maybe send away due to her appearance, she takes her gift, deadly though it is.
I think my issue with Ariel as a protagonist isn't the fact that she gives up her voice since she very clearly has a lot of intersecting motivations beyond Eric, but more so the fact that she's established to be a fully realized character and in the right, despite her naïveté being put on full display multiple times, and not really getting any consequences or get called out for her actions. And it makes her romance with Eric kind of hard to root for.
That being said, I like how you debunked some of the worst arguments that are held against this film. Great work!
I can see where you're coming from, and to be sure there's not a whole lot of growth we see from her - her arc revolves around changing other people around her. While I think it works fine for the film as is, I do agree that having her come to some new realization as well as Triton could have made this even stronger. Thanks for commenting!
Ariels apology to Triton was originally going to be longer, but due Jeffery Katzenberg wanting a larger climax, the apology was sadly rushed. The original apology does exist in the deleted scenes.
Yeah she may have been stifled by her father, especially after he broke her collection, but making a shady deal with a known enemy and disappearing from her whole families' lives like that without a word was not cool.
Not sure if I can agree on the lack of consequences cause keep in mind the deal she made with Ursula ultimately made her father give up everything to save her as she saw what her choice of signing a deal with Ursula ultimately brought about. The fact Ursula was going to do terrible things with the trident was a sign of a large consequence and you can even see the realization of what she had done to her father on her face. It may not be what you were looking for but there is consequences to Ariel's choice of signing a deal with Ursula that was fixed by the end.
And while it's not a Hans Christian Andersen ending like the book, and sadly the sequel undermines this terribly, but the fact triton let's her go gives the implication Ariel can never go back to the ocean. Maybe if the sequel handle this better there'd be more to say but yes Ariel has a happy ending but she still has say goodbye to her old life that shows she knows she gave up something in exchange still.
@@orangeslash1667 🐸☕Frozen is/was based on Hans Christian Andersen's : The Snow❄ Queen👑❗🙃
Comb the entire Ocean for her! Have you found her?
We ain’t found shit!
#spaceballsreference
Your essay was very well put. That is why growing up Ariel was my fav Disney princess as she taught me to explore and have adventures that I never once thought she gave up her family for a man she just met an it’s sad that some people viewed the movie that way.
I'm going to be honest I do like the little mermaid myself but king Triton he really scared me when I was a kid Especially the scenes where he gets mad, everything was a black and gold color And even the ghetto being destroyed By the blast of his own Trident
You know I've also watched the little mermaid 2 Return to the sea and I think in a sense Ariel Got to learn the same Lesson as her father
I always hated the "Eric only loved her bc of her looks" thing. Their whole arc shows Eric slowly falling for her bc of her actions, who she really is instead of her trying to fit in with her role as a princess. Her learning about the human world and showcasing her curiosity about everything around her. It kind of sucks to also imply that people who are mute are less whole people than those who talk, or that talking is your only way of expressing personality :/
Also funny how people still complain act Eric being the one to defeat Ursula when Ariel had already saved him TWICE at that point. She is in no way a damsel in distress.
YAS! Thank you. This was my favorite animated movie since I was a little girl and I have never thought that the message was give your voice for a man. It was about dreaming of a bigger things and going for it .
The fact that I’ve seen people online defending King Triton’s overly-controlling behavior is concerning to me. Anyone who grew up with an overprotective parent like him would understand how suffocating it is to live under the conditions that Ariel did. To this day, the scene where he destroys her collection of trinkets is devastating and brings tears to my eyes.
Your analysis is beautifully worded and exactly on point: you can’t control your children, only guide them and you need to give them room to grow and learn from their own actions.
