Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at The Little Mermaid

This Movie Sucks! The End. Thank your for reading and join us next time for another article from Deep Dive Disney… Oh crap, you’re all still here aren't you. Well, fiddlesticks, I guess that means I actually have to write this stupid thing. Look, it’s very important that you all understand something right here at the beginning. Me and this movie, well, let’s just say we have issues. I have absolutely hated this movie for years, and that dislike has only increased as I’ve gotten older. What I’m saying is, this analysis is going be a bit more angry than usual. However, I have several good friends who love this movie and I have promised them, and myself, that I will be fair to this film. Afterall, despite my issues with the film, I’ll gladly admit that there is a lot to like about it and I hope to highlight the more positive elements in the body of this article. My goal here isn’t to try and convince anyone not to like this film but rather to help you the reader better understand why it is that I personally do not care for it and hopefully illustrate ways that I feel the film could be improved. So, with all that in mind, welcome to Deep Dive Disney’s look at The Little Mermaid. Adapted from a Hans Christian Anderson story, Disney’s The Little Mermaid was released in November 1989, making it the first Disney film to be released during my lifetime. I’m honestly not sure how to feel about that. The Little Mermaid is also the film that is considered to be the start of what is called The Disney Renaissance, a boom period for Disney’s animation department that will last for the rest of the coming decade. The film, unfortunately, revolves around Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of being a part of the human world, especially after she becomes infatuated with a human prince whom she saves from drowing. When her strict and overprotective father, King Triton, forbids her from ever going up to the surface, Ariel grows desperate and recklessly seeks other avenues to fulfill her short-sighted desires. Enter Ursula, the evil sea witch, who plans to exploit Ariel’s infatuation with a human and the growing rift between her and her father as a means to accomplish her ultimate goal of becoming the supreme ruler of all the seas. Ursula manipulates Ariel into making a deal that will turn her into a human so she can have her happily ever after. However, the deal comes with two bits of fine print. First, Ariel only has three days to get Prince Eric to kiss her and if she can’t, she turns back into a mermaid and her soul belongs to Ursula. Second, she has to do all of this without the use of her voice. We’ve set the stage so now let’s dive deeper than usual and take a look at, The Little Mermaid.

Main Character:

Now before I tear into Ariel, let me first say this. Jodie Benson, who provides Ariel's voice, is a fantastic actress who does an excellent job with this role especially considering that she was a fairly inexperienced actress at the time. Any negatives that are about to follow are in no way, shape or form a reflection on Jodie Benson who is, and always will be, awesome. In addition, I'd also like to praise Sherri Stoner, the live action model who was used as a reference for the animators, as so much of the expression and personality of the character comes from her. Fun fact, Stoner went on to be a writer on Animaniacs and provided the voice for Slappy Squirrel, a fact I once used to own my hateful bitch of a boss who was obsessed with this movie and for some reason hated Animaniacs. All that having been said, I absolutely despise Ariel. Ariel is everything I hate about the Disney Princess concept. In fact, she might even be the very reason I hated it in the first place. She’s a vapid ginger airhead who recklessly sells her soul to a tentacle monster for a vagina and a man she’s never met and, in the end, gets exactly what she wants, suffers zero consequences and learns absolutely nothing. Now, I’ll freely admit, that can also be said of some of the other Disney Princesses we’ve covered so far, but here’s the thing, both Snow White and Cinderella were forced to endure great hardship at the hands of cruel and uncaring parental figures. They knew nothing but that hardship so they understandably longed for a better life. Ariel already has that better life at the beginning of the movie. Sure, her father is stricter than most, but it is still made clear that he loves her dearly and by all appearances, Ariel lives a fairly comfortable life in the kingdom of Atlantica. Now let’s compare her to some upcoming Disney Princess. Ariel is not being hounded by some muscle-bound jackass like in the case of Belle, she’s not being pressured into marriage like Jasmine or Merida, she’s not working herself to the bone in pursuit of her dream like Tiana, she’s not constantly living in fear of a power she cannot fully control like Elsa and her desire to see the outside world is self-serving rather than born for a desire to help her people like Moana. My point is, it’s very hard for me to find a reason to feel sympathy for Ariel. This is not someone who is suffering or enduring hardship, this is someone who has led a life of privilege and it’s still not enough. As Ariel pursues an unattainable satisfaction, it’s the people around her who end up paying the price. Let’s look at Ariel’s introductory scene. She ignores her responsibilities in order to go off on this foolhardy treasure hunt through shark infested waters putting her own life and the life of her best friend in danger in the process, laughs in Flounder’s face when he raises legitimate concerns and nearly gets both of them eaten, over a fork. A FORK! She put herself and her friend in mortal danger over a fork. Oh, and anyone who says “It’s not a fork, it’s a dinglehopper” go fuck yourself, it’s a fucking fork! Look, I don’t begrudge Ariel a hobby. Hell, I’m one to talk since even with most of my action figure collection in storage, my living room still looks like a gang war between the cast of Dragon Ball Super and various incarnations of Venom but I’ve never dragged my best friend into the woods and fought a grizzly bear just so I could get a new Funko Pop. And that’s the thing about Ariel, she’s selfish and doesn’t consider the consequences of her actions. She takes one look at Eric and that’s enough for her to decide she’s in love, mostly because she lacks the maturity to understand the difference between love and infatuation. When her father tries to talk some sense into her, she instead willingly goes to see Ursula in order to get what she desires. Keep in mind, Ariel is well aware that Ursula is evil and realizes that there is a risk involved but doesn’t seem to care. Hell, one could argue that Ursula’s entire plan hinges on, or is at least made significantly easier by, the fact that Ariel is a complete moron. This decision nearly leads to Ursula ruling the ocean and destroying everyone she loves. And yet, in the end, Ariel learns no lesson and gets exactly what she wants. I’m sorry, but that is poor character development. A lot of people like and relate to this character and if you do, more power to you, but I personally find her to be a frustrating, reckless, immature, short-sighted idiot with no character arc to speak of.

