![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
100 Disney Things [005]: Common Criticisms of The Little Mermaid
100 Disney Things [005]
Oh man, I am getting too busy for these posts. This one's been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and I've only now gotten around to cleaning it up. Basically, it's sort of a rebuttal/examination of the common criticisms that get lobbed at The Little Mermaid, plus my own thoughts on the movie and Ariel as a character. It's an evaluation of The Little Mermaid and Ariel, from a feminist perspective, but hopefully much more in-depth than what you usually see on the Internet or in a media studies class... (And sort of ranty.)
The more I think about The Little Mermaid, the more I feel like it's been somehow criticism-proofed. As in, it's like they knew exactly what people would criticize about the movie over and over again and specifically put in scenes to THWART THAT CRITICISM. Examples:
• As if they knew that people would criticize Ariel for wanting to be a human for love, they put in Ariel's big "I want" song, "Part of Your World," before she even knew Eric existed.
• As if they knew that people would criticize Ariel for leaving her "loving father and sisters" for a man, they put in a traumatic scene where King Triton destroys all of Ariel's most prized possessions in a rage. They also put in a line where Ariel asks Ursula if being a human means she'll never get to see her father or sisters again. "Life's full of tough choices, innit?" is Ursula's response. Ariel weighed it. Her decision wasn't about blindly choosing Eric over family but about making a clean break, deciding to run away from home to a new life -- permanently, if need be. (Admittedly, it was kind of a gamble that Eric would turn out to be an overall good person and also interested in her, and also admittedly it's a little iffy that Ariel's goals of being human and being with Eric become pretty much merged after she saves him from the shipwreck -- that muddles the waters a bit in understanding why Ariel struck the bargain in the first place. But in any case, Ariel only struck the bargain with Ursula after Triton destroyed her grotto. This is important!)
• As if they knew that people would criticize Eric for only liking Ariel for her looks, they put in a whole date montage where Ariel is able to clearly convey her personality through her actions.
• As if they knew that people would complain about Eric heartlessly choosing another girl over Ariel after she made all those sacrifices for him, they put in a scene where he decides to give up on his mystery singing girl in favor of Ariel, only to have Ursula hypnotize him right after. Like, this is the one that strikes me as particularly prescient. Not content with Eric simply encountering a woman with the right voice and that changing his mind, they took extra measures to show that Eric chose Ariel, and then made it so that Ursula only changes his mind by hypnotizing him.
Too bad about 75% of the Internet seems to not remember these scenes.
That isn't to say that there's nothing in this movie that can be criticized, but just that the types of critiques that you hear a lot must be made by people with a fuzzy recollection of the film, since, like... they're dealt with in the film itself.
In more detail, here's how the "problematic storyline" of The Little Mermaid goes:
Ariel's hobby is collecting human artifacts. At the beginning of the film, she skips concert practice to go trawling through a shipwreck looking for interesting items to add to her collection.
She then goes to the surface to consult Scuttle about the unfamiliar objects. She is later scolded by Triton for this because of the danger of merfolk going to the surface. He tells her never to do it again. She doesn't acquiesce, and instead swims off tearfully.
In her secret grotto, she sings about how she longs to be part of the human world. Afterwards, she goes to the surface, sees Eric's ship, and falls in love with him. There's a storm and the ship ends up catching on fire. Eric goes back to the burning ship to save his dog. However, he's flung into the sea where Ariel saves him and brings him to shore.
She sings to him but leaves before he's able to clearly see her face. Here, "Part of Your World" reprises and becomes about wanting to stay with Eric and be part of his world specifically. From this point on, Ariel's desire to be human becomes melded with her desire to be with Eric.
Flounder finds Prince Eric's statue and presents it to Ariel. Triton shows up at the grotto and they argue. Ariel lets slip that she loves Eric. A furious Triton blasts everything in her grotto, leaving a crying Ariel.
Flotsam and Jetsam show up offering Ariel a way to be with Eric. She goes to Ursula who gives her this deal:
She gets: Human form
On the condition that: She gets True Love's Kiss from the Prince before sunset on the third day
Price: Her voice
If she fails to meet condition: She becomes Ursula's property (a polyp)
Ariel accepts. In essence, Ursula is giving her one desire (human body) on the condition that Ariel gets her other desire (Eric's love) to happen too, so she either wins twice or forfeits her freedom in trying to make her own dreams come true. She gives up her voice, which at various points in the movie is described as particularly beautiful (by Sebastian and Eric), so arguably she is giving up her "greatest possession". However, there's no indication that Ariel herself values her singing voice any more than, you know, any person would value their ability to talk. Remember, she skipped music practice earlier to go hunting for human artifacts.
