We couldn't possibly continue much farther with this blog without discussing this movie. It's the classic that began the Disney Renaissance in 1989, and still loved by families across the continent.The Little Mermaid
Original release: November 17, 1989
This movie is undeniably a classic. You could say it was a classic before it was even made: "The Little Mermaid" is the name of a short story written by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1830s. Walt Disney himself was so charmed by the story that he drafted a screenplay for it not long after Show White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1939. The project was put on hold, and nobody from the studio attempted to revive the project for many decades. In the meantime, many other studios made their own adaptations of the fairy tale. Disney's version, however, is undoubtedly the most famous and culturally influential of the adaptations.
There are many aspects of this film that make it worth watching. For me, the most immediate of those factors is the music. The songs in this movie tell the story well, especially "Part of Your World." I felt that it was extremely effective at setting up the parallelism of the two worlds. Just as we may dream of that alien world that is the ocean, Ariel dreams of a world equally alien to her: our world. Her voice is also quite refreshing; I'm sure we were getting tired of all those soprano princesses. (And, as Tom Hulce did in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jodi Benson got to not only recite Ariel's lines, but sing her songs! I'm impressed.)
Additionally, the songs are very fun to listen to. It's no wonder that "Under the Sea" won an Oscar for Best Original Song. I think my favorite song, though, is "Kiss the Girl," simply because it combines a catchy beat with an enticing, New-Age-like sound. Tempted? Watch it now if you'd like. Feel free to sing along, too...this version has lyrics embedded!
Each character had decent characterization in this movie. You have the curious, kind-hearted girl and her protective father. You have a disgruntled once-composer forced to tag along after her, along with her loyal but slightly neurotic younger friend. You have a not-so-princely prince...in fact, Eric struck me as the most unorthodox Disney prince I've ever seen, and there are a lot of those. And, of course, there's a quirky, smug, and very dangerous villainess who's after Triton's crown. Personally, I think Ursula's one of the creepiest animated villains to ever exist.
The only thing I didn't like about this movie was the sugary way that Ariel and Eric spoke about each other (not to their faces, I meant before she transforms). Sure, love at first sight is all well and good in a movie, and I am a bit of a sucker for romance, but do you two really have to go on with the "Oh, he's very handsome, isn't he?" It's annoying. Very annoying.
Other than that, I thought this movie was quite powerful. Here, let me tell you a little bit of a story. Last year, Yahoo! conducted a user survey to find the 30 best animated features of all time. Holding the top ranking was, of course, Finding Nemo. ("And in second place was The Lion King!" Mahewa interjects.) The top of the list is practically hogged by Pixar, but The Little Mermaid snagged spot #15! Check out the list here.
Mahewa's rating: 4.2/5
For more information on this fun film, try IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes.
1 comment:
I remember seeing this movie as a relative young child. The songs, especially Kiss the Girl, remain with me to this day, and I would completely agree with you that they are the critical component of the movie's success, that the crab.
I appreciated you reference the story's origins, which is not something, I think, that you're done before. The two paragraphs before your conclusion seem a bit rushed; they don't match the clarity and focus of your other paragraphs. Also, keep in mind that it is rarely necessary to write "I think" or "I felt;" when you make a subjective assertion, the reader assumes it's the author's opinion.
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