The Little Mermaid: Stop Slut-Shaming Ariel

[@pizzalover1548]

To me, giving up her voice (and getting it back) was a symbolism of making yourself heard and respected, it wasn't just about singing pretty and getting the boy to like you. Ariel had a voice (a beautiful one at that) as a mermaid, but her dad ignoring her ideas and wishes rendered her symbolically mute. Ursula's Faustian deal inverted that, but ironically Eric "listens" to her more as a mute human than as a whole mermaid (even Sebastian himself does). When Ariel discovers Ursula is trying to sabotage the deal, Ariel confronts her and gets back her voice; and in the end Triton concedes to Ariel's wishes. Ariel's vocal journey pretty much sums up Ariel's story: Triton wanted Ariel to use her voice the way he thought it was right, in the same way that he wanted Ariel to live the way he thought it was right; while Ursula wanted Ariel's voice for her own agenda. Instead Ariel subverts both by keeping her voice, fulfilling her dream, and finally being listened for who she really was. I think that's a pretty empowering message.

[@BetterWithBob]

Thank you for your comment :) That's a great point.

[@johncoreyturner9914]

I've literally been thinking this EXACTLY thing for the longest time!!!

[@rawanzanki4170]

The funny thing is people say she did all of this for Eric . When she got her legs all she wanted was to discover the human world. Even half of the time when she was spending time with Eric she was distracted by theatre plays, dancing and even forks. Oh and people forget she saved Eric twice

[@BetterWithBob]

Yep it reminds me of the complaints over the Kim Possible finale. Does a powerful and independent woman become worthless the second she needs help?

[@otterzrkuhl]

Rawan Zanki I’m so glad you pointed this out. I think people hear that she has to kiss Eric to keep her legs and get upset without realizing that the villain is the one who makes a big deal out of the whole true love thing.

[@rawanzanki4170]

@@otterzrkuhl true. Ariel cared more about the world itself than Eric. It’s Ursula who kept rumbling about Eric .

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@BetterWithBob No, but making a woman strong in the beginning only to the have her rely on a man to rescue her in the end implies that women shouldn’t be “too strong and independent”, lest they be seen as unfeminine, ugly, or a “bitch”. It’s almost like the writers had to make Ariel a damsel in distress at the end because they didn’t want the strong, independent Ariel to spend too much time outside of her gender box (“That’s enough feminism for you, Ariel! Go back inside your gender box!” 😂). At least in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, even though the badass Marion Ravenwood got captured by Nazis halfway through the film, she went back to being a badass who kills a Nazi mook by driving a fully operational plane into him (while she wears a DRESS, mind you!).

[@kieranstark7213]

@@BetterWithBob All Kim Possible haters are sexist because they are too ungrateful to praise Kim Possible for being a strong female character (done right where she’s not an SJW Mary Sue who has everything handed to her no matter how unhelpful she may be. Looking at you, 2019 Kim Possible!).

[@fcv4616]

I completely agree with how unfair it is to belittle Ariel's romantic motivation, like if romance was such an unworthy motivation for a woman...especially when Ariel already had a big desire to live on land and the romance simply gave her a bigger motive to take risks! It's definitely a double standard, because in stories with male protagonists it's considered chivalrous and even manly for the main character to seek for the girl, save her and do what it takes to be with her; but nowadays if a female protagonist does the same, she's belittled as if a true feminist's goal should solely be focused on career and non-romantic endeavours.

[@supersqueak]

I know right! Nobody talks badly about Aladdin or Hercules for pursuing love because they are men.

[@fcv4616]

@@supersqueak I've heard criticism for Ariel giving up her voice for Eric...but no one seems to criticise Hercules for giving up his immortality for Megara!

