Spoilers
The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favorite Disney movies. It is based
on the story by Hans Christian Andersen. The story focuses on Ariel, a princess
from under the sea, and her forbidden love of the human world and one particular
human, Prince Eric. Ariel falls in love with the prince when she rescues him
from drowning. In order to be with her love, she sells her voice to the sea
witch, Ursula, in exchange for human legs. She then has three days to make the
prince fall in love with her or she will turn back into a mermaid and become
one of Urula's "pets". Disney takes many liberties with the story. In the Hans
Christian Andersen story, the sea witch has no name or major role in the story.
In that version, in the end the prince marries someone else and the mermaid
perishes. Disney natually could never end a movie that way, so there has to
be a happy ending. Overall, the end result is still pleasing. The music is lovely,
as is the animation, and the characterization is good. The sidekicks, Flounder,
Sebastian and Scuttle, don't distract too much and are charming. It is easy
to see why this movie remains a favorite of Disney fans.
Spoilers
The Little Mermaid is still one of Disney's best. Animation, coloring and CGI techniques have developed further, but this film doesn't get old.
The music is still moving, from the soaringly beautiful underwater melodies of Ariel to the rhythmic dance numbers of Sebastian the crab. The animation is excellent, especially considering that before this film's success, Disney was almost broke. Ariel is especially beautifully drawn during the "Part of your World" sequence and when prince Eric finds her on the beach. Her natural beauty and warm smile make her one of the most memorable Disney princesses. The villainess, Ursula the witch is one of Disney's best "baddies". She has style, original design and interesting personality. We don't get to find out why exactly she is so eager to destroy Triton and get his crown, but she hints at it by telling us that she also used to live in a palace once and was then banished for unknown reasons. That leaves plenty of room for imagination. The sidekicks are for once *gasp!* not annoying and they actually contribute to the story. *gasp #2!* The only character that seems a little boring is prince Eric. He's good-looking, but that's pretty much where it stops. But he's still not that bad and the rest of the story holds the love story together, so it's okay.
This film is still one that I remember as one of my childhood favorites and
I can still watch it over and over again. The best parts are the music, animation
and story - the three things I look at in most animated films.:)
Spoilers
The strength of The Little Mermaid lies in the careful integration of fun and thoughtfulness. Unburdened by commercialism, its creators knew what they were doing. Here, the sidekicks are actually part of the story, not the dopey cannon fodder they were in movies like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The villain, while typical, is deliciously realized and commands a powerful presence. Ariel is given a pretty rock solid story as we get a sense of her dilemma and get pulled along as the events unfold. The animation is undeniably impressive and free of the computer generated images that were seen in later movies.
Yet, while The Little Mermaid remains an enjoyable and well made experience, it doesn't hold a candle to many of Disney's earlier classics or to some of their later modern ones. While the animation is still of Disney quality, it is not as polished as the animation seen in the movies from their heyday. The movie is given a cartoony look, complete with the wide-eyed human look. Even if you take a look at many of Disney's older movies, such as the often dismissed The Fox and the Hound, the animation is done with a certain dynamic flair seen only occasionally in The Little Mermaid. The humor in this movie is sometimes downright hilarious and sometimes just plain juvenile. The designs of the characters also bug me. They're too idealistic, especially Ariel, who looks like a Barbie doll. And one of the reasons why this movie never became one of my favorites was because of the songs. While a few of the songs are fun to listen to, some of the other songs are mawkish and overblown. You won't catch me sitting through "Kiss the Girl" ever again. Ever.
Nevertheless, The Little Mermaid remains as an enjoyable and strong experience. The climax is brilliantly done, and the characters remain entertaining. Even if you've gotten sick of all the Disney cliches this movie seems to have spawned, The Little Mermaid retains its place in animation history.
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