After that, Ariel becomes human and Eric finds her and takes her in, they have dinner together, Ariel is like a kid in a candy store, etc. etc. The next day they go on a ride through the kingdom, Eric starts to fall for her, and they almost kiss, but Ursula sabotages it. That night, Eric decides to stop mooning after the Mystery Voice Girl. Ironically, Mystery Voice Girl shows up but it's Ursula and actually she's hypnotizing him.
The next day, their marriage is announced and Ariel's heart is broken. Upon hearing that Vanessa is Ursula, though, she decides to not give up. Scuttle breaks Ursula's shell, Ariel's voice returns to her, Eric breaks free from the spell, and they almost kiss again, but time runs out, so Ursula takes mermaid Ariel back into the ocean where Triton shows up and trades his life for Ariel's. Eric shows up and eventually kills Ursula.
Triton, finally understanding his daughter's feelings, turns her human again.
The important thing to note here is that The Little Mermaid, unlike Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, etc. is not a love story about Ariel and Eric. It's a coming-of-age story about Ariel and Triton. It's about their loving but rocky relationship and how Triton eventually comes to understand his daughter and realize that she's grown up while he wasn't looking, and to let her go in the end.
The whole movie builds up to this moment -- when Ariel says, "I love you, Daddy."
Ariel's turning human is partly about making her dreams come true, partly about finding love, but also partly an act that can only really be compared to "running away from home." If The Little Mermaid took place in modern times, the climax of the first act of the movie would essentially be Ariel getting into a huge row with her father, him throwing a tantrum and trashing her room, and then her deciding she absolutely does not want to stay there anymore and running away. (To "Auntie Ursula" who promises her the dream life in the Big City, everything Ariel wanted! Except it comes with a catch. ...This would make an awesome AU.)
I think there is valid criticism in having the motivation and goals for Ariel's actions be men on both ends -- her motivation for leaving comes from her father, and her objective once she becomes human is related to Eric. However, this doesn't seem particularly horrible other than just the lack of female presence in the storyline. Also, I think there is valid criticism in that she ends up more dependent and passive after becoming human. For example:
• The condition of the spell means everything hinges on Eric's actions -- she is therefore reliant on him.
• When the wedding is going down, the animals (Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle, and Max) are the ones who take all the action. What bugs me about this part is that Ariel can't even swim anymore. She jumps into the water to get to Eric but needs to hold onto a barrel to float and needs Flounder to pull her through the water. She doesn't even kick her legs or anything, a complete reversal from when she was a mermaid. I suppose you could argue that maybe she only knows how to use a tail to swim and can't figure out how to make human legs move the same way. Or that this was an intentional creative choice to contrast Ariel's mermaid world/body/skills she sacrificed with the human world/body/skills she received in exchange. Still, I do not particularly like this creative decision, since it's such a reversal from Ariel's active and physically-oriented personality shown in the first scene, and I don't think it would have hurt the movie very much to at least show her kicking.
• She ends up being saved by Eric in the final scene, a reversal from earlier when she saved him. Not really bad by itself (I mean, it's not like you're not allowed to be saved by anyone ever or you're a Bad Female Role Model OMG!!), but these three things together do show a progression from Ariel going from a very active state at the beginning of the movie to becoming noticeably more passive by the end.
Another valid criticism for this movie is that Ariel falls in love instantly, and True Love is achieved in about 1.5 days. However, this isn't exactly uncommon in Disney movies... or just movies in general, which tend to be very fast-paced/condensed when it comes to romance, and plot in general.
There is also semi-valid criticism in that Ariel is silenced during the latter half of the movie. I don't think there's a negative message in here, though, like, "Women should or have to give up their right to speak in order to get a man!" or "Hey, Ariel had a happy ending by giving up her voice so you should do that too!" I can see how the loss of her voice would make people uncomfortable, because she loses her ability to express her thoughts, communicate, protest, make a scene, etc. And combined with my earlier critique that Act II!Ariel is more passive than Act I!Ariel, it might remind people uncomfortably of cultural expectations that women be quiet and passive (lampshaded by Ursula's lines during "Poor Unfortunate Souls" -- "Yet on land it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word [...] But they dote and swoon and fawn / on a lady who's withdrawn / It's she who holds her tongue who gets a man"). But I think it's inaccurate to say the movie is implying that that's right or the way things should be. Sure, Ariel does lose her voice and ends up getting the prince, but it's portrayed in the movie as a disadvantage/challenge Ursula set up, NOT a positive thing that helps Ariel find love. In essence, the way I view Ariel's sacrifice is that it's sort of... Faustian? Not sure what the right word to use is. But she's basically playing a high-stakes gambling game with a devil who will use tricks to make sure she never wins.
My final critique is that I do think Ariel's body shape is sort of problematic. While it's not unusual for a cartoon character to have a tiny waist compared to their head (because cartoon characters tend to have big heads and be pretty stylized), the way Ariel's waist narrows is just... not realistic. In order to do that, you either need clothing that shapes your waist such as a corset (which Ariel doesn't have as a mermaid) or you need to be constantly sucking in your waist (which is just a silly thing to do). My minor nitpick.
So to sum up my thoughts on The Little Mermaid and critiques I read of The Little Mermaid... I generally get frustrated by critiques of this movie because I think what a lot of them miss is that, when Ariel makes her deal with Ursula, while she is doing it to get a man, even more important than that, she is doing it for her own chance at happiness. Women taking risks or making mistakes while striving to achieve personal happiness -- I'm not quite sure how this is a "bad message"? If the main character were male, we'd view them as a brave, heroic figure who made sacrifices for their dream, and those sacrifices paid off.
As for my evaluation of Ariel, I find her to be one of Disney's strongest heroines in the sense that overall she is a very active character -- this is undoubtedly her story, and her desires and her actions take center stage. I also think she's pretty interesting because she's meant to be largely sympathetic, but she has her share of real flaws as well (impulsiveness, rebelliousness, etc.). I find real flaws like this much more compelling than faux flaws like being clumsy or being an outcast or being ugly-but-sekritly-beautiful or whatnot. I had trouble digging Ariel when I was younger because I didn't relate to her at all (since I never had a rebellious phase and I get along with my parents pretty well), but now that I'm older I kind of appreciate the fact that she IS different from me, with different circumstances, and a different personality. It makes it more interesting to try to understand and empathize with her.
EDIT: Lol, I just saw a link to this on Tumblr. While yes I agree Ariel's actions screwed other people over, this sentence is the epitome of everything I hate about TLM analysis: "She gives up her whole life, the one thing that makes her really special (her voice), her family, her friends, everything she knows, just so she can be with Eric. She changes her species for a guy she’s never even met!" NO. STOP.
Also, regarding trusting Ursula, I should note that if Ariel and Triton hadn't been so strained in their relationship, Triton could very easily and painlessly have given her a human body (this is, after all, what he does at the end of the movie). But convinced she had a snowball's chance of convincing her dad to do that, she turned to the only other person who apparently had the ability to do it. You can view it as a metaphor of sorts that if you outright ban someone from doing something that they really really want to do, most likely they will end up doing it behind your back anyway and in a more dangerous way than if you had just allowed the possibility.
You can suggest topics for future posts for this meme over here.
no subject
My main issue is how it does focus mainly on Eric in the latter half of the movie. The song at the beginning seems more like a failed effort to make us think there's more to her to me, as it isn't reinforced later... or only reinforces how she fangirls over objects. She does find things on land interesting to a degree, but she seems to lack curiosity about anything which isn't either a. Eric or B. an object... I view her more as a vapid fangirl collector than anything. Why be fascinated by a world she clearly knows nothing about other than "oohh, they have shiny objects?" And the scene on the boat actually drives me crazy, because while he can tell part of her personality, he still knows nothing about her other than a couple of traits. Also reinforcing the focus being on Eric, Ursula doesn't entice Ariel with becoming human to escape her father (this is never mentioned from what I recall) or her own society (which really isn't that bad at all and which she seems to fit in quite well otherwise-- she definitely isn't a social outcast who dislikes her own culture by any means), she entices her with this man she just met and "is in love with" presumably only because he's human... I actually feel like she treats him like another one of her objects to collect.