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@fcv4616 To quote a Tumblr post (see link below): *”I do think people get upset more by Ariel's story than Hercules for a variety of reasons, though, and gendered socialization is a big part:* *In pop culture, in society, in 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, women and girls are* *expected* *to sacrifice anything and everything for men. I'm talking about time, health (physical and mental), money, and anything else you can think of... we are expected to sacrifice them to get the guy, to keep the guy, to satisfy the guy and make him love us. If we don't sacrifice enough, or well enough, we are shamed and shunned and vilified; we're shrews, or manhaters, or feminazis (because being unwilling to sacrifice my greater self for a dude is TOTALLY like genocide) - and HEAVEN forbid if you're not cishet, because then you get even more vitriol.”* *”On the other hand, men who simply act like women are human beings are treated like heroes. Check out how people deify stay at home or single dads, compared to how they spit venom at stay at home or single moms. Men are NOT expected to sacrifice ANYTHING to get the girl, and if they sacrifice the smallest convenience for their significant other, people fawn over them like they're gods (no pun intended).”* *”So the perception of the story in The Little Mermaid is that Ariel is taking the everyday expectations for women and girls to their natural conclusion: OF COURSE the girl would sacrifice her identity for a boy (even though, like I said at the beginning, it's much more nuanced than that).”* *”Meanwhile, Hercules' whole story is about him becoming a hero (there are multiple songs about it), and despite the fact that he saves hundreds of strangers, adults and children, it's his sacrifice for one woman that TRULY makes him heroic, because 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, and when they do, it's somehow more remarkable than acts of heroism on a huge scale.”* seriouslyamerica.tumblr.com/post/60938006329/waltdisneyconfessions-it-annoys-me-how-both

[@otterzrkuhl]

I love that you mentioned how there’s nothing wrong with wanting to find love. I never even realized the double standard with Hercules.

[@BetterWithBob]

To be charitable to those criticisms, I think they're coming from a good place. Like when they tell women they don't have to be housewives or stay at home mothers. But they can go too far a lot of the time - Brad Bird was going to have a scene in The Incredibles where Helen would be harassed by a career woman telling her she should be working rather than taking care of the baby, based off numerous times his wife was attacked for not going back to work immediately after she had a child. I think we're so used to the romance plot where a woman or girl is doing her own thing and the man pursues her that we subconsciously assume it must always be that way. And when a woman is shown developing that attraction herself and pursuing it, some people don't know how to take it - since we remember the tropes of the clingy girl or the obsessive stalker.

[@beethovensfidelio]

It’s not really a double standard. To quote a Tumblr post (see link below): *”I do think people get upset more by Ariel's story than Hercules for a variety of reasons, though, and gendered socialization is a big part:* *In pop culture, in society, in 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, women and girls are* *expected* *to sacrifice anything and everything for men. I'm talking about time, health (physical and mental), money, and anything else you can think of... we are expected to sacrifice them to get the guy, to keep the guy, to satisfy the guy and make him love us. If we don't sacrifice enough, or well enough, we are shamed and shunned and vilified; we're shrews, or manhaters, or feminazis (because being unwilling to sacrifice my greater self for a dude is TOTALLY like genocide) - and HEAVEN forbid if you're not cishet, because then you get even more vitriol.”* *”On the other hand, men who simply act like women are human beings are treated like heroes. Check out how people deify stay at home or single dads, compared to how they spit venom at stay at home or single moms. Men are NOT expected to sacrifice ANYTHING to get the girl, and if they sacrifice the smallest convenience for their significant other, people fawn over them like they're gods (no pun intended).”* *”So the perception of the story in The Little Mermaid is that Ariel is taking the everyday expectations for women and girls to their natural conclusion: OF COURSE the girl would sacrifice her identity for a boy (even though, like I said at the beginning, it's much more nuanced than that).”* *”Meanwhile, Hercules' whole story is about him becoming a hero (there are multiple songs about it), and despite the fact that he saves hundreds of strangers, adults and children, it's his sacrifice for one woman that TRULY makes him heroic, because 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, and when they do, it's somehow more remarkable than acts of heroism on a huge scale.”* seriouslyamerica.tumblr.com/post/60938006329/waltdisneyconfessions-it-annoys-me-how-both

[@otterzrkuhl]

Beethoven’s Fidelio yeah that’s pretty much what I meant

[@BetterWithBob]

