The Little
Mermaid is the 28th Disney animated feature film, and this animated
musical fantasy is credited as the movie that brought Disney animation back
into the limelight.
The plot is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Little
Mermaid. The original story is about a young mermaid willing to give up her
life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul.
Disney took the tale and gave it its own magical twist.
Disney’s version
introduces the lead, Ariel, who is fascinated by life in the human world. She
spends her time exploring and collecting human artifacts, which she stores in
her secret grotto. She’s joined by her best friend, Flounder, a fish. When
Ariel and Flounder find something new, they swim to the surface to meet
Scuttle, a seagull who claims to know all about human objects. Scuttle, who
actually knows nothing, makes up names and uses for the items they show him.
Watching over
Ariel is Sebastian, a crab who’s strict and always trying to keep her out of
trouble.
One night, while watching a celebration on a ship, a wave hits the vessel,
causing it to capsize. Ariel saves a human named Eric, whom she had been
admiring during the festivities. After rescuing him, she returns to the sea,
leaving Eric with only the memory of her voice.
Now determined
to meet Eric again, Ariel’s desire leads her to the sea witch, Ursula. Ursula
has her own plans to use Ariel to overthrow King Triton, Ariel’s father and
ruler of Atlantica.
Ursula uses her magic to turn Ariel human, but at a cost. Ariel will be human
for three days, but in exchange, she must give up her voice. This means she
won’t be able to speak or sing, and within those three days, she must receive
the “kiss of true love” from Eric. If she fails, her entire being will belong
to Ursula.
From there, the
movie follows Ariel’s friends—including the grumpy Sebastian—as they try their
best to get Eric to fall for Ariel and kiss her. Meanwhile, Ursula works behind
the scenes to ensure this doesn’t happen.
The movie won
numerous awards for its soundtrack, especially for the iconic scene where
Sebastian sings Under the Sea. The song won two Academy Awards for Best
Original Score and Best Original Song. The Little Mermaid soundtrack
album was a massive hit, selling millions of copies.
But there’s more to this movie than just the music. The Little Mermaid was
a critical and commercial success, marking the start of the Disney Renaissance
era. It has since been adapted into a Broadway musical, and a live-action adaptation
is in the works.
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