Villain:

Whew, that Ariel rant was a very long time coming. It’s going to feel good to discuss one of the more positive aspects of the film after all that. Our first official Franchise Disney Villain since Cruella De Vil, whose own film was released nearly thirty years prior, Ursula more than earns her spot amongst Disney’s evil elite. Everything about her screams deliciously evil and the gorgeous animation of the film combined with the stellar voice work of Pat Carroll brings her to life perfectly. Ursula is something of a predatory Lucifer figure, specializing in making deals with the hopeless and desperate in order to get what she wants. Those who are unable to uphold their end of the deal are transformed into shriveled up soulless husks doomed to live out the rest of eternity as a decoration in Ursula's lair or worse, horribly sacrificed as an ingredient for one of her evil spells. Ursula’s ultimate goal is to usurp King Triton and become the ultimate ruler of the seas. When Ursula finds out that Ariel longs to be a part of the human world, the opportunistic octopus leaps at the opportunity to turn this to her advantage. Ursula’s true strength is seeing what her victims want, finding a way for it to benefit her and then rigging the game so that in the end, she’s the only one who gets what she desires. With Ariel, Ursula gladly makes her a human, but throws in a three day time limit, believing that true love cannot form in such a short time and demands her voice as collateral, knowing that without it, Prince Eric will never realize that Ariel is the mysterious girl who saved him from drowning that he wishes to marry. Hell, if it weren’t for the cliché of the unrealistically fast Disney romance, Ursula’s plan would actually have been pretty fool proof. She even further rigs the game by using Ariel’s voice in order to take human form and mind-controls Eric into marrying her instead. If I had one complaint about Ursula, it’s that we do not get enough of her in her Vanessa disguise. I actually really liked what little we got of Jodie Benson voicing the villainous Ursula and would have loved to have heard more. Even despite Ariel and Eric falling for each other, Ursula still gets Ariel’s soul and uses it as a bargaining chip to finally take down Triton and gain ultimate power. When she does finally become the all-powerful ruler of the ocean, it’s downright nightmarish. Evil to the core, manipulative, utterly terrifying and always on the hunt for another poor unfortunate soul to prey upon, Ursula truly is one of the great Disney villains.

Side Characters:

I actually have a lot to say about King Triton, but I feel like any discussion of that character is better left to the Story section. You’ll see why when we get there.

Scuttle the seagull was actually kind of funny and Buddy Hackett does a great job as the character, but other than that, there’s not really much to say about him.

I want to give a brief shoutout to Louis, the chef who seems to love his job way too much. I only even bring him up because he’s voiced by the late great Rene Auberjonois who would later go on to portray Odo on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Nobody puts Deep Space Nine in the corner, Not on my blog.