@@beethovensfidelio Valid points, but I think this is selective memory on the part of many viewers - which is understandable since they come from the days before we could simply KZbin a movie to watch it on a whim. Ariel is not really 'sacrificing' anything. She sacrifices her voice in the deal with Ursula - which is shown to be a bad thing and she only agrees to it due to the heightened emotional state she's in. The entire finale is all about Ariel getting what *she* wants - she's not happy underwater as a mermaid and longs to be human before Eric comes into the picture. A true sacrifice for Ariel would be not becoming a human, giving up that dream. In the finale it is the men who are sacrificing everything for Ariel; Eric battles a sea monster to save her, as well as his kingdom - repaying Ariel for saving him earlier. Triton gives up his beloved daughter - first sacrificing himself to save her from Ursula's spell, and secondly to cast his own spell that makes Ariel human without any strings attached. The narrative itself is saying that Ariel shouldn't have to sacrifice anything to simply be with the man she loves. But I can see why some people might project onto this character - assuming that she's 'giving up' something to please a man as opposed to getting what she wants. Those criticisms project that she's sacrificing her identity as opposed to the in-universe conclusion of finally getting her true identity (a lot of trans viewers have related to Ariel, since the story shows she's not really a mermaid at heart and is more comfortable among humans - and her family have to accept this change). So there may even be some deep seated resentment towards Ariel for getting everything she wants and the men around her going to all these lengths to make her happy (Sebastian even risks his life for her). I'd argue that Hercules's sacrifice is greater than simply doing something for a woman. Yes the narrative of the story is flawed with the supposed message that you're not a true hero if you become famous, but think about the acts of heroism Hercules performs; he does these hoping that it'll get him onto Olympus so he can be where he belongs (and he doesn't know anything about this new family, so he has no idea if he'll like it). For Meg however? He goes into the Underworld to save her and makes a deal that he takes her place, fully understanding that he won't benefit from this - the woman he loves will live, but he'll give up his dream of being with his families (both his human parents and the ones on Olympus) and he'll get nothing from the arrangement besides Meg surviving. Sure there's that questionable bit where he becomes a God and doesn't question whether he should still remain in the Underworld (since Hades did honor the deal there). But all of Herc's previous acts of heroism did have something of a selfish motivation ("If I can be a true hero, I can be with my father" without much thought to his loving adoptive parents), while his act of trading places with Meg was far more selfless. And in the previous acts of heroism, Herc was in very little danger due to his strength, but in the Underworld he'd be trapped forever.

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@BetterWithBob Too bad “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea” undermines the trans metaphor of the first film by having Ariel turn back into a *mermaid,* in order to find her daughter Melody who is lost at sea! Also isn’t the human Ariel turning back into a mermaid the animated equivalent of “de-transitioning” (that is, a transgender person going back to the gender they were assigned at birth): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detransition I thought Ariel HATED being a mermaid, and was happier being human. Wasn’t that the whole point of “Part of that World”? Also, Ariel seems way too comfortable when she turns back into a mermaid in the sequel. She hasn’t swam with a fish tail for at least a decade. Certainly, it would take her a while to get back into the swing of things. Furthermore, Triton being able to magically turn Ariel back into a mermaid in the sequel undermines the huge sacrifices Ariel had to make in the first film (so much for *”If I become human, I’ll never see my father and sisters again.”)*

[@SnowOwlBear]

I agree with a lot that you're saying here. But to the argument that she doesn't seem to learn anything or change; Ariel is not really the one that has to change - her father is. There is a reason that there are scenes where we see Triton realizing his mistake and the consequenses of his actions when it comes to Ariel. Because his actions is one of the big forces that directly puts her within reach of Ursula. And Ariel does realize her mistake, it might not be up front and center like with Triton. But its there, and she had no idea what Triton and Sabastian was talking about at the end of the movie. For all she knew, she was about to say good bye to Eric forever. She never asked her father for legs, he did that on his own.

[@beethovensfidelio]

What did Ariel learn exactly?

[@jeffreygao3956]

Never make a deal with a sketchy lady with no reason to care for you.

[@julieshez387]

@@jeffreygao3956 And she shouldn't be in la la fantasy land that she could trust all humans As she thought humans are all perfectly good innocent but in reality humans aren't truly perfect to be trusted with free-will choices of thier own right or wrong, while the point is that Ariel should be Careful who she trust both everyone land and sea equally having little balance between faith and doubt with the beliefs in humanity I want to be honest to say it's Triton's and Ariel's faults equally They should understand each other in a better fair way for the obvious. The Disney filmmakers just has to make the movie complicated very weird of them no sense at all they're just non-perfect people like everybody else yeah.

