Little Mermaid Response

I purposefully watched The Little Mermaid after Cinderella because the Little Mermaid was created over twenty-five years later and I wanted to note differences. Off the bat I noticed that the beginning of the Little Mermaid is more similar to the beginnings of more recent Disney films that are more familiar to me. The traditional Disney castle with “Walt Disney Pictures” under it appears, a logo so familiar to us all. Furthermore, I expected there to be a huge discrepancy between the quality of animation between the two films. The quality of animation in the Little Mermaid is undoubtedly an improvement from that of Cinderella, but the difference isn’t that substantial.

In my opinion the Little Mermaid is one of the more complex films Disney has created. Disney has an infamous reputation for poorly presenting gender roles, but in this film gender role portrayal is quite complex. Most Disney princesses are very girly, whatever that really means; they accept their sole role as a wife; and they wait for the prince. However, Ariel fights these gender stereotypes. Ariel is fascinated by humans, and despite contact between the two species being strictly forbidden, Ariel saves a human from drowning and takes measures to be with this human that she loves. Furthermore, Ariel is portrayed as courageous and curious when she goes exploring in shark-infested waters. On the other hand Grouper, a male, is terrified and needs to be saved by Ariel, a female. It is for these reasons that a viewer may think that for once Disney doesn’t make a woman complacent with her role in society. However, there are scenes in the movie that perpetuate Disney’s usual stance on gender roles. For instance, Ursula tells Ariel that she doesn’t need a voice to attract a male. Ursula claims that men don’t like a woman that speaks her mind and that a pretty face, nice body, and seductive demeanor is all a woman needs to get a man. It is for these conflicts that make the role of gender so complex in the Little Mermaid.

Additionally, Ariel is a very complex character. I have a hard time determining Ariel’s true colors. I cannot tell whether she is a curious and brave woman or a spoiled little brat. At times she comes off passionate and curious. This can be seen by her enamor with humans. Ariel is willing to go into a shark-infested wrecked ship just to collect a fork. Also, she hoards sunken human artifacts and with every new acquisition she excitingly brings it to a seagull to find out what it is. Lastly, she risks discovery due to her fascination with a party on a ship. On the other hand, you see Ariel as the daughter of the most powerful man of the sea. Ariel is beautiful and has everything one could ever dream of, but it never seems enough. It is for these reasons that I have a hard time determining Ariel’s character.