Preview

Unraveling the Little Mermaid

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1598 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Unraveling the Little Mermaid
In 1989, Disney Feature Animation released its twenty-eighth animated film, The Little Mermaid. The movie grossed over $111 million in the United States alone and was the recipient of two Oscars (Office Box). The merchandise for the film varied from bed sheets and Barbie dolls, to pajamas and Halloween costumes. In 1992, an animated series based on the movie premiered on Disney television and ran for three seasons (IMDb.com). A Broadway production began in 2008, with “50 previews and 685 performances”, ending in August of 2009 (Jones). Over the past two decades, The Little Mermaid has been reissued multiple times on VHS and DVD, finally landing the prestigious Disney Platinum Editions title and securing a coveted spot within the Disney Vault. Girls from age three to nine are the target audience for The Little Mermaid. However, the animated film appeals to both children and adults alike thanks to its vibrant animation, and colorful soundtrack. Film critic Roger Ebert credits the movie as “a jolly and inventive animated fantasy – a movie that’s so creative and so much fun it deserves comparison with the best Disney works of the past.” While sales verify that The Little Mermaid was well received, there was and continues to be, a bit of controversy surrounding the animated film, particularly concerning feminists. Before the controversy is addressed however, the origin and conversion of the tale must first be examined. Disney adapted The Little Mermaid from an 1837 children’s folktale written by Hans Christian Andersen. “Folktale” is a general term for a story that originates in popular culture. Some folktales pass down throughout the ages, evolving and adapting to fit the current era and culture. When Disney “remade” Andersen’s story, they culturally assimilated it. Disney replaced Andersen’s matriarchal mer-society with a patriarchy. Instead of losing her tongue to the sea witch, Ariel loses her voice via magic. Finally, Disney gives the little mermaid


Cited: Ebert, Roger. “The Little Mermaid.” RogerEbert.com. RogerEbert.com, 2011. Web. 28 January 2011. Jones, Kenneth. “Davy Jones ' Locker: Broadway 's Little Mermaid to End Aug. 30; National Tour Planned." Playbill.com. Playbill, Inc., 30 June 2009. Web. 28 January 2011. “The Little Mermaid.” Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc., 2011. Web. 28 January 2011. Little Mermaid. Dir. Howard Ashman, et al. The Walt Disney Company, 2006. DVD. “The Little Mermaid.” IMDb.com. IMDb.com, Inc., 2011.Web. 1 February 2011. Menken, Alan. “Daughters of Triton.” The Little Mermaid. The Walt Disney Company, 1989. Soundtrack. Menken, Alan. “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” The Walt Disney Company, 1989. Soundtrack.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Disney movies are known to have Sexual Hidden Messages. In The Little Mermaid when Ariel was getting married there’s a scene of the bishop getting an erection. The actual artist that created the bishop tried to say it was his “knees” but the character has a robe that covers his whole body. In Aladdin there’s a scene when he goes to Jasmine house and the tiger gets starts growling at him. In the moment he says “Good teenagers take off your clothes” and you hear it when Jasmine opens the curtains.…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Movies, books, costumes, and the toys on the shelves in almost every store have been consumed by the Disney Princess. For most little girls, princesses ranging from Cinderella to Elsa have become their biggest role models. Important lessons like learning to stand up for yourself, never giving up, following your heart, and finding the beauty in nature are just a few of the teachings throughout the Disney Princess movies. What parent in their right mind wouldn't want these things for their daughter? Author Stephanie Hanes explores a possible answer to this question in the article, “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect” originally published on October 3, 2011 from the Christian Science Monitor. Hanes makes her argument by persuading…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Snow White Gender Analysis

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages

    For generations, Walt Disney films have been a “must watch” by parents, children and their families. However, these people may not see the hidden meanings behind Disney films. Currently, children are constantly exposed to media and opinions inherently presented within television, films, radio, books and more. Disney films are no exception. The films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all reinforce traditional gender roles, and the idea that lightness is supreme and will help when it comes to goodness conquering evil.…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    that there are many forms of adaptions and different directors or producers will have their own unique perspective on it. Hutcheon explains that,“They use the same tools that storytellers have always used; they actualize or concretize ideas; they make simplifying selections, but also amplify and extrapolate, they make analogies; they critique or show their respect, and so on” (Hutcheon 3). Hutcheon then goes on to use The Little Mermaid as an example. The Little Mermaid was adapted into a musical, however the musical not only told the story but also changed certain…