[@alexp.d3689]

​​@@julieshez387 Would've been too much to show Ariel learning that the human worlds is not as perfect as she thinks, and that hardship is a part of life ? That's what I don't like about this film, it's incredibly shallow in its themes and characters ( unlike it's source material ),the father / daughter conflict is presented in a very one-sided way with Ariel being right by default and only Triton needing to learn the error of his ways. She's very static as a character,at least her predecessors have their paper thinn source materials and their difficulties they faced during their production as an excuse for their simplistic presentation. ( like Sleeping Beauty, which took almost a decade to complete and half of that time was dedicated to turning a paper thinn story which could be told in its entirety in a 5-10 minute short into a 90 minute full length feature ),but with Little Mermaid they had everything handed to them on a sliver plate : a fully fleshed out story with complex themes and characters , so they have no excuse for how how static Ariel's character is ...

[@jonnyboy4289]

"Belle meant to be a role model to please feminists." You know I have done a little research and from what I've gathered, for Beauty and the Beast, Jeffery Katzenburg, who was in charge of Disney animation at the time, wanted to give Belle a feminist twist because critics critized Ariel for being too devoted to Eric, eventhough some resources say that she was praised for being relatable and sympathetic and her rebellious personality, because critics found it insultingly sexist and Jeffery Katzenburg wanted to make sure they don't make another shallow Disney princess. So, what I've gathered could be a clue.

[@BetterWithBob]

And then the remake came along and they did it again because people were complaining Belle wasn't feminist enough in the original. Poor girl just can't win

[@beethovensfidelio]

Not a surprise since “Beauty and the Beast” was written by a WOMAN (Linda Woolverton, a self-identified feminist), whereas “Little Mermaid” was written by *two men* (John Musker and Ron Clements). The live action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” was written by *two men:* Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos.

[@cesar6447]

@@beethovensfidelio ... Men... that's dumb, the original mulan was writen by a group of men and the remake has writen by 3 woman and 1 men. I'm sure we all know which one is the most feminist movie.

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@cesar6447 The original animated film also had two female writers: Rita Hsiao and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer. Hell, the animated film managed to have one Asian writer (Rita Hsiao), whereas the live action remake had virtually none. And that’s saying something!

[@cesar6447]

@@beethovensfidelio well yeah i got yo wrong writers XD but still using more mal than females in the animated one, and i don't know why you talk about the asian one but agree, the new mulan is more european than chinese

[@trippinsciko]

This is really good, and it grabbed my attention with the title lol I laughed pretty hard just imagining the weirdos that are slut-shaming a cartoon, like, just getting mad at a cartoon mermaid, what is life at that point?

[@BetterWithBob]

lol I was inspired by a video title from ScreenPrism/TheTake on Cinderella 'Stop Blaming the Victim'

[@moviemelody2210]

As a person who uses a wheelchair my favorite Disney Princess as a child was Ariel because she wanted to be human and I really resinated with that as I to want to be “part of Your World” (abled bodied people). I in no way show it as a girl doing all this to “get a man”

[@BetterWithBob]

💙💙💙💙

[@marielsea2292]

Exactly the same for me!

[@santesia6222]

"The Little Mermaid" was the 1st movie I ever watched and is still my favorite Disney movie. Because of Ariel, I wanted to be a mermaid when others wanted to be a princess. Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Mulan (1998) get the 2nd and 3rd place of favorite Disney movies. After reading the original story, I am so happy that we got this version of "The Little Mermaid." Ariel was curious, brave, and I found her a strong character that was a role model to me when I was young.

[@sapphirewriter8349]

I also like to point out the series of the Little Mermaid where Ariel does learn lessons, even encourage lessons for other characters to learn and even save the day. While yes, you would think this series would mean Ariel should have known what Ursula was up to, again, vulnerable state and trauma. As for an argument of why Ariel doesn't learn her lesson. I mean, you could argue she was right all along. She felt wrong to judge an entire race of people as being bad and she was a victim of abuse from her father. In some ways, telling Ariel to learn a lesson is almost like telling a victim of abuse to learn their lesson when they just want to escape and live a better life. Granted she does make mistakes but most of it was cause her father refused to listen and made her fear him instead of love him. Ariel just acted on a desire to get away from to her was an abusive situation and kinda was. Triton using his triton to destroy her stuff is the equivalent to someone using a gun to destroy their kid's stuff. I felt like, yes she could have learned some lesson to her mistakes, I also feel like had her dad just not been so overbearing to the point of abuse and using a weapon around his own kid, she would have not made those mistakes. The TV series shows that Ariel is capable of being reasonable with just simple understanding. I feel like the major lessons was for her father to learn more than her. Yes, she should have atoned to the mistake she made a little bit, I'm not saying she didn't make mistakes, I'm just saying her father caused it in the first place because she can clearly be reasoned with and had some valid points that anyone especially someone who has prejudice parents (racist, homophobic, ect) would agree with. I grew up with the TV series than the movie so when I first heard these complaints, I was almost appalled by them. As a kid, I had only watched the movie a few times. Even now owning the movie, I still say blaming Ariel for the mistakes she's made and not learning is slightly unfaired since I see her more as the victim trying to escape an abusive situation. She made mistakes and I agree she could have had some better atonement, but she definitely shouldn't be treated so hard for it. Like the King is a grown adult. She's 16! He's the one that should have known much better since your brain isn't fully developed until you're 25! Sorry for the rant. I just wanted to add that. Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess and I defend her a lot and do relate to her in some ways.

