The Little Mermaid Movie Review

Since Disney's been on my mind lately, I decided to re-watch "The Little Mermaid." On reflection, though, I didn't like many things, but I did like a few. I did like the way the characters were drawn. I thought the songs in the movie were good. I also liked Prince Eric's dog, Max, because he seemed to sense that Ariel was good-hearted. I was not too fond of the fact that Prince Eric only fell in love with Ariel because of her voice, as well as the fact that she saved him from drowning. Also, I understand it's an important plot point that Ariel gives her voice to Ursula in exchange for legs so she can be with Prince Eric, but I think it's silly how quickly they fell in love. People should fall in love with someone for several qualities, not just two.

Regarding the main character, I did not like Ariel at all. I know she was 16, and teenagers make abysmal decisions at that age, but I don't think it was wise for her to leave home because she is obsessed with land. Her love for Prince Eric heightens her curiosity about life on land. She had the same problem Prince Eric had: she fell in love quickly and didn't get to know his personality, flaws, backstory, or anything else. So, for all she knew, he could have been a truly awful person. But still, I am sure that even when this story was set, there would've been a courting phase between the two lovers. There is none of that in this movie. They rush the love story to a ridiculous degree. I know most of this is because of plot progression, but still, I think her decision to leave the ocean just out of curiosity and rush into love is genuinely a stupid move on her part. Plus, she signed a contract with a sorceress and did not even read it. The only two things I think Ariel learned in this entire movie were not to sign an agreement she hadn't read thoroughly, and that impulsive actions can have severe consequences.

In terms of plot, I wish that instead of killing Ursula, they found a way to seal away her magic or put her in a kingdom prison because I feel like she was the most exciting part of the entire movie. Instead, they use her as the long-lost sister villain. If they kept Ursula alive, she could have been brought back for a sequel, which I would've liked. But instead of leaving her alive, they have her impaled to death. I also think King Triton should have been the one to deal with Ursula, not Prince Eric, because I felt it was more his responsibility.

I thought The Little Mermaid was a poor adaptation of the source material. I understand why they made their choices, but I still think there were better ways to write the character so she didn't come off as clueless and scatterbrained. Also, I wish there was a better way to show what she did and didn't know, because she just came off as too ignorant—for instance, showing her in some princess school so you could see her in a more intellectual setting. Despite this, I want to reiterate that I liked the music and the movie artwork. But I ultimately thought the story was a complete waste of time. I suggest you read the source material, Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." I do recommend this movie to fans of musicals or Disney movies. I am curious what you think of this Disney film.

What did you like or didn't you like about it? Do you agree with any of my thoughts?