    • 2087 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the movie, “The Little Mermaid”, a group of sailors on a ship are telling stories about the legendary merfolk. A young prince named Prince Eric is also on the ship with his dog, Max, and advisor, Grimsby. Grimsby tells the sailors that merfolk are not real, but one of the sailors tells him that he is wrong. One of the sailors is holding a fish, but loses it and the fish falls back into the sea. After the opening credits, the merfolk are heading to the underwater castle for a concert. The kingdom is ruled by King Triton, who is holding the concert in his name. His seven daughters and Sebastian, the court composer, are performing a song for him. The concert is going well until King Triton notices that, Princess Ariel, his…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition to bringing back to the forefront the Disney princess line after 11 years and…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The last film Disney himself worked on was 'Winnie the pooh and the blustery day'.The company of Disney today is split into many different divisions with the one probably most influenced by Walt Disney himself is the Walt Disney animation studios. This division is located in Burbank California. From 1966 until 1984 there was a severe decline in the popularity of Disney films. It wasn’t until Michael Eisner took over the restructuring the Disney returned into prominence an eventually led what now is called Disney Renaissance in1989.The Disney Renaissance is easily identifiable by many of the most cherished films such as 'Beauty in the Beast','Little Mermaid and The Lion Ling'. These films will go on to create legacy of excellence in Walt Disney studios to live up to. They achieved status in the industry rarely seen in animation studios and set the new bar to the excellence in story, animation and overall production design. The films during the Disney Renaissance acquired many awards from different institutions including many best picture…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disney Princesses

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Over the course of the past 80 years we have seen major growth in the company of Disney and the way it presents itself to the rest of the world. One of the many ways Disney presents itself is by the animated films they produce, more specifically, the princess films, that we all know and love. In this paper, I will explore the role and functions of the Disney princesses over the past 80 years and discuss their differences. In particular, the femme fatales we see when Walt Disney was in charge, and how it is the princess rather than the hero who becomes the central figure in these films. On the other side, I will look at Team Disney and how they turn the princesses from damsels to more democratic.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Little Mermaid (1989) is an animated, musical, fantasy based film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It was released on November 15th, 1989.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gender and the Early Years

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “There are more than twenty-six thousand Disney Princess items on the market, a number which, particularly when you exclude cigarettes, liquor, cars, and antidepressants, is staggering. “Princess” has not only become the fastest-growing brand the company has ever created, it is the largest franchise on the planet for ages two to six” (Orenstein, 14).…

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although only 14 minutes in length, Two Bob Mermaid explores Koorine’s (Carrie Prosser) struggle as a young fair skinned Koori girl growing up in a country town in 1957.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I do agree that Disney does follow a lot of the Gender stereotypes. In Disney, Women have to be really skinny and white to be beautiful, which is not true they focus on outer beauty and not inner beauty. They are teaching little girls beauty is being white and skinny that is resulting in an image and standards set for girls. I totally disagree with that and think Beauty should vary and not be just be white and skinny. In "The little Mermaid" many stereotypes are involved involving Ariel and her prince. They teach the idea of changing who you are to be with someone and not following the idea of "being yourself". They teach the idea that women are submissive. I think symbolically it even goes deeper to say that women give up their voice to be…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Female Power in Hamlet

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Griffith, Ellen Lee. The Tale of the Mermaid: An Essay on the Folklore and Mythology of the Mermaid, Accompanied by Illustrations of Objects from the Exhibition. Philadelphia, Pa: Philadelphia Maritime Museum, 1986. Print.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Role: she is the main antagonist in the film, who is a sea witch/sorceress. Ursula proposes a deal in which she will turn Ariel into a human in exchange for her voice. The deal was, if Ariel receives the “kiss of true love” from Prince Eric before sunset on the third day, the transformation will be permanent. However, if she fails, she will turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula forever.…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racism in Disney Movies

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The contributors treat a range of topics at issue in contemporary cultural studies: the performance of gender, race, and class; the engendered images of science, nature, technology, family, and business. The compilation of voices in From Mouse to Mermaid creates a persuasive cultural critique of Disney's ideology.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays