The film premiered in 1989 and is considered the first film of the Disney Renaissance. The Disney Renaissance was a decade of highly successful Disney film releases from The Little Mermaid (1989) to Tarzan (1999). I was fortunate to grow up during this "Renaissance" which might help explain my love of all things Disney! The Little Mermaid definitely shaped my childhood. I even had Little Mermaid curtains. (True story.) And I'm fairly certain Sebastian and Flounder and all of their undersea friends ruined seafood. To this day, I still don't like to eat fish or shellfish... Anyways, on to the movie!
The Little Mermaid tells the tale of Ariel (a sixteen-year-old mermaid and princess) who longs to explore the human world (the world above) but her father thinks that humans are barbarians and has thus decreed that all things related to the human world are expressly forbidden. Ariel (of course) falls in love with a human prince, but must make a pact with Ursula (the evil sea witch) to gain legs for a few days to try to win his love. Conflict, comedy, and crooning crustaceans ensue!
This film is the complete Disney package!! As outlined in my first movie review on this Disney journey through film, there are 6 main ingredients that set Disney films apart as the best:
- A good story (the heart of any great film)
- A likable hero/heroine
- A little bit of romance
- A scary villain
- Humor
- Music
The story of this particular film really centers on the romance between Ariel and Prince Eric and their respective journeys to find each other. Ariel struggles to find legs to stand on (literally) to be part of Eric's world and Eric searches for the girl who rescues him from the sea. Sigh. <3 Ariel and Eric are a very likable set of heroes and it's very easy to be caught up in their story and want to see them together for the happily ever after finale. I have seen this film countless times but I still found myself caught up in the plot and storyline when I watched it just this past week. I was arguing with Ariel not to make certain decisions and generally worrying about how the whole thing would turnout, even though I obviously know how it ends. :) What can I say? It's a good story. :)
Ursula, the sea witch and villain of this story, is fabulous. Her character has such depth and charisma, but it is ultimately entirely selfish and villainous. Also, she arguably has the best villain song in the entire Disney cannon with "Poor Unfortunate Souls." (I know. We still have to get through some 20-odd other Disney films so I might be speaking too soon, but I definitely say it ranks in the top 5!)
And finally we have the music. Oh the music!!!!! This film is filled with great songs! Ariel's iconic "Part of Your World" is still sung by a bevy of little girls today, and I'm guessing most women my age can also sing every word... The song is so good, it even gets a fantastic reprise! There are also some great comedic elements imbedded in the music of the film. Ursula's lyrics in "Poor Unfortunate Souls" are worth a close listen, and I guarantee you'll hear something clever that you hadn't noticed before. Also, Prince Eric's chef has comedic gold with his "Les Poissons" song in the kitchen in which he ends up battling the uncrushable crustacean, Sebastian.
And speaking of Sebastian- his two musical numbers in the film might even eclipse the music already mentioned. The show-stopping "Under the Sea" in which he and his friends form a rollicking, sea-faring band is so good. It's lively and funny and just plain good music. But that's not all, Sebastian also sings the romantic "Kiss the Girl" on Eric and Ariel's boat ride through the lagoon. Definitely one of Disney's greatest hits!
If you can't tell, I really like The Little Mermaid! In fact, it is my favorite film so far on this Disney journey. Yes. I like it even more than this film. (For full disclosure, it may be bumped out of the first spot by Beauty and the Beast in a few weeks, but it's definitely in my top 5 favorite Disney films ever!)
This week I'm leaving you with lyrics from Sebastian's "Under the Sea:"
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea
Coming Up Next Week: The Rescuers Down Under
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