I definitely wouldn't give Triton father of the year, but he did have good intentions ultimately, as it's clear he does care for her but just goes around it the wrong way, considering how he knows how dangerous humans can be. I actually find his character development much more interesting than Ariel's throughout the movie in this regard, as he realizes his mistakes while she... doesn't express any guilt all from being fooled by what is obviously a deal with the octopus-devil. Besides, her sea creature friends are loving and care for her, but she betrays their wishes as well. She also just seems to be in that annoying "rebellious teenager who will rebel against anything without a cause" phase. Admittedly, a part of it might also be that I just don't like her personality even beyond that.
no subject
Ursula doesn't entice Ariel with becoming human to escape her father (this is never mentioned from what I recall) or her own society
You have a point, "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is all about getting Eric -- no other motivation is mentioned or even hinted at. But in the grander scheme of the movie, if you look at what Ariel was sacrificing to be human, it's not much aside from her voice. Her relationship with her father was in pieces at that point and she had no worldly possessions she cared about anymore because he destroyed them. When Triton blew up at her and destroyed her grotto, what it effectively did was make it so that there was nothing tying her to the sea anymore, no real reason why she SHOULDN'T be human and start her life over in a new place. So while Ursula IS like "Eric Eric don't you want to be with Eric?" I think more subtly the other issue is that there's nothing holding Ariel back; she doesn't have much to lose (you know, other than her own self), which is why the decision is possible.
(which really isn't that bad at all and which she seems to fit in quite well otherwise-- she definitely isn't a social outcast who dislikes her own culture by any means), she entices her with this man she just met and "is in love with" presumably only because he's human...
Hm, I don't think you need to be a social outcast to want to be in a different society, though. It goes along with what I said above about Anglophiles and weeaboos -- people like what they like, you know? As for why Ariel is in love with Eric, I mean, I'm not exactly a romantic person but I can see her falling in love with him due to his looks and personality. She can tell that he's a dog person, pretty genial and down to earth, treats sailors as his equals, and dislikes when people do things like make statues of him, and he went back to a burning ship to save his dog. I can also see that she might feel like they have a special connection because she saved his life -- if she hadn't been there that night, if she hadn't intervened, his life would've ended then and there. So I can see Ariel seeing their connection as fate of some kind. So yeah, I don't really see Ariel as liking Eric purely because he's human, although I can see that being part of it. (I mean, if we're going with the Anglophile/weeaboo analogy, I know people who think English accents are inherently sexy or have a thing for Asian men/women so...)
no subject
Besides, her sea creature friends are loving and care for her, but she betrays their wishes as well.
Could you expand on this a bit (the betrayal part, I mean)?
And yeah, I agree that she inadvertently endangered her father and the kingdom -- I don't think she realized that that was Ursula's endgame (I think Ariel probably thought of it as "human world or bust," as in, she'd be human or she'd disappear quietly trying -- it seems to me she honestly didn't consider the possibility that her dad would get involved and actually give up all his power and his whole self to save her), but yes, it was still foolish/short-sighted on her part. Honestly, I don't have an issue with people thinking Ariel is immature, obsessive, foolish, annoying, vapid, or illogical. My issue is when people say things like, "She gave up everything she had for a man!" because it's a huge reduction of the story to the point of gross inaccuracy. At the point she made the deal she had ALREADY lost a lot of things that were dear to her (relationship with her father, her belongings) and she didn't do it for a man; she did it for her own happiness (if you look at the days she spent as a human, she was on cloud nine). Selfish, I can understand. However, "gave everything up for a man" implies the exact opposite -- extreme selflessness. This doesn't make ANY sense to me given the story. Similarly, statements like "she left her loving family to be with a dude" or "she gave up her voice to be with a dude who ended up ditching her for another girl" are false (well, I mean the last one is true if we're talking about the original fairy tale, but we're not).
So while I sort of presented my own personal interpretation of Ariel at points (that she's a strong heroine, for example), that's obviously my personal interpretation and is not necessarily right. The only issue I have is when people have an interpretation of Ariel that is clearly wrong (indefensible) given the facts of the movie. (Not saying your interpretation is wrong, just the ones I see repeated all the time from people that seem like they haven't watched the movie in years and have no idea what they're talking about.)
no subject
And hmm, like many things, I think this comes down to a matter of interpretation. I find the whole she lost everything perspective interesting, as I never really saw it that way. She had other peop... uh friends/family (those sea creatures at least, and we never see anyone going "she's so weird! I never want her as a royal"), and was a princess who would one day inherit quite a lot... and, given her position, she would've been allowed to pursue just about anything other than the one thing she did. I would've gladly switched places with her when I was her age as I'd say it was better than my life then (to be a little more personal), haha, so I just thought she was over-reacting over objects when she still had plenty of other options. So the Eric thing just seems like more of a... "He's the one thing I can't have, therefore I must have him!" XD Like she was with all the trinkets and such as well.
Although yeah, I do agree that she thought it was some kind of fate, especially since this is Disney we're talking about here, heh.
As for the betrayal... As I recall, Sebastian went through great lengths to keep her safe and away from humans? I know he was also employed by her father, but they also seemed like friends. Flounder too, as he just seemed too shy to say something, but she still left him - who was more or less her best friend - behind without so much as a "goodbye, I'll really miss you!"
no subject
"she gave up her voice to be with a dude who ended up ditching her for another girl" are similarly false (well, I mean the last one is true if we're talking about the original fairy tale, but we're not"
Semi-off topic, but I actually find the original interesting when applied to the author himself. The story alone I'm not a fan of, but it somehow becomes a lot more appealing to me when applied to the author's own severe unrequited love issues, which seems to be really reflected in that, heh.
And yeah, I get you there. XD I just felt like providing the opposing perspective since... I really don't like this movie aside from Ursula, lol.
no subject
And yeah, I see what you mean that Ariel has a pretty cushy life in the grand scheme of things. But I'm actually not sure if Ariel would have inherited anything, since she's the youngest of seven sisters (no idea how mermaid monarchies work, though...). Hm yeah, I never thought of it as an over-reaction, although that interpretation does make sense too. I just find that scene really traumatic!
I don't think she really left Sebastian or Flounder behind. They both were like "NO ARIEL, don't sign that scroll!!" and she completely ignored them, but they still stuck around to help her out throughout the rest of the movie. Like, at first, Sebastian suggested they go to Triton and tell him everything and get the spell undone, but then realized that wasn't what Ariel wanted, and he actually took her side over Triton's. And I mean, Ariel presumably does leave them behind at some point, but she does kiss them goodbye at her wedding. I think it's a very bittersweet moment.
Hm yeah, I see what you mean about selfless and selfish being able to coexist.
Semi-off topic, but I actually find the original interesting when applied to the author himself. The story alone I'm not a fan of, but it somehow becomes a lot more appealing to me when applied to the author's own severe unrequited love issues, which seems to be really reflected in that, heh.
I feel the same way. It's weird... Somehow, just knowing TLM was an allegory for Hans Christian Andersen's own unrequited love transforms the story and gives it another layer of meaning. It made me appreciate the story more for some reason -- maybe because it sort of provides some more reasoning as to why the mermaid has to suffer so much in the original story?
no subject
I liked Arial because fucking FIGHTS for what she wants and she is brave as hell, kind of insanely brave, actually:
-She pretty much out-smarts that shark, shaves Scuttle, and laughs her ass off about how fun that was...uhh that thing had some mean ass teeth. It's as if she does that crazy shit all the time. So, I had a positive feeling about her from the start there, because not many Disney movies open with the heroine saving herself from getting killed and not being traumatized by the whole thing.
-She holds her own against her dad, consistently. And I think she was right to do so. Many people say Arial is selfish and egotistical. OMG Her father is worse. The show opens with him having his daughters sing about his awesome family. >.>; And he gets a bunch people to go to see that bullshit. Arial doesn't think that's important. Well, I can't say I blame her, It is ridiculous. Her father covets her for what? her voice and beauty? Fuck him. He wants her to stay at home and stop being a tomboy? Fuck him again. He came off as a real sexist prick for a lot of the show. Only near the ending did I see that he actually cared about her like a father should. At first I thought I just liked her as a trophy daughter for her perfect singing and such.
-She saves the PRINCE. TWICE. When she learns the other women is actually dangerous, she flips her shit and makes her way to save Eric from Ursula. Well the second time he saves her as much as she saves him, but damn does she fight the fuck back. Eric does his best. He tries to protect her, but really Arial wears the pants in that relationship. It is even more clearly pointed out in the Little Mermaid 2. Arial does most of the protecting of her daughter and family in that movie too.
