Everything Wrong with the Little Mermaid

I’m going to be completely honest, it definitely wasn’t one of Disney’s best movies...Disney has the habit of creating awe-inspiring originals and falling short when it comes to producing a realistic version of it. No doubt, Beauty and the Beast was definitely one of the exceptions (loved the movie). But, The Little Mermaid just wasn’t worth the watch. I’m sure you may have heard some unflattering reviews about it here and there, but here’s my review. 

Now, it would be wrong to just start listing the negatives without mentioning the positives first. One thing I had to point out were the visuals. They were definitely one of the highlights of the movie and it is one detail I appreciate Disney for taking time on. When you take a glimpse of the underwater world, you would be shocked by the amount of detail they included from the variety of species to Ariels gorgeous tail. Ariel and Ursula also played their part well, along with the other members of the cast. The songs were lovely and it was a pleasant surprise to see new additions. 

But there were quite a number of negatives. I’m suprised to say it, but I disliked the Little Mermaids plot. I never took notice of it in the animated version, but now you can clearly see the flaws of each character. Ariel, had barely any character development and she was presented as a slightly foolish girl who sacrifices her voice and her life in the sea world, just to go on land for three days without even a certainty that the prince would fall in love with her -- rather even recognise her. She also ignores advice from her father and begins to visit the sea witch despite his warnings. Let’s not forget risking her life by jumping onto a boat swarming with humans (whose main objective is to kill mermaids) in the beginning of the movie. Was I the only one that noticed this, but was Ariel THIS careless? Also after Ariel switched to a human and started to wander around the castle, you would expect the prince to treat her as a stranger. But no, he shows her all about his private life and takes her with him wherever he goes. I found that a bit sloppy. I know I can’t really complain on the plot of the movie, as Disney just copied its originals, but STILL. 

I was also confused as to why they decided to put such a dull orange-brown on Ariel’s hair, which was supposed to be a bright red. Her hair, is one of the key parts of her appearance, by dulling it out, they failed to successfully recreate the resplendence of the main protagonist. Many people also complained on how they failed to recreate the key side characters: Flounder and Sebastian. Flounder specifically looked like a common everyday fish. I also was apalled to see how lazily they designed Ursula’s costume. Her makeup and hair was of terrible standard and while it does slightly add to the more eerie villian aspect of her, they still should’ve taken a bit more effort on her presentation. The last thing I disliked about the movie was how they killed Ursula. The climax reached when the King resigned his throne to Ursula in order to get Ariel back. Ursula was now ruler of the seas and could do anything she wished. She rose to the top and attempted to wreck havoc on the Prince’s castle and its inhabitants. It was all going good and I was enjoying it, until I realised how they managed to defeat Ursula. Ariel took the pointy end of a broken boat and crashed it into Ursula, piercing her stomach and killing her. That’s it. Ursula didn’t see this, in fact she was too busy casting a whirlpool and deviously smirking. I mean, it just took a broken boat to kill Ursula, the Sea Witch who ruled the sea world? I found that a bit disappointing. 

The movie was quite disappointing and as much as the setting and props were enchanting, the plot and characters just let the movie down. Disney has many great movies, but this wasn’t one of them -- a 5/10 and wouldn’t recommend much, unless you purely enjoy the photgraphy and editing of the scenes.