Then there’s Sebastian the Crab. Man, I just felt bad for this poor crustacean. Before watching it for this article, I hadn’t watched the movie in years. I always sort of assumed that Sebastian was Triton’s right-hand man, kind of like Sir Hiss in Robin Hood, and that’s why he’s assigned to watch over Ariel. In actuality, Sebastian is the court composer. The poor little guy is basically a music teacher who suddenly finds out he has to be the school principal. Could they do it? Possibly but it’s not what they signed up for. Likewise, all Sebastion wants to do is play music and suddenly he finds himself having to babysit this ginger airhead moron. You can totally understand his frustration. I do appreciate that he does eventually realize that Ariel was miserable in Atlantica and agrees to help her win the heart of Prince Eric, but for all the shit this guy goes through just to help this dumb teenager, I hope Triton gave him a big raise when all was said and done.

Finally, there’s Prince Eric. Before we go any further, I have to give a shoutout to Eric’s voice actor, Christopher Daniel Barnes, who went on to have a fairly prolific voice acting career, his most notable role being that of Spider-Man from the 90’s animated series. Man, I wish Spider-Man was in this movie. I’ll give Prince Eric this, he has more of a clearly defined character than any other Disney Prince character we’ve encountered so far as he’s shown throughout the film to be kind, brave and determined. He’s not exactly dripping with personality but compared to the others, he may as well be Roddy Piper. Actually, Eric actually comes across like a more fleshed out version of the prince from Cinderella, ironic as Barnes would also voice that character in the Cinderella sequels. Eric wants to marry for love and not for politics and when he meets his dream girl, he scours the kingdom looking for her. He’s actually not a terrible character and certainly a cut above some of his contemporaries but he’s still not terribly interesting.

Songs:

I’ve made it pretty clear that I have problems with this movie, but I’m pleased to say that the songs are not one of them. The soundtrack to this movie is absolutely amazing and I can’t say enough positive things about it.

Let’s start with Ariel’s big number, Part of Your World. Look, I don’t like Ariel, and I’ll even be honest, the lyrics to this song only further serve to emphasize that Ariel will never be satisfied but I can’t front, Jodie Benson’s voice is beautiful and I can’t help but sing along with this song. And by the way, screw you Michael Eisner for almost cutting it from the film!

Then there’s Ursula’s song, Poor Unfortunate Souls. It’s a lovably sadistic number that tells us everything we need to know about Ursula and what she’s all about. I especially love the animation during this scene. Ursula looks absolutely deranged and it’s more than a little creepy.

And then, there’s the big one. One of my favorite songs to ever be featured in an animated Disney film, Under the Sea. Who knew, when Sebastian is actually doing the job he signed up for, he’s damn good at it. Not only this a wonderfully enjoyable reggae number that one can’t help but get up and dance to, it’s also a great rebuttal to a song like Part of Your World. Ariel is obsessed with the human world so Sebastian takes it upon himself to show Ariel that she’s got everything she could ever need here under the sea, and he makes a pretty strong case. Hell, up on the surface Reggae music hasn’t even been invented yet. Why would anyone want to work a nine to five job in this economy when they could live under the sea and jam all day. This sequence is absolutely beautiful, with stunning animation and beautiful colors. Who wouldn’t want to live under the sea after hearing this song?

Memorable Scenes:

There is one scene in this movie that was actually a lot of fun. It’s when Ariel and Eric spend time together and she gets to experience the human world for the first time. Something about this scene is actually really cool to me. I love the idea of someone experiencing all the amazing things in this world that we humans take for granted for the first time and finding it all so wonderful. The sense of wonder on Ariel’s face this entire scene is heartwarming, even to someone like me who doesn’t really like the character. Great stuff!

Story:

Before we get too far into things with Triton here, now that we're officially into the Disney Renaissance, it’s time to introduce you all to The Disney Renaissance Drinking Game. And wouldn’t you know it, much like the Gargoyles Drinking Game, this one is also Star Trek related. It seems that Disney was very interested in getting the great Sir Patrick Stewart for one of their films during this period but since Stewart’s commitments with Star Trek: The Next Generation kept getting in the way nothing ever materialized. As such, this era of Disney history produced a surprisingly long list of characters who were almost played by Mr. Stewart. In order to play the game, one must drink every time they encounter such a character. I bring this up now because Triton here (who ended up being voiced by the equally great Kenneth Mars, known for many great roles including the hilariously thick accented Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein) is one such individual. Take a shot!