-She does indeed make a difficult bargain with the Ursula. She looks down and knows what she will become if she fails. But she has confidence in herself if nothing else. Yeah, Arial always has confident. The only time she is not is when she believes that Eric will actually be happier with the new woman. Is is really the only time in the show Arial shows true love for Eric. She was going to sacrifice it all if that was who would make him really happy. She didn't harp on the new woman. She didn't blame Eric. There is a fine line between being a strong women and a total bitch. Arial does not cross to the total bitch line to get what she wants.
-What does Arial really teach little girls? Fight for what you want to do with your life. Sure, Arial falls for the prince, AFTER watching how he treats people for hours AND how he wants a woman that has a personality and is right for him and not just any pretty face. You think that didn't factor in? If it was Gaston (from beauty and the beast) up there beating the shit out his crew, I think Arial would been disgusted. Probably would have still saved him and dumped his ass on the beach. But be attracted to him? No. Would have reminded her of controlling men like her father.
-Arial is 16! Damn, how mature do we want her to be in anyway? Not only that, her father does his damnest to keep her locked away to learn nothing. The fact she didn't turn out to be a spoiled little bitch is a miracle.
In the original story; not the Disney movie, the Mermaid actually does sacrifice herself when she does find out that her prince loved her as sister/friend and that he was always in love with a woman of the court. She is given a choice to kill him to reverse the spell or die and turn to sea foam. She holds the dagger up, but can't kill him. And she stands on the boats and waits for sunset. Arial was willing to do almost the same thing when she didn't know who the other woman with her voice really was. Though Arial is better then the original mermaid in the sense that she wants to be human just as much as she wants Eric. In the original story, she just wanted the man. meh
The only other Disney women from the old movies that even tried to match Arial was Belle. And Belle does less actual fighting. Belle has the maturity Arial didn't. And Arial had the power in her physical actions Belle did not.
no subject
- I don't think Triton is all that bad of a father, but he did seem really distant to me, like he's so busy with ruling that he actually doesn't really know any of his daughters all that well. I do think his protectiveness is reasonable but I think he comes off as very close-minded and xenophobic.
- Haha yes, Ariel's awesome like that.
- Confidence, yes. I think you've hit upon a very key trait for her. You can see she knows what will happen if she fails but she does it anyway because she's fairly certain she won't fail, not with everything that's on the line. That takes guts. And that's also something I never really thought about -- Ariel does handle the whole situation with class. She's heartbroken and her confidence is shaken, but she doesn't villify Eric, doesn't try to sabotage Vanessa, doesn't think SHE knows what Eric wants more than he does. And yet the instant she finds out Vanessa is Ursula, she bounces back and immediately rushes to do something about it. I really like that about her -- she's very resilient.
- LOL this sounds like an awesome fic idea.
- And yeah, I think Ariel is a very realistic teenager. But that also is kind of frightening when you realize she was 100% sure of the guy she wanted to marry when she's so young. It's a bit jarring BECAUSE Ariel acts very much like a typical teenager, it reminds you of just how young she is to be making these huge life decisions.
Regarding the original story, I've actually seen people criticizing the mermaid for being unable to save herself from her fate because she's so in love with the prince. And I'm just like WTF? Forget for the moment whether you're in love with the guy or not, would YOU stab an innocent person in the heart just to save your skin? Some people would. But some people wouldn't, and that doesn't reflect badly on them at all. (And actually in the original story, I think the mermaid actually really wanted to have a soul more than anything (because mermaids don't have any), and she needed an eternal pledge of love from a human to get one. So even in the original, the guy isn't the whole motivation.)
And yep, I agree on your assessment of Belle and Ariel.
no subject
no subject
Lol, that sounds like a very Late 80s/Early 90s Kid thing to say. XD
To be honest, I actually didn't watch the movie all that much when I was young (I mean, I must have seen it at least a few times, but I never owned it on VHS). Given its reputation on the internet, I was actually really surprised seeing what kind of character Ariel was when I watched it for real in college -- no one ever told me how tomboyish Ariel was or how persevering. It's like the only thing people remember are the song sequences (which I guess makes sense, if you think about it).