[@BetterWithBob]

Honestly I'd agree with you 100% there.

[@beethovensfidelio]

It’s funny how you say Ariel shouldn’t learn a lesson when the mermaid in the fairy tale had to learn lessons about selflessness and unrequited love (albeit the tragic, morbid way). I don’t know why the same couldn’t apply to Ariel in the movie. Ok, I know why. It’s because Ariel learning about selflessness and unrequited love would mean that Disney has to go with the tragic ending from the fairy tale, and there’s no way Disney would do that. At least the 2008 Broadway show did have Ariel learn her lesson by defeating Ursula and apologizing to her father for the pain she caused him.

[@Ozzygirl17]

You know why else the romance is rushed? Ursula! She’s the only who gave Ariel 3 days; she pressured a traumatized, upset, young teenage girl! Like we, as people, haven’t done dumb things as teenagers? Ariel’s not perfect; no one is. Also, the whole “why doesn’t Ariel write her deal with Ursula to Eric” complaint, would you really believe that if you were in that position? Besides, we wouldn’t have a story, neither would the love story be sincere.

[@Orlymusicboy]

Another great video! I think you interpret the film in the manner that the creators intended, but the empowering messages are somewhat undermined by the fact that Ariel DOES get the guy while completely unable to talk. Their relationship grows successfully despite his knowing nothing about her on a deeper level. By the way, the 3+3+2 rising thirds in the piano cover you used makes me think of the soundtrack to Ponyo, which is fitting in its own way!

[@BetterWithBob]

Funny you should mention that. Jodi Benson has said that multiple people on the autism spectrum told her they could relate to Ariel being unable to communicate and how she was still able to connect with Eric before getting her voice back. I do agree with you to an extent, which is why I choose to believe they waited for a while to really get to know each other

[@fcv4616]

Yes, but for a Disney standard, especially for a princess film made at the time, the relationship between Ariel and Eric had someish kind of development. It does borrow from the concepts of "true love" and "love at first sight" that were present in the original story, but once Ariel meets Eric, there's a certain level of courtship. I think this should be noted, because the next film Disney released, Beauty and the Beast, had a relationship between the protagonists growing more organically, so I think it reflects a trend from the studio to slightly depart from the original romantic notion of love at first sight.

[@RX-12]

It's funny that people call Ariel selfish when the first thing we see her do is take on a shark to save her best friend.

[@BetterWithBob]

and then she saves the life of someone she doesn't even know

[@jeffreygao3956]

The Little Mermaid isn't my favorite Disney Princess movie but I still like it. Ariel was pretty good for her time and still is now. Also, I'd honestly not want a remake of The Little Mermaid. Make a Bolt remake instead because that movie is in desperately in need of one!

[@MaricaAmbrosius]

In the original tale, she wanted to be human because she wanted a soul that could live on after her death, HCA being a depressed, deeply Christian bisexual. Disney wasn't about to tell kids mermaids don't have souls, so they gave her the fangirl motivation instead. It works.