The fact that you mentioned Paris is Burning ❤️ The first time I saw that film, Venus Extravaganza reminded me so much of Ariel, and it was all the more heartbreaking to see her fate. 😢
Also not to get a bit off topic but I kind of lost respect for Keira knightly for criticizing the Animated Cinderella movie. She claimed Cinderella did nothing to help herself. did she not see the climax where it's Cinderella herself who told her animal friends to get the dog so that he would scare away the cat allowing her mice friend to slip the key under the door and that it was because of her kindness that all those mice and birds want to help her and the fact that despite being a servant in her own home she doesn't let her step family destroy her optimism and compassion for others who deserve it. Heck she was going to whack at the cat for messing up her hard work of scrubbing the floors. I see all that as the signs of rebelling against her abusive family and not a weak female character at all
Yes! Also, Cinderella brought up the fact that she should go to the ball as well. She was NOT a passive doormat.
@@sallyjrwjrw6766 absolutely right. but lady Tremaine still tried to deny her going to the ball by choosing her words carefully saying "well I don't see any reason you can't go if you can get all your work done and if you could find something suitable to wear"
After Cinderella leaves, the stepsisters are like, "mother did you realize what you just said!?"
"Of course I said **if**"
(Realizing) "Oh, *If*
Heck even with all the work they gave Cinderella her mice friends were the ones fix up her dress.
Which of course leads lady Tremaine to be manipulative once again manipulating her own daughters to ruin Cinderella's dress. And all without magic powers. What a bitch!
@@Wiiguy1606 Agree, Lady Tremaine was a terrible person.
I do agree, and I have said it for a long time, Ariels desire is not originally based on love, it just become the means by which she can get to her desire and its still genuine. If you listen to her song, she is also singing about desiring to become an independent adult, free to choose her own way of living.
By the way, when you speak of the gay stuff... HC Anderssen who wrote the story may have been gay, or atleast bi. It is theorised he wrote the little mermaid inspired by his own out of reach love. So that is in the storys history to begin with, its not just a thing from the modern movie. And having things out of reach, wanting to be part of something you cant be, its something that everyone can recognize themselves in. We all love something that will always be outside of our grasp.
Honestly I hate when people rag on these movies. Sure they werent perfect, but they were beautiful, true pieces of art, and had heart, unlike todays remakes.
Wow. You’re a great author, artist, editor, and insightful presenter all in one! Your videos are amazing too! Keep up the good work! :)
What I like about this film is that it's a Disney princess movie that has a climax like something out of a Robert E. Howard story.
I think it has been widely acknowledged that the climax is a reference to The Call of Cthulhu, so it's even Lovecraftian ;)
My point is Ariel was voiceless even before she gave her voice to Ursula. Ariel was feeling she can't be hersel in the ocean because her heart was on Earth and merpeople just can't get that and It hurts even most when it comes from her father his destructive actions made her feel so misunderstood and lost in this world this fact made her wish even more for a world where she can Express herself, feel accepted and loved.
Don't forget that the real monsters Ursula who waited for Ariel to be in an emotionally distraught position that she could be manipulated into making a bad choice
The film's narrative is clearly a warning about bad parenting practices even if those practices come out of love.
King Triton shut up or shut out his daughter on the topic of humans instead of trying to figure out the source of the issue and find creative solutions to her behavior. This pushed Ariel away until the situation progressed to the point that the only way for her to be happy was to be let go. King Triton was able to patch up his relationship with Ariel, but ultimately he still ended up losing her. It's a very powerful message to parents.
It's also important to note that due to their obvious love for each other, the topic of humans was likely the only one they couldn't properly discuss with each other. (If you're willing to take the series as canon, the previous statement is confirmed.)
On a side note, let's appreciate the fact that at the end of the movie, when Ariel is sitting on the rock, she has obviously already discussed what had happen with her father. She sits with an expression and posture that indicate she knows this is the last time she'll see Eric while her father watches her from nearby. The fight with Ursula was intense but brief and began right after sunset. The next scene takes place at sunrise. Looking at what has been revealed about Ariel's character, she would have immediately started searching for Eric, see he's okay, and then head directly for her father. When King Triton confronted Ursula, Ariel obviously understood what she had done just as King Triton had understood his own mistakes concerning his daughter. It only makes sense that they apologized and talked things over before Ariel requested to see Eric one more time.