no subject
Though, isn't every early Disney Princess suffering the same fate? All I ever read about Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora is how they were dependent on men and things that fall into similar categories. It's a pet peeve of mine and I don't even like any of them aside of Aurora? Yet people forget it's old movies and the girls were romantic. They're not going to be all "I don't need a Prince! I can be abused like that till I die instead" (in Cinderella's case). Sure, she could try doing something about it without having the Prince save her but 1) it's a fairy tale 2) not every woman, or person is confident or independent enough to change their situation. So, while I can easily understand dislike towards all of the princesses, I don't like the whole bashing based only on how dependent they were or that they needed to be saved by a guy. I think I am all over the place, orz. All in all, the heroines are supposed to be different because it makes it easier for people to relate to at least one of them and we don't get stories that are the same. Now that I ranted enough, back to Ariel.
no subject
Okay I hope I made sense, it took me so much time to put all my thoughts together that I am not sure anymore.
no subject
And yeah, I think it's fair to criticize the princesses as a group, but when people start arguing "Princess X is such a bad role model because she relied on her Prince to save her or she didn't stand up to Person Y" then the argument starts not making sense because like... there's nothing intrinsically WRONG with any of that. There's only an issue when you see the same thing over and over again.
And yep, I think that's the core of it -- I don't think I would take the same actions Ariel did, but at the same time, it makes sense that she would react that way, and I find her character interesting.
To know things, you have to go through them usually or you just won't know if others were right, and even after one time you might not learn from your mistake.
THE TRUTH.
And yeah, I think Triton had the best intentions but his actions were really harsh, and I don't blame Ariel for reacting so badly to them, but I don't really blame Triton for flipping out either. You can see that from each of their point of views they were doing what they thought was right, but they just had difficulty understanding each other.
no subject
Also, I think there is valid criticism in that she ends up more dependent and passive after becoming human.
I can't say I see it as so much dependent and passive as much as a literal fish out of water type deal where she does need some support here and there. We still see her do a lot of things that she would do underwater (like take the reigns of the buggy, pull Eric around the town excitedly, and a few other things that are escaping my mind at the moment but that I know exist). I think the main place where she is more passive is the swimming thing like you mentioned. But...she does jump into the water and flail around briefly before Sebastian cuts the barrel down for her. For me, I think it means this was a creative decision - like she hasn't figured out how to swim as a human enough to manage such a long distance at a rate fast enough to reach the boat. Plus, they're all fish technically so they might automatically perceive human swimming as inferior at this point and think there is an advantage in having Flounder, who is still a fish and thus superior, take the reigns. Also, I think it was just the writers' way of giving Flounder something to do to prove his love for his friend. In the end, I can't say I feel either way. If she had swam, I'd have been fine and I'm fine that she doesn't. But it's still valid criticism. Personally, when I was younger, my issues was I never understood why they didn't get the dolphins to carry the barrel because it seemed so obvious to me that the dolphins would have gotten her there faster, thus giving her more time to prove herself before sunset *facepalm*
She ends up being saved by Eric in the final scene
I'm torn on this one and can see both sides even if I'm in the camp of thinking it's not as bad as some might critique. Creatively speaking, I feel this is a very important development scene for Eric because we see that even though he's learned she's a mermaid, he's willing to risk his life because he loves her regardless. That said, Ariel does have one moment when she attacks Ursula causing her to hit Flotsam and Jetsam instead of Eric. So, for me, this kind of lampshades the problem because when she's in a position to be active she is. And later, she's actively avoiding Ursula's strikes. I guess, to me, when I think of passive, I imagine either a character who can't help their fate (e.g. Aurora being cursed to sleep and wait for true love's kiss) or a character who does absolutely nothing to protect themselves (which, I think Snow White falls into both categories since her naivete sort of clouds her judgment and she ignores Grumpy's explicit words of wisdom); thus, Ariel trying to get away and her insistence to Eric to save himself before he refuses kind of lessens any negative connotation. Of course, they could have easily made her even more active in this scene, so I'll agree with you there. But the entire climax is very weak and that has always been my main criticism of the film. It's so short that it's no wonder there wasn't better development.
