The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid has always been my favorite Disney movie but after watching the movie again for the first time in over ten years, I realized that there are so many things that I have forgotten or never realized.  For starters, as a child I was convinced Sebastian was a lobster – and, well, he’s most definitely a crab.  Secondly, I managed to forget about the “dinglehopper” and the “snarfblat.”  I’m slightly disappointed that I had no recollection of such unique and unusual words.  From now on, I’ll refer to forks as dinglehoppers and pipes as snarblats.  At Marketplace, I’ll think to myself, “Oh no, they ran out of dinglehoppers again!”

After many discussions about villains and how they are normally portrayed in films, I viewed this film with a different perspective than I usually would.  I noticed that Ariel represents the curiosity that most of us face.  She shows interest in the dark, scary sunken ship – something that would usually be very unappealing.  However, the excitement, adventure, and danger could be alluring qualities to individuals because they are feelings or experiences that they may lack in their own lives. 

Further analyzing the presence of villains within the film, the evil characters have very conventional characteristics.  The eels, which are Ursula’s eyes and ears, have yellow eyes and sharp, unappealing teeth.  The animals themselves have a negative connotation in general – they are mysterious, scary, and seen as a danger in society.  Additionally, Ursula is fat and ugly, with moles on her face and a deep, masculine voice.  This ugliness is a token look for most villains depicted in childhood films, which causes children to associate a certain appearance with the labels “good” and “evil.”  In fact, the only time Ursula is liked during this film, is when she appears as a young, skinny, and beautiful girl with an amazing, feminine voice.  In addition to Ursula’s unappealing presence, it is very easy to paint her as the villain because we don’t know anything about her back story.  We know that she used to live in the palace, was banished, and now wants revenge on King Triton, but we are never told why.  If we knew Ursula’s story, we could potentially sympathize with her and possibly understand her actions.

As a child, I was too innocent and young to realize anything beyond the superficial ideas of The Little Mermaid.  Now, as a much older, more mature individual, I understand the major problem with the gender roles displayed in the film.  The film starts off portraying women as strong, counter to the typical damsel in distress, when Ariel saves Prince Eric’s life.  However, this movie takes a turn when Ariel gives up living with her father and sisters, and having a voice, just to become human and possibly live happily ever after.  ARIEL WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?  Ursula is completely wrong, body language, looks, and a pretty face is not all you need to live and find true love.  Also, just because you don't have all your ideal looks does not make you a "poor unfortunate soul."  This is where Disney went completely wrong; children should not be taught that everything is based on appearance.  Having a voice and opinion is an essential quality, and without those you succumb to nothing.

Despite the awful ideas about gender presented in the film, The Little Mermaid, will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite childhood movies.