Dear God, this video actually made me cry. Thank you so much for crafting this beautiful love letter to one of my top favorite films of all time.
Do not give your voice up for a man” but that’s what she did. It’s the old argument about weather or not to allowing yourself to give yourself to love all the way. Alfred Lord Tennyson once said 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ But for the poor little mermaid she risked her life to be the prince only to die in the end. Still she instead of becoming foam on the waves, God saw her sacrifice and took pity on her and made her an angel. One who guides the way ward hearts.
P.S. notice that Ursula is the one villain I recall mourning the demise of her two pets?
👏👏👏bravo, Daniel. I think you perfectly articulated the defense of LM so well! When i was little I loved all the classic Disney princesses, tbh, i pretended to be a mermaid after watching Little Mermaid, pretended to ride a magic carpet as Jasmine, and wanted to start my own library collection as Belle. I never put any focus on ever being “saved” by a prince in any of my pretend playing, i think because the stories above all emphasize imagination and wonder and that’s exactly what i got out of the movies. As an adult is when i started to realize how powerful the messages were behind the stories and how I subtly connected to them as a child. For example, my favorites were Belle because she loved reading, but I identified mostly with Ariel because she was a headstrong, fearless girl in an oppressed environment. I too had an authoritarian father, but i had/have an adventurer’s spirit and i loved that Ariel pursued her passion to explore a new world. As a child Ariel gave me hope that I wasn’t alone in wanting more than my stuffy environment could offer. And as an adult I did explore, moving away from home, meeting my husband (i would never say i met a prince charming, i’d say i met an incredibly handsome, intelligent, hard working man, so see, Keira, not every girl who watches a Disney princess cartoon grows up looking for a guy in a literal castle) and living the life I wanted. Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, and even Cinderella, all exemplify brave women whose resiliency as they pursue their dreams helps them reach their goals, along with the help of their friends, and what is wrong with them finding love in the middle of that? They certainly helped illuminate my childhood, that’s for sure ☺️.
This brought me to tears. What s beautiful analysis of the little mermaid. Great message. And I totally agree. Fantastic! 😭❤️
I couldn't agree more. Ariel is a strong character. Great reading of the film.
You really hit the head of nail with that hammer. On point, dude. This is what I have been feeling since people have been seeing that movie as, just a girl giving up her voice to be with a man she just saved.
I never understood the “she gave up her family for a man” oh you mean her family? Which includes her dad who destroyed all of her possessions? Or her sisters who have the personality of cardboard?
Then why did Ariel invite her abusive father and boring sisters to the wedding?
Also, King Triton showed up for Melody’s birth in the sequel so clearly Ariel and Triton are on good terms.
@@beethovensfidelio because Ariel loves her family. She loves her father and sisters. But Triton pushed her too far because of his stubbornness. That’s why everything happened the way it did. But they don’t hate each other, they never did.
Weirdos: The movie's about how you should give up your voice for a man cause only looks matter.
Actual movie: Eric finds a half naked woman that doesn't speak practically jumping into his arms. His reaction? "Yo, back off, you ain't my dream girl!"
I love this. ❤️ thank you for explaining her story the way I've always seen it to be.
I've also seen similar criticisms of Prince Eric, that he only fell in love with her for her voice, or that he fell in love with her for her lack of voice. It is true that he did fall for her voice, but he was also enamored that she rescued him. And that's not even the point- the movie makes it clear that Eric shouldn't be falling in love with an image of perfection, rather than Ariel herself. Eric is torn between choosing the woman he saw rescue/serenade him, and this woman that fell on his doorstep that he'd been having a good time with. Eric had been playing a flute to the sea to try to reach the mystery woman. And he, after a conversation with Grimsby about considering Ariel, tosses the flute into the sea, showing that he chose Ariel for Ariel. It's easy to gloss over his struggle because we all know mystery woman and Ariel are the same person, but it is a really underrated character arc.
Yes, great point about Eric and his character arc!
People just can't relate with shit anymore because life and development takes place online, especially for children and teenagers. What would they know ?
Look at ye, postin' informative and engagin' bangers Dan.
Thank you!
The Little Mermaid will forever and always be my favorite movie ever!
that was a wonderful video ^u^ thank you for making it
Loved your analysis and I totally agree, there’s more to Ariel’s motivations than what the popular opinion says to observe.
People also claim that she fell in love too quickly with him at his birthday party on the ship, but I think there are also some hints she saw on him that helped her judge him right and feel attracted toward his gentle heart: yes, she first was attracted to his looks (ain’t that happens to all of us?), but then she saw how he treated the others while being the prince, like equals, but the cherry on top was how he risked his own life for rescuing an innocent life, his hairy four-legged friend. How could she possible not be drawn to him when she saw with her own eyes how he truly is when nobody sees: a kind and courageous young man, who happens to be a good looking prince.
I wasn't attracted to people based on looks.
Nicely said and properly supported. Thank you
Beautifully conveyed. I am impressed.
It's a shame many people can only critique in the confines of buzzwords and the most basic interpretations, forsaking any nuance or humanity.
Ariel wanted to be part of humanity. Prince Eric was just a bonus to that. lol
I love this vid and the comments to boot! Also, Ariel was also perfectly fine meeting Eric as a mermaid. There’s proof in this because the dialogue right before Sebastian sings under the sea. Ariel was brainstorming up a scenario where flounder would splash around and make such a ruckus enough to make Eric notice. It was only after her dad destroys Eric’s statue and her treasures, that left her vulnerable enough for Ursula to take that advantage of her.
And side note, (this is just added knowledge), Ursula was never in love with Eric, she transformed herself into a human to hypnotize Eric all because Eric and Ariel were getting close to the kiss. Remember if Ariel and Eric kissed, Ursula would have never be able to use Ariel as a leverage to King Triton.
I think most people confuse Ariel's motivation is because they confuse the first song with the reprise.
In the original song, she never says "Part of YOUR world", she says "Part of THAT world", when she met Eric and saved him, she found another reason to dream about the human world.
Great insight. I always thought ariel was brave and spirited . She had the courage to fulfil her dreams which alot of people are to afraid to do. 🥰👍
Its not my favorite Disney movie but by george you made me appreciate it even more, thank you my dude!
That's the best thing I could hear, thank you so much!
always liked this movie a lot. and it made me get a re-interest in Disney animations during that time ( beauty and the beast, Aladdin, etc.) Triton was a fav character for me, as i always saw him as that "old school" kind of Dad. Tough, stern, and usually regretting a decision in the name of discipline and keeping the family safe. The best part of him was the change he had in the end. And the bridge that was created between him and Ariel. There are so many quiet things in this movie, that can resonate so much with ppl, and having torn down to "base, one-sided self observances" is really a shame
Keira Knightley, as much as I love her, what the hell is wrong with her?
I have so much disgust and frustration towards adults who ban movies from their children, not because it's too scary or it's rated M or Restricted, but because of agenda bullsbit.
Forbidding your daughter to see a movie all because it doesn't suit your forth wave Feminist agenda is the same as parents forbidding their children to see a movie because there's a gay character in it.
Thankyou for making this video. The Little Mermaid is an amazing, beautiful and special film and it's among the absolute best of Disney's films. I'm very lucky to have this film be a favourite since I was a baby.
What really boils me with the Little Mermaid remake, is that they are changing Howard Ashman's songs and theme that he worked hard on. Without the Little Mermaid/Howard Ashman there would be no Renaissance in the first place!
Perhaps Howard Ashman’s estate agreed to those changes.
Also, as long as Alan Menken wasn’t coerced by Disney, he can do whatever he wants with his songs.
Well, technically it was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” that kickstarted the Disney Renaissance.
@@beethovensfidelio The renaissance of the animated canon. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is not a part of the animated canon.
THANK YOU ! That's exactly what I wanted to ear !
11:48 Haha! Your line and the delivery of it. Also the closeups lmao The Little Merpixel
13:41 XDDD ...you play Crusader Kings?
Great video! This movie was THE most special thing to me as a kiddo :D
Great interpretation and review. I was 14 years old and I totally got Ariel's POV from the get go. From wanting to explore more of my community but feeling like i was unable to (oldest child in my family, having a physical disability, my father being obsessively over protective and paranoid...even now ), i got Ariel all too well. Then too reading novel series such as Little House on the Prairie and Love Comes Softly (ie 19 or 20 yr old bride, Marty, er;y becomes a widow and is talked into marrying a widower farmer, Clark, by the drover during a stop along the Oregon Trail.) I knew about sacrifices in a historical context.
Love this video. You deliver your points with such clarity and elegance, but the passion is palpable. I agree with everything you said. This is a lovely movie. You’re even motivating me to make a video essay of my own, because I have so much to say about this movie too.
Love your video, dude!!
While not my top favorite, I do have a deep appreciation for this film. The mentality that some people have against it... Is annoying 😡
5:30 Not to mention, the original tale was a love letter from Hans Christian Anderson to a man he had fallen in love with but could not have (both because his friend was straight and because it was the 1800s). Anderson is represented by the mermaid in this -tail- tale.
Edited to add: The Little Mermaid is my absolute favorite Disney movie. Nothing that's come out before or since has ever topped it for me and I doubt anything ever will. Thank you for your Passionate Defense of this timeless classic (and the queer support)!
wow, I did not know that. I guess the Disney film stayed loyal to the original meaning of the story
Coming across a video on TH-cam that puts a familiar topic into a new analytical perspective and agreeing with 100% of that analysis is pretty exceptional. Your defense of this movie is rock solid, and shows the fly-by-night, shallow trendiness that is modern 'social consciousness'. I long for the days when movies like the original Little Mermaid were available for public consumption. Those were better days.
As a kid, to me I saw my dad and myself in ariel and triton, a father who adores his daughter but is so stubborn he can't pull his head outta his butt, and feels bad when he loses his temper, I wanted to grow up so bad thinking life would be easier, and if I wasn't a little kid people would stop treating me like I didn't know anything.
Such a great breakdown of a great movie
So many hit these movies for all the wrong reasons or read way too into them and lyrics from songs…most are stronger than people think and are willing to fight for what they want…some get an assist but they are still willing to defy everyone who says they can’t
Defiance is Ariel and most teens…sweet 16 is that point when you really start figuring things out and gaining some independence but at the same time are still limited for a couple more years so naturally wanting to break out of that confining shell is understandable…doing it at all costs not so much but when your dreams are shot down by those who you thought would support you…literally for Ariel…”I’ll show them” is an understandable reaction and that’s just what Ariel did…she didn’t care about the cost she was going to make her dream of seeing this new world happen since it would be…at least in her mind…her only chance to do it
Also wanted to say Disney blew their chance to really highlight the princesses in the Ralph sequel…horrible movie and the whole princess scene was such a waste…they make these strong young women sound so weak…
Search TH-cam for the song Live Your Story and you will find what rout they should have taken…these women were positive and/or brave in their situations or did something to make their dreams reality
To be fair to the Ralph sequel, it is taking place in the internet. They could very well just be the internet interpretations of the Princesses, which is, of course “weak, needs a man to defend them, gives up everything just for a man, is a fool for love” and all of that. Which is why people are making more and more essays to remind that no, they are much MORE than those interpretations. Snow White and Cinderella were abused by wicked stepmothers, Aurora was sheltered because of a curse put on her, Ariel and Belle are adventurous and enjoy learning new things about other worlds whether through collecting treasures that came from the land or through reading books, Jasmine was against being forced to marry for political reasons (understandably) and hated being seen as some trophy to be won by men…
@@tranatkikomi6873 that makes sense…still a very weak depiction when the point they won V over on was asking if everyone thinks all her problems were solved when a big strong man showed up…to me it still feels like they just watered down everything for the sake of the watered down plot while also poking fun at Pixar
This has actually made my day!
Thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it! :)
Great video. and everything you said is true. Keep making videos like this. :)
Oh good. I thought this was gonna head in a poor direction. 😁Thanks for video.
You made me cry
So underated!
Keira Knightley is in the minority. The Little Mermaid would go down in history as one of the most beloved children's films ever made of all time. Disney saw it as such a success they would try to emulate it's success three more times with Pocahontas, Atlantis the Lost Empire, AND most recently Moana.
Well until the live action remake comes out next year.
The writers claim that Ariel will have more girl power than her original 1989 counterpart. And since Ariel has flack for being a damsel in distress who makes bad choices only to rely on others to save her, I'm worried that people are going to love the remake will go down as one of the greatest Hollywood remakes since the 1986 remake of The Fly and the 2005 King Kong remake while the original film will be ignored, forgotten, toast, history.
Yet Pocahontas and Moana were box office successes. I can’t say the same for “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”.
@@beethovensfidelio I said they would try to emulate the success. I never said they succeeded every time
@@jonnyboy4289 The original versions of “King Kong” and “The Fly” are still available to watch.
I enjoyed viewing them, thus the remakes don’t ruin nor erase their predecessors from existence.
I honestly doubt that the live action remake will outdo the original cartoon. If anything, I fear that by making Ariel and Grimsby black in the remake, it will lead to the unfortunate implications of both a white prince having a black manservant and a black mermaid who wants so badly to be where the white humans are that she’ll give up her culture, leave her home, and silence herself to fit into the world of white human beings like her beloved Prince Generic, I mean, ERIC! 😂
Obvious joke aside, had they made Prince Eric black and his kingdom multi-racial, those above-mentioned implications would go away.
Like a lot of live action Disney remakes, “The Little Mermaid” will claim to be less racist and sexist than the animated film only to be more racist and sexist than the animated film.
I don’t have a problem with Halle Bailey playing a mermaid, but making Ariel black won’t fix the inherent issues people have with Ariel.
If Ariel can be black, why can’t Prince Eric be too?
Or are the filmmakers telling me that black people can either be cast as servants for the white prince Eric or non-human creatures like crabs and mermaids? 😤
@@RiseofTaitoShirei Fair enough!
Well Said , well Written , Well Done .
Great analysis
Thank you!
I swear nowadays people think if a female character isn't a demigod that slays legions of soldiers effortlessly they're a weak damsel in distress and the film is bad. It's gotten so bad that I'm really hesitant to tell people I enjoy the older disney films. RIP the pre-2010 disney movies, they will be missed. Thank you for making this video, I really resonated with it.
Thank you for this! I do think there is some amount of (reasonable) teenage hormones that she gets caught up in, but the human world is... basically all she loves and wants. She doesn't even go to the concert, what people supposedly praise her the most for. She gives it away, because it ISNT what she loves the most.
Also, IDK if you have seen or like it, but I love the little mermaid 2 with her daughter! It's very silly, but once again the parents make mistakes and the film handles it. Ariel even does similar things that he father did and has to fix it. would love to see you talk about it.
I loved the sequel!
Ariel and belle have always been a huge part in my life in so many ways for love of books exploring etc
Now for the live action films like beauty and the beast i agree to disagree
My heart will always be with the animated film but will say it was a love letter from the broadways version
That helps us see things that could more to the story in both examples to book seller never disgrated belles love for books instead encourage her to read that was something i took to notice others might not have seen and there are live actions that are not my cup of tea cinderella one was a treat for my mother since Thats her girl 💖👍😊
Awesome review dude
Thank you. If anything the takeaway IS don't give up your voice, and don't listen to any of the "advice" Ursala gives. It's bad advice, it won't work, she knows it and that's the point. Don't take any deal with someone who'd bargain any part of your free will or identity. Something significant to remember is that Ariel makes a reckless bet and losses. Her father is the one who saves her (not Eric) and the real victory IS his learning to accept and try to understand his daughter.