All of us 90s kids grew up watching the Disney classics. We loved dressing up as beautiful princesses, dashing heroes, or dastardly villains. We'd sing the songs until our parents' ears bled and our voices gave out. We loved this stuff and weren't satisfied until we had all the movies on our shelves. Calling these classics "iconic" is an understatement.
These movies were part of an era of Disney animated film making known as "the Disney Renaissance." There were quite a few animated Disney movies beforehand, such as The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, The Black Cauldron, etc., but they weren't as big of hits as the studio was hoping. Disney's studios attempted a brief stint with live-action films, but they didn't really take off well either. At that point, they knew they needed something brand new that would make a splash (pun intended) in the film market. They pooled many resources together and hailed back to their fairy tale roots to bring back the animated musical in a big way. The beginning of this string of successful classics began with The Little Mermaid.
I'll now dispense with the history lesson and get into the nitty-gritty of the review. The Little Mermaid is not a bad movie--far from it. However, if we are to be critical of a work, we must evaluate it carefully on not only its triumphs, but also its trip-ups. So, don't burn me at the stake for suggesting that this movie has a few problems.
Let's talk about the issues with the film before we address its greatness. (I want to end on a positive note because I actually really like this movie.) The gripes I have with this film are relatively minor; first off, I don't particularly like Ariel's character. She seems like a bit of a self-absorbed, entitled little jerk. She does stupid, selfish things and isn't punished as much as rewarded for her actions. She does apologize later, but throughout the movie, she seems blissfully ignorant of the ramifications her actions have on those she loves. There are many Disney princesses/heroines for young girls to aspire to be like, but I certainly wouldn't put Ariel on that list.
The other characters are also pretty bland. Indeed, they don't really deviate from their 2D given personality traits except for King Tritan allowing Ariel to marry Prince Eric. But this seems more to do with "for reason of plot" than it does any character development. Prince Eric is also about as interesting as an unsalted cracker. Even Ariel doesn't change much in the story which, since she's the main character, is a major flaw.
And then there's the black fish... just why?
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| Why a "black" fish in The Little Mermaid? A tad stereotypical, don't you think? |
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| Haha, this guy... ;) |
However, all in all this is a fantastic movie regardless of the issues that it has. The humor is spot on in many places. (I laughed for a long time when the chef guy went ballistic--excellent slapstick!) Also, the impact that this movie has had on animation and musicals cannot be ignored because, for starters, the animation is outstanding. We had some pretty rough animation with the earlier Disney projects, but with The Little Mermaid, we now have the smooth lines and the softer colors. This was blended with much more fluid motion. The softer colors and the fluid motion gave the animation an immersive feel (another pun).
With that, the musical score was simply amazing. I mean, we are still singing these songs today! I have often hummed my favorite Disney tunes while walking along, ultimately getting strange looks from the masses. And, many times, songs from this film have queued in my mental playlist. I particularly like "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss the Girl." The music was unique and memorable--truly Disney at its best.
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| "Kiss de gurl!" ;D |
All in all, I can see why this film kick-started the Disney Renaissance; it is an all-around magnificent and majestic work of art. I have watched it a hundred times and will likely watch it a hundred more. It deserves a place on your shelf, Pragmites! So go and get it not only for your kids, but for yourself as well.
H. Logan Christensen
(Pragmus Alpha)
CEO of Pragmus Media
Also , Check out this cover of "Part of Your World" by That Saxy Nerd!
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