The Little Mermaid

Today Disney's version of The Little Mermaid turned 25. In 1989, I was 2 years old, and according to my mother it was the first movie I saw at the movie theater. While I don't remember much about that experience, I do remember it being the first story I loved and feared (Ursula can be scary to a young child). From the music to its characters (minus Ursula, like seriously I'd run out of the room every time her scene came up), I fell for the story of the mermaid who wanted to go to the human world. I wanted to be Ariel. Compared to some of the latest princess movies out these days, I think Ariel still reigns as top of her class.

Now before everyone goes all ape shit on me and say "well she gave up her life for a prince", lets recap real quick. Since the minute we meet her, she is already curious and exploring items that fall from the world above. She has already established that she wants to know more about what is out there, and the idea of becoming human doesn't occur really until she meets Ursula (cringe). Besides, her father destroying all of her human things, Prince Eric is just the push she needs to go out and explore the world she desires to know more about. Yes, she gave up her voice, but what's life without giving up things or making trades along the way. She got the motivation she needed to explore, and you can't lie to me and say the scene of her in town isn't the sweetest thing ever. In fact I wish they spent more time on that, her curiosity in the things she has questioned about is so genuine in this scene, which is only 1minute long!! That's right in only 1 minute we get a look at her finally exploring the world above, and I think that's one of the flaws the movie has. Yes she has to convince the prince to kiss her, and "Kiss the Girl" will always be one of my favorite songs, but I wish that more was shown of her silently getting the answers she wanted. I'd like to think Disney made up for this though with the town scene in Tangled, to me I see it as a tribute of sorts.

(look at the face, Prince Eric who?? its all about this weird small man with a stick)

Anyways enough of me ranting on the film, I want to take the time to look at the original story, by Hans Christian Anderson, whom I recommend if you have a chance look the guy up, he was a sad guy but interesting, then again so were a lot of these children story writers.

(Please note if you do not know the original story please stop here there are spoilers, because I'm nice here's a link The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson for those curious).

In 1992 (because it was written inside by my mom), I was given this book as a gift by one of my neighbors who use to watch over me as a child. Now for those who know the original story, one might think "well this story is a little strong for a child, no?". Maybe I was a weird child, but it was one of my favorite books (even more impressive its a coloring book, and yet I never colored it, wanting to protect it, so yes I was a weird child). This story became one of my favorites, and yes I questioned why her name wasn't Ariel, and where was Flounder? And the most important question, why does she die?

Yes, our heroine, the brave nameless little mermaid, chooses to end her life instead of killing the prince. "SAY WHAT?" The mermaid spends her early life listening to stories told to her about the surface, while her curiosity is not as intense as Ariel's, she finally is given permission to go, and at that moment she sees and saves the prince from drowning and falls in love. Her feelings lead her to ask about humans, and she is told humans are not mortal, but when they die they shall have an eternal soul, something mermaids don't have. Its that, not the prince that causes her to bargain with the sea witch. She doesn't go above for love as her only reason, her drive comes from wanting to know what it means to have a soul. And as I got older and understood that concept, I realized why I love this story so much. Her sacrifice at the end, while seen a tragedy, is still a happy ending for her. She gains what she wanted the most, she felt love, and that love allowed her unable to kill the prince. Her "good deed", if you want to call it that, is recognized and as she turns to foam she feels herself floating into air, beginning her real journey of gaining an immortal soul.

I honestly can go on and on about this, but I think the point I wanted to make is that, at 25 Disney's Little Mermaid did the best it could with such a tragic story. It's easy to look and state the obvious, that she was a princess looking for a prince, but there's just something deeper than that. Ariel and the mermaid wanted to know about things forbidden to them, may it be exploring the human world, or gaining a soul. Truth is both got what they wanted, and they did it their way.


And now I end this very long piece with my favorite scene Kiss the Girl.