So, as you may have noticed, one of my big issues with the film is the fact that Ariel does not go through any kind of arc. You may also have noticed that despite my reputation for hating this movie, I do not believe it to be a work that’s devoid of merit. If this film were an irredeemable pile of shit, I wouldn’t waste my time getting so worked up about. I don't waste my hate on bad movies, I save it for bad movies that could have been good movies. So, with all that in mind, how would I go about fixing the film? Well, frankly, the fix is so simple that it’s almost frustrating. Just make King Triton the main character. After all, it’s Triton who goes through the strongest arc in the film, it’s he who has to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the ones he loves and he’s the one who ultimately learns a lesson and has to change. He starts off as this overprotective father, wary of the human world and the danger it may represent to his daughter. It’s subtle, but there moments where you can tell it’s killing him to be crush his daughters dreams even though he genuinely believes he’s doing what he feels is best. When he learns that Ariel thinks she’s in love with a human, he’s absolutely right to be upset even if does come across as too harsh. I'm not a parent, so take this with a grain of salt if you must, but if my daughter wanted to leave home to shack up with some guy she's never even met, I'd probably react the same way. Triton knows as well as I do that Ariel’s proclamations of love are little more than infatuation and pursuing that can be dangerous, but unfortunately, he makes the mistake of losing his temper with her. Now, by holding on too tight, he inadvertently drives Ariel away and into Ursula’s tentacles. Now his daughter’s life is in danger all because he tried to shield her from the world instead of preparing her for it. When Ursula has Ariel in her clutches, Triton sacrifices himself with zero hesitation, knowing full well the nightmare Ursula will unleash as a result. And, in the end he learns that Ariel needs to find her own way in the world and that he will not be able to protect her forever. Maybe what she feels for Eric is love and maybe it isn’t, but Ariel deserves the chance to find that out for herself, and so, with a heavy heart, Tritons lets her go. By shifting the focus, the movie is no longer about some airhead teenager and her selfish desires, but rather about a parent who needs to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is growing up and should be allowed to live her own life, which, in my opinion, is a much stronger message for the film. And don’t any of you dare tell me that that’s too complex a message for a child to understand. We’ve seen plenty of mature and complex morals in films we’ve previously covered. Pinocchio showed us that sometimes dreams require effort in order to come true. Peter Pan demonstrated the importance of find a balance between enjoying childhood while it lasts and making necessary preparations for adulthood. The Fox & The Hound showed us that sometimes childhood friendships aren’t made to last. A message about the importance of letting go of your loved ones when the time is right is totally something a child could understand. However, that’s not the film we got, and that’s a shame.

The Dark Disney Factor:

Alright, alright, we may as well address all the phallic imagery in this movie that people won’t shut up about. Yes, one of the castle towers in Atlantica looks like a penis. Yes, the priest during the wedding scene appears to have an erection. Yes, Ursula meets her ultimate demise by being impaled by the phallic end of a wooden boat. There, I addressed all the penises in the movie, now let’s all take the advice of another Disney adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson story that plays fast and loose with the source material and let it go.

That out of the way, while there isn’t much in this movie that’s terribly disturbing, though I do remember the final battle with Ursula being pretty scary as a kid. It starts when we see Triton give up his power to Ursula to save Ariel. Seeing the mighty king of the ocean reduced to a soulless husk was pretty messed up. Then, there’s the big final battle. The scene were Ursula comes out of the water and is now the size of Godzilla is absolutely terrifying as is watching her turn the ocean into her personal playground as she tries to off our heroes. The dark skies, the brilliant use of shadows and the fact that Ursula at full power gives Maleficent’s Dragon form a run for her money makes for a really fun and damned frightening finale.

Final Thoughts:

So, is this movie as bad as I've made it out to be all these years? After all this, I can honestly say, no, it is not. But, with that said, I can honestly say this movie just isn't for me. Maybe some people like this film, or have even found inspiration in it and if that's the case then that's a good thing in my book. However, I just couldn't get behind the main character and found some aspects of the story to be incredibly frustrating. I can respect this movie for what it is but, I'm sorry, all the positive aspects of the film just aren't enough to get me to like it. Fortunately, that is most certainly not the case for our next film since next time we look at another one of my personal favorites. So join me next time as Deep Dive Disney covers The Rescuers Down Under.