[@alexp.d3689]

The narrative and characters of the original tale are much better than Disney's, that's for sure .... The biggest flaw with Disney's version is that they turned it into a "happily ever after" in the first place.Stories like Snow White Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are simple and malleable enogh ,as well as having very simplistic narratives ( in Snow White's and Sleeping Beauty's cases are also lack in terms of writing ) that they can be heavily reworked while keeping their core intact. Han's Little Mermaid is a deliberate deconstruction of stories like Cinderella and it's so thoroughly written that the smallest absentminded alteration can have negative consequences for the quality of the writing. it ,just like Romeo and Juliet, is a tragedy at it's core and the way in which the narratives unfold makes it impossible for lovers to end up together happily, doing it so will feel weird and contrived , plus it would go directly against the point these stories were trying to make ( which in Disney's version does ,I was never a fan of that film even as a child ). The protagonist of this story is on a selfish pursuit of a complete stranger ( at least in the book she has a higher goal than just getting the guy , Disney's version is very shallow by comparison ) with zero regard for his thoughts and feelings ... The big difference is that Han's story shows us what would actually happen if we tried to pursue a complete stranger ( you can't force someone to love you , quite a mature theme for a fairytale ) and that our actions have consequences which we'll inevitably have to face , while Disney's ignores all the still visible weird connotations of the narrative as well as giving children a false idea about relationships and having a static protagonist while the original story did not . Ariel might be more physically proactive than her predecessors,but she's as static of a character as they are in terms of growth ( at least hrr predecessors have their paper thinn narratives and troublesome productions as an excuse , with Little Mermaid Disney had everything handed to them on a silver platter so there's no excuse for the still serviceable but downgraded writing and the stagnant protagonist ) In the original tale she goes from being a selfish individual consumed by anxiety into a much more considerate and mature person,as well as having the fate of the story directly at her hands by the end of the story , in Disney's she never learns or grows and even the whole father - daughter conflict is extremely one-sided with only Triton needing to learn from his mistakes while Ariel is perceived as right by default despite the fact that she clearly isn't ( In the book she rectifies her mistake and grows as a person, in Disney's she causes a lot of trouble and never gets punished for her reckless. It basically tells children 'follow your heart no matter what , regardless of consequence and you'll get rewarded because you're right by default" , while one of the points of the original tale was " sometimes following your heart will lead to disaster" . And don't tell me it's too dark for kids when countless generations,even today, have grown up with Hans stories , especially children in Denmark ) Disney's version is serviceable, good visuals and songs with a serviceable shallow script and characters, but not a masterpiece by any means ... The original surpasses it in terms of imagination, world building, characters,themes and narrative ,there have been much better film adaptations this story done in both live action and animation that are better than Disney's ( my favourite animated one is a Russian animated version from 1968 , itself flawed but at least it doesn't screw up the point of the story )

[@nathanoshea5790]

This is well put together well done sir

[@BetterWithBob]

Thanks for watching :)

[@jonnyboy4289]

Yes, it looks like that Ariel has not learned jack squat. But, how did the movie "establish" that she didn't learn anything? All we see her is staring at Eric with a sad glum on her face and apologize, even though it wasn't well explanatory compared to the deleted scene. According to the creators, they intended the last scene to be silent with no dialogue. It seems unfair to draw conclusions that weren't established. It's like in Man of Steel where people complain that Superman never saves anybody despite him saving people in the oil rig, kids on the bus, the bully that bullied him, Lois, his mom, a few army men in Smallville, and even a group of people when he snapped Zod's neck.

[@BetterWithBob]

I feel as though even if Triton gets that moment of self reflection - "she really does love him" - which tells us he's learned from his mistakes, Ariel doesn't get a 'moment' that tells us how the experience has changed her, if it has at all. But to me, Ariel still has lots of virtues as a character and I appreciate that she's very three-dimensional as a person and that's why she's my favourite of the princesses. I feel the character is worthy of examination, but I find that too many people are quick to jump to the 'feminist' critique of "she wants a man! Evil!" which is just backhanded slut shaming. And maybe she's not a perfect PC character but I also subscribe to the belief that no piece of media is going to be 100% idealogically pure and accepting that is just setting yourself up for disappointment. So I can acknowledge that there are aspects of Ariel that could be worthy of criticism but I also choose to embrace the character for her virtues and strengths - which I do feel outnumber any minor flaws in the writing. At the end of the day your feelings are your feelings, so all I can do is try to rationalise them as best I can ;)