no subject
Exactly! And although I realize the very basis of analyzing film this much is to over think things, this is one of those things that is necessary for the plot and I don't think there would have been any other way around it. The fact is, Eric's only identifier of the girl who rescued him is her voice. So, if Ariel has her voice, when Eric gets excited and says, "I knew it! You're the one! What's your name?" then she can answer the question and that's it (even if it wouldn't immediately lead to true love's kiss, there's still nothing distracting Eric from falling in love with her, so he wouldn't have been as reserved with Ariel). I don't know if we're to assume Ursula has the advantage in knowing Eric knows Ariel by her voice, but I wouldn't doubt it since I can see no other explanation for why she 1. asked specifically for Ariel's voice and 2. later used it to hypnotize Eric. I think if Ariel had known how important her voice would be to winning Eric's love, she wouldn't have been as easily deceived. I mean, she sees her voice as important (I think she begins to say: "How can I tell Eric who I am?" or something along those lines before cut off by Ursula), but I don't think she sees it as valuable as far as her singing goes, if that makes sense. Additionally, I think it actually makes her stronger that she manages to shine through and make Eric fall in love with her regardless of having sacrificed her voice. I think it's kind of like saying, no matter what our defining traits may be, they don't define who we are. For a random laymen's example, if a football player retires, it doesn't mean he has to give up his love of the game, question his self-worth, never do anything else, etc. It just means that specific part of his life is over and he can now explore his other strengths or find new ways to be involved in football (like a coach or something). And this kind of leads me to the final problem I have with the criticism of Ariel losing her voice equaling passivity. When a person claims this, it's kind of like they are branding every mute or more quiet person on the planet. Some people can't help that they can't speak at all or well enough to feel comfortable or whatever other medical reason that might exist. This doesn't make a woman with this condition automatically weaker or more passive. Furthermore, some people ARE soft-spoken. So, I also don't like the implication that naturally reserved people automatically equal passive people. My ISTJ sister rarely says a word on some days (leaving my ENFP self feeling a little at odds with her haha), but she is hardly passive. She only says what needs to be said and that's it. On many of these days, she's actually been more aggressive because she's using her words very purposefully. (Ooh and one more point, Ariel does attempt to communicate by sign language at first, so maybe that's another example of her at least trying to be active?)
Ugh LJ needs to up the character count to 5000 tbh.
no subject
While it would be really nice to see a larger heroine in general (and by this, I also mean a plus-sized heroine regardless of how people say that would be "OMG BAD HEALTH EXAMPLE"), I'm willing to give Glen the benefit of the doubt with Ariel. She was his first character of this sort and the main model he used was young Alyssa Milano. Have you seen some of the pics of Alyssa? There's some images where she looks just as disproportionate. I think his lack of experience with a character design such as Ariel's didn't transfer well based on the examples he had to go by for reference and ended up exaggerated. Additionally, I've paid close attention to Ariel's waist (and arms) in past viewings for any signs of my theory and both are inconsistent in size (similar to the margin of inconsistency I've viewed in pictures of Alyssa). So, while, Ariel really could have stood for a larger waist line (like a few of the other ladies), I'm willing to play devil's advocate since by time Pocahontas came along, there was a HUGE difference. Then again, Tarzan suffers from a strangely small waist at times too, so it could be a Keane weakness in general. (Rapunzel is harder to gauge since it's such a different medium and most human characters in CGI are so strangely shaped, whether being super tall or super skinny or having ginormous heads or noses or what have you).
Anyways, thanks for the great read/great analysis. So much to think about and mull over. And I only wish I could have talked more about it. But I'm sure you'll respond with other points of interest for me to consider (no pressure xD).
no subject
Regarding Ariel sacrificing her voice, YES, exactly. Other characters might have thought Ariel's best quality was her voice, but she obviously didn't think her voice defined her. She gave it up and she bounced back and learned to live life without it.
And this kind of leads me to the final problem I have with the criticism of Ariel losing her voice equaling passivity. When a person claims this, it's kind of like they are branding every mute or more quiet person on the planet.
I was considering bringing this up, but I wasn't quite sure how to approach it because it's a touchy subject and I obviously have no idea what it's like to be mute. I do think having a voice does give you power -- it allows you to make requests or demands or to voice your opinion or account of things, for example. But it doesn't mean that not having a voice means you're somehow less of a person or that you're necessarily weak, so yeah.
Then again, Tarzan suffers from a strangely small waist at times too, so it could be a Keane weakness in general.
I think it's this actually. XD Aladdin also has the bizarre small waist, and so do Pocahontas and Rapunzel. I'm convinced it's his style. But yeah, it's just a pet peeve of mine when characters have a waist like this -> ) (
when they're not wearing any shaping clothes that would yield that shape.