Disney's version of The Little Mermaid was lauded and love𝓰d by millions when it first came out in 1989. It retold Hans Christian Andersen's tale, giving it the classic Disney spin on it. This movie was the very first of the Disney Renaissance period, arguably when some of the best animated films were made. I personally didn't really care for this movie, as I understood the real moral of the story faster than I probably should have. The music was great, though. Changing things a bit from the classic story, Disney's version includes a lot more songs, a lot less of Ariel's family and even a drastically different sea witch. Al💯l in all, it was a fun little undersea adventure when we all first saw it.
Unfortunately, it isn't a Disney film that has aged well. The moral of the story most likely was supposed to be somewhere along the lines of 'don't be afraid to follow your dreams' or 'the world is full of wonderful things. Get out of your comfort zone and learn about them'. Looking at the finished project though, the moral turned out a bit worse. The film seems to push the idea that breaking rules will get you what you want no problem and that women need to be married to be happy. The moral of the story wasn't the only thing people ignored, either. These are 25 things that we tend to forget when we put on our nostalgia goggles and watch The Little Mermaid.
25 🎃 🌞 Science Would Say No
Being part of the Disney Renaissance means that you probably have some iconic tunes. The Little Mermaid is no exception to that. Like I said earlier, the music is amazing and I still enjoy each one to this day. The problem here though is that it's hard to believe any of these creatures could use instruments of any kind. Basically the sound waves wouldn't travel very well through the water, so any kind of music would🍨n't have nearly the same quality due to the way it moves.
24 Already King? ෴ 💃
Being that Eric is the prince of the film and the person Ariel supposedly 𓂃loves the most, you might think we would get to meet his family. From the time we spend with him though, we only get to meet Grimsby, the discount Alfred.
Eric's family doesn't get the royal treatment in the movie.
Not only does Eric never speak of his family, there is no indication they ev♊er really existed. This IS a Disney film, so chances are Eric lost them when he was little, but we have n𓄧o closure as to why Ariel is without in-laws.
23 ꦿ The Oncoming Storm
anyone who has sailed a bit or lives in a coastal town (such as Eric's ENTIRE kingdom), you'd think they'd learn how to read the sea. Anyone who fits the aforementioned categories can tell you storms don't just appear. Sailors can tell when th🍨ey're coming way in advance and prepare for them. But, in Ariel and Eric's case, there wouldn't be quite the same movie if Ariel couldn't save Eric somehow. Easiest way to do it? Whip up a quick storm, of course!
22 An Awfully Large Rock 🐬
, so we pointed out that a storm started the whole movie. But the 🐎most insane part of the whole thing is the reason the ship sank. The reason given in the movie is a giant rock.
In order for a rock to sink Eric's ship, they would have had to be closer to shore.
The waves moved the ship in the way of a rock and it opened a huge hole in the hull. But if that rock is connected to the floor some how, how close were 𝔍they to shore? Probably close enough to swim back.
21 The Craziest Wedding 𝓡
disguised as a woman named Vanessa (somehow) manages to get a wedding together in less than a day when she tricks him into thinking she is the girl who saved him. Rig💮ht before the marriage was set, all heck broke loose and we got into the third act climax. But you have to wonder- what happened to the wedding boat with the guests on it? It's safe to say they returned to shore, but then how did they explain what the bride became?
20 ꦛ 𝐆 The Iconic Dinglehopper
can give Ariel a little bit of a pass when she first found out what a fork was because Scuttle really needs to work on his vocabulary. But she learned sooner than we tend to giꦆve her credit for what the fork is really used for. In the dinner scene, she can see that the forks are for eating, and Eric and Grimsby are using them as well. Sure it might have been﷽ a coping method to deal with all of the newness around her, but when in Rome...
19 𒐪 Dawn Of The Third Day ⭕
Wh﷽en Ariel awakes the third morning, she finds out Eric is set to be wed that night to Ursula in disguise. Nearly the next shot is at sundown, when the climax of the story happens. But what exactly does Ariel do for the majority of the day?
We never get to find out how Ariel spent her last day as a human
Does she mope around, hoping tha෴t Eric will change his mind? Does she dream of the sea or dread the bargain she made? That could have made for some good character development.
18 It's Easy As 1, 2, 3 🎶
Ariel clearly understands how to write when she signs Ursula's contract. (Her penmanship is quite nice!) Yet amazingly, she doesn't think abo𒈔ut it at all in the three days she's on land. Maybe Eric distracts her and she forgets. Maybe she doesn't think it's that easy. Maybe she doesn't because otherwise it'd be a very short movie. Whatever the case may be, Ariel could have saved herself a LOT of trouble had she used logic. At least she wins the day, right?
17 It's A Trap! 𝔉
Ever since I first heard the song "Part of Your World" I was confused. One of the lines reads, "betcha on land/they understand/but they don't reprimand their daughters". (It makes a bit more sense if you're doing a case study on Ariel). Surely it had to be wishful thinking, because there isn't a place ♚alive where there is no reprimanding for anyone. The line seemed out of place, and I could only imagine what she would think when she learned of the restraints on women 🀅in her day.
16 ⭕ A Loving Family
King Triton certainl🌳y has it all. A loving and (seemingly) prosperous kingdom, seven beautiful daughters who love him and unconditional power in his trident. The one thing he can't seem to get though is Ariel to listen to him.
Triton's favorite daughter is also his most stressful.
And yet somehow she's the favorite. We see it through sever꧅al parts of the movie, where she can butter him up in just the right way. She can ge🙈t away with quite a bit. How one of his other daughters isn't his favorite is beyond me.