The Little Mermaid Film Response

Tonight’s movie is The Little Mermaid.  Some of my thoughts before watching.  I watched this movie quite a bit as a kid.  I have memories of watching the singalongs of the songs in the bonus features of the DVD (particularly “Under the Sea” because that song is great).  Also I thought it would be fun to be a mermaid for a bit (maybe I still do).  Time to see if it’s as good as I remember.  Also, shout-out to Alan Menken for being the composer of most of my childhood (and also a lot of the music I enjoy now).

Now for some thoughts after finishing the movie:

First of all, Sebastian puts up with a whole lot during this movie.  

His actual title is “court composer”.  The poor guy never signed up for any of this.  As he says himself, he “should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager” (which, if you think about it, explains why his first response to a problem is to perform a song. See also "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl").  I think he and Zazu from The Lion King would get along well.  They could vent to each other after the annoying royal children they are forced to (attempt to) supervise.

Also, he and Grimsby have basically the same job but for two different people.  And it goes equally well for both of them.  For reference:

“You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don’t you?” - Grimsby, to Eric

and

“My nerves are shot! This is a catastrophe!”- Sebastian, about Ariel.

I want to know more about Ursula’s backstory.  Near the start of the movie, she informs the audience that “[i[n my day, we had fantastical feasts, when I lived in the palace.”  This obviously implies a pretty interesting scenario where Ursula did something pretty bad to get kicked out by Triton.  I also know that the Broadway musical makes her Triton’s sister, which was a concept that was going to be in the movie, but got cut from the final product.

I would also like to say a few words in defense of this story.  I know a lot of people talk about Ariel as being a bad female role model because she completely changes who she to get the man.  But the other thing that has to be considered is the fact that she wanted to be human long before Eric.  This is the whole focus of “Part of Your World,” a song which happens before she has even laid eyes on Eric.  Eric is kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Does he play a major role in her decision to talk to Ursula? Yes.  But is he the only factor? No.  Still, Ariel does (literally) change her tune a bit after meeting him:

“What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?” (“Part of Your World”- pre-Eric)

vs.

“What would I do to see you smiling at me?” (“Part of Your World- Reprise”- post-Eric)

So, yeah, it’s fair to say he very much pushed her to go from simply imagining life as a human to deciding to seek out a way to live on land, with him specifically.  But I don’t think it’s fair to say Ariel just suddenly decided she change everything about herself after meeting him.  

Now, examining the idea of gender roles from another angle, let’s look at Ursula.  If any character represents society’s objectification of women, it’s her.  She takes full advantage of societal standards, particularly regarding physical appearance, in order to manipulate people.

Furthermore, she is the one to take away Ariel’s voice and her free will with her sketchy contract.  She also informs Ariel that “[o]n land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word,” and “[i]t’s she who holds her tongue who gets her man!”  She derives her power from taking it away from others, specifically those who don’t fit where society wants them.

Overall, I’d say it was a fun movie.  The music is great, and there were a lot of moments that made me laugh.  But it also deals with some bigger issues, like the way society judges people, specifically women, and how people change in order to fit society’s mold.