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@BetterWithBob She's my favorite too and one of my favorite characters of all time because of how she's distinct from the other princesses. Usually, they're always relient on being captured and being insecure and defenseless, even Jasmine had to be rescued in Aladdin. But, with Ariel, she's so outgoing that she's willing to help someone in need, weither it's Eric or Flounder, and she did, not to mention she's not afraid to stand up for herself, and she's courageous despite her looking like a stupid girly princess that panders to girls. Yes, she still has those princess aspects, but those characters I've aknowledged are what really draws me in. Especially when I saw her kick ass in Kingdom Hearts, which made me fall in love with the character again after I outgrew her in the 2000s because of the Disney princess franchise, a franchise infamous for pandering to little girls, which made me turn my back on her and the others princesses as well. Also her bubbly personality, sense of adventure and cutiousity make her a lovable character, and I really love her story. And yes, her looks and voice makes me smile, but that's just the icing on the cake. So, when people bash her, especially when the critisims sound legitimate, it irks me and it makes me feel bad that she really is a bad character, which makes me feel ashamed that I feel that I'm liking her for all the wrong reasons. I know she's a controversial character, but not Man of Steel levels of controversial.

[@BetterWithBob]

@@jonnyboy4289 I may have fallen back in love with her when she became a party member in Kingdom Hearts as well ;)

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@BetterWithBob Really! Looks like I'm not the only one. 😀

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@BetterWithBob Also, on a side note, I've found a video on writing characters with no character arcs and how to do it by Just Write. It showed us examples of characters who don't change like Paddington. While he doesn't change, the supporting characters around him do. I never saw the films but I've heard that they got universal acclaim and nobody had a problem when he didn't change. In fact, Paddington was like Ariel in the movies. She didn't change or learn jack squat, Which is litgit, but then again, we see characters like Paddington, and Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the carrabian, and yet people don't have a problem with them, which begs the question, when Ariel never learned or changed like Maui or Jack Sparrow, is it really worth getting so angry over to the point where it destroys the character entirely or the movie as a whole? My guess is that Ariel is portrayed as a realistic teenager and they can be emotional and whiney, which is okay as long as it doesn't go too far like Robin from Batman and Robin or Bella from Twilight. And because of that, you're either going to find her relatable or annoying. If you find her relatable, you'll be distracted and not notice these problems. If you don't, you won't be distracted by those problems and fail to get invested. So, it comes down to personal taste. And if it's based on personal taste, then Ariel is not a bad apple. The writers were just trying something new to get themselves out of that dark period in the 1980s. Like what you said, it depends how you look at her.

[@BrcRosa]

Thank you for this. You brought up some criticism I hadn't heard before and explained why they are terribly wrong in ways that make complete sense to me. A lot of the criticism of this movie seem to be very shallow. People give it a glance and don't think about any of the story beyond that. But then they go marching around decrying from the rooftops that they know everything. And through their deep knowledge and infinite wisdom Ariel is such a terrible female role model.

[@god-rj5wf]

it may be me just projecting, but I am sooo anti-Triton. he starts off as one of the worst fathers in disney, and people will rabidly defend him because of the whole "Ariel wanted to marry a man she just met!!" thing. this isn't even a criticism the movie addresses, and i dont think it needs to. not only is that _not true,_ but in a world where True Love™️ is a force as factual as gravity, why care if someone gets married immediately after meeting? plus, Triton doesn't GAF that Ariel loves a guy she just met, _(probably bc in this era your literal little princess should probably be courting or betrothed by now anyhow)_ HE cares that guy a HUMAN, and he HATES humans. he basically goes on a racist rant and then traumatized his daughter by violently destroying everything that makes her happy, leaving her open to be taken advantage of. like, this is Not your Hero by this part of the film, my friend. it's wild what I've seen people defend because they don't believe the true love narrative of a _Cartoon._

[@beethovensfidelio]

The difference is that Triton learns from his mistakes and Ariel doesn’t. Also, Triton is right to hate humans, since they killed his wife (assuming the prequel is canon) and they eat seafood (including the presumed relatives of Flounder and Sebastian).

[@god-rj5wf]

@@beethovensfidelio what mistakes?? Ariel's only "mistake" is that she got manipulated by a sea witch. and she learned from _that_ whole debacle pretty well when said sea witch tried to kill her and her dad almost had to sacrifice his life for her. she learns not to make deals with the devil and takes responsibility by protecting the ones she loves. what else do you want to happen? also, like. a handful of humans killed his wife (plus they *accidentally* hit her with a boat if i remember the prequel right), and that's no excuse to be rabidly racist (specist??). fish eat other fish too, and i doubt they're ALL vegan. with all that body mass, Triton needs to be getting his protein in _somehow_ lmao

