The central story of The Little Mermaid is, of course, 16-year-old Ariel's identity crisis. She feels constrained by her patriarchal mer-society and senses she doesn't belong. She yearns for another world, apart from her own, where she can be free from the limits of her rigid culture and conservative family.

What is the conflict of the story of Little Mermaid?

Conflict takes place in the beginning of the movie when Ariel and her father, King Triton, disagree on Ariel's fascination with the surface world. Ariel comes from the royal bourgeoisie family of Atlantica although she longs for a life on the surface.

What was Ariel's problem?

Ariel, a sixteen-year-old mermaid princess, is dissatisfied with life under the sea and curious about the human world.

What is the problem with The Little Mermaid remake?

Perhaps the primary problem of the remake is its gross dramatization through dark and shadowy color grading, as well as flagrantly employed CGI. For instance, in Ariel's (Halle Bailey) song of yearning, “Part of Your World,” the lighting is so murky that the mermaid might as well be swimming through polluted waters.

What is the bad message in The Little Mermaid?

Possibly the most toxic message that the film is in that Ariel risks her life, then gives everything up for one boy – which doesn't say much about female values. She gives up her beautiful voice for him, her mermaid identity, and ultimately her dignity to become part of his world.

10 REAL LIFE MERMAIDS Caught On Camera

What is the moral lesson in The Little Mermaid?

Aside from the mistakes and challenges she went through, she still achieved her goal and got to explore the human world. The lesson here is that if we were to give up during challenges, we would never reach our dreams. But if you try your best, you can succeed. Close your eyes and think of The Little Mermaid.

What is the message of the mermaid story?

Our mermaid feels alienation throughout this story. Wanting more than her world, she turns instead to the world above. Through her disconnection with her home, we can explore our own sense of disconnection in our lives.

Why did Disney make Ariel black?

On the significance of casting a Black actress as Ariel

Sherri Hope Culver: To have a Disney character who is not just a princess but a live-action, real flesh and blood person that children can be inspired by is important. This is because people of color are less likely to see themselves reflected in the media.

Why was Scuttle gender swapped?

Scuttle is not only changed from male to female but is also now a diving bird instead of a seagull. "This was done specifically so that Ariel would only meet Scuttle underwater, because, at the start of our story, Ariel has never dared go above the surface," director Rob Marshall said in production notes.

Is Ariel The Little Mermaid autistic?

Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” has been headcanoned as autistic, because no one who sings a song about wanting to not just learn about an interest, but literally be in that world, is neurotypical.

Was Ariel's mom crushed?

While it is known that her mother perished, there is no story attached to the event. However, much later, in 2008, an animated The Little Mermaid prequel revealed that Ariel's mother was crushed by a pirate ship during an altercation between humans and merpeople.

Is Ariel only 16?

Ariel Is 16 In The Little Mermaid

In Disney's 1989 animated adaptation of The Little Mermaid, Ariel is 16 years old. The Disney adaptation makes many changes to Hans Christian Andersen's original fairytale, but Ariel's age is consistent as she's depicted as a teenager in the original tale too.

Why do Ariel's sisters look different?

One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.

How does The Little Mermaid story end?

In the Disney movie, Ariel marries Eric and the two live happily ever after. In Andersen's fairy tale, the Little Mermaid takes the knife and agrees to kill the prince. But when she tries to do it, she finds that she can't kill him, and instead, she sacrifices herself to save his life and turns into sea foam.

What is the main theme of The Little Mermaid movie?

The underlying subject of “The Little Mermaid,” in both versions, is of two kingdoms that can't mix—a story of exclusions that run on fear and resemble hatred. The live-action “Little Mermaid” considers the two realms with a much greater degree of world-building social imagination.

Was The Little Mermaid white in the story?

Since the animated feature film had a white mermaid as Ariel, some people are angry that Disney has gone with a black actress in the live-action. Some people also believe that Hans Christian Andersen described the Little mermaid as a white mermaid in his book. Therefore, Disney should have cast a white actress instead.

Who killed Ursula?

Triton confronts Ursula and agrees to give up himself and his magical trident in return for Ariel's freedom. Ursula then uses the trident to expand into monstrous proportions and attempts to kill Ariel and Eric, but Eric manages to impale Ursula with the splintered bowsprit of a wrecked ship, and she dies.

Why were Ariel's sisters names changed?

The names of Ariel's sisters in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid were changed, along with their role in the underwater world's royalty, thus expanding their roles even if slightly. Princess Mala (Karolina Conchet) represents Princess Attina from the animated movie, Triton's firstborn daughter.

Was Scuttle originally a girl?

In The Little Mermaid remake, Scuttle plays a bigger role than in the original. Instead of Scuttle being a male seagull, Scuttle is a northern gannet which is a female seabird. This allowed Scuttle to be included in the underwater scenes which ends up being an important change from the original movie.

What race is Ariel supposed to be?

As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races. The animated “Little Mermaid” movie only portrayed her with light skin and red hair because that was the American interpretation at the time.

Is Ariel the first black Disney Princess?

In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.

Is The Little Mermaid a dark story?

Mermaids Have No Souls In The Fairy Tale

One of the ways that The Little Mermaid's original story is dark compared to the Disney adaptation is that Hans Christian Andersen's story pays particular attention to the souls and the potential afterlife of the individuals in the story.

What time period is The Little Mermaid set in?

The story of "The Little Mermaid" takes in the mid-1800s, predominantly, in three different locations: the underwater kingdom, the Prince's palace, and the sea witch's dwelling. The little mermaid travels between these three places throughout the story.

What does the ocean symbolize in The Little Mermaid?

Ariel, the Little Mermaid, resides under the surface of the ocean. In other words, she's in the unconscious and wants to come up to the surface into the conscious. Water, sea or oceans are often symbols for the unconsciousness and you can find this back in many mythological stories and even in your dreams.