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@god-rj5wf Mistakes like Ariel signing the contract without reading the dotted line and falling for a guy she barely knew. At least in the fairy tale, the little mermaid paid the price for her mistakes by turning into sea foam. The sea witch was right that the mermaid’s desire to become human in order to marry the prince and gain an immortal soul was stupid and would cause great suffering. You were asking me why people sympathized with Triton, and I gave you my reasons. Triton has his flaws like having a hair-trigger temper and being prejudiced towards humans, but at least he learns to control his anger and become more open to humans. Ariel has her flaws, but she never learns from them like Emperor Kuzco, Simba, and Pinocchio do. Ariel’s flaws are instead rewarded. At least the 2008 Broadway show averts this by having Ariel kill Ursula and then apologize to Triton for the trouble she’s caused him. Both Ariel and Triton learn to put aside their differences. Also, I imagine the people sympathizing with Triton are children who grew up to become parents and thus sympathize with Triton’s frustrations over raising a bratty teenage daughter.

[@rosequartz151]

Thank you! Also Time period it is set, run time, and other factors are relevant as well. Tired of females bashing females just to worship the wap music video. We can walk, and chew gum. Ariel felt a large disconnect in family, because of her fathers bigoted grudge against things, and she wanted to run away. It wasn’t just about Eric. It was the caliber of pain her barely past 15 year old self couldn’t handle. He destroyed everything she identifies with too. It was a family situation gone wrong, and she clinged to the only happy thing she felt left. Which was to be her own person, to basically live alone, and be with someone she had prefiously had observed had a kinder heart, and at the very least might ahve an open mind. Also she was going to leave before she ran into Ursela. So her initial plans were distracted in the movie itself. She was sorta snagged to go see Ursela, and she didn’t wanna be a mermaid anymore. Long before Eric she wanted to explore, and now she felt she had nothing ti hang onto the ocean for since she can no longer even have her personality allowed. Before that it was no allowance to have music at all in the kingdom. Anything about Ariel that makes her awesome is often just purged.. Humanity from her point of view, and Eric at the very least had been warmer than what she was being left with as an impression at home. If any dad did that over interacial things nobody would judge Ariel as hard. Destroying all her ability to self express an interest in learning. If someone burned Belles library nobody would blame Belle for wanting an out. It got abusive, and tipped far evne though that wasn’t his intentions. He basically took it out on her. All of HIS past out on her. Projecting his issues onto her. Don’t celebrate WAP, Mulan, and Aladdin while bashing Ariel. It aids female suppression more if you really observe. You’re not suppose to be trading parts of who you are for anybody just for others to get to keep theirs. Men can have standards, but if a women does “It’s too high”. #CallingITOUT Careful to not end up HAVING TO BE THE MAN while competing so hard for rights you already have in life, and pushing men into having no manners with YOUR rudeness whether they do/don’t do something, and kicking out all the initiative they could be standing with you for. Women against the perks of being a lady make no sense. You can, doesn’t mean you should always have to. As you also give him perks that are not physical only, but that’s a convo this gen, and the next are not ready for. That is the difference between feminist pushing in 2020 vs empowered femininity which is treated weak, but it’s actually smart strong, sometimes STRONGER, and caring. If you gotta shut down what makes you a female just to elevate those who only made it by being “the man”, then you are not as empowered as you think you are. It’s a narrative overplayed by now, and people are flaling for it. Eager to have it worse. People are free to do anything, but then theres fake freedom, and gaslighting going on lately.

[@BetterWithBob]

Well said!

[@alexp.d3689]

The biggest problem with Disney's version is that they turned it into a love story in the first , the story is a Tragedy by design ... Stories like Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty by their very conception were simple and malleable enough and that allows for heavy alterations to be made without changing the story's core meaning and due to that simplicity they have the potential to be turned into love stories ( the Prince in Grimm's Snow White is literally superfluous and she comes back to life by accident, one of the many ways in which Disney improved Grimm's story is that the prince has an actual purpose ... When looking at these films one should take into consideration their production history and source materials, Sleeping Beauty had it's deadline extended due to story issues cause Sleeping Beauty on its own doesn't have enough material to fill the runtime of a Tv episode let alone a movie ... And thereby is extremely difficult to adapt cause pretty much everything memorable about Disney's interpretation are the original ideas like the fairies rescuing Philip ). Hans Cristian Andersen's Little Mermaid by contrast it's deliberately written to be a subversion of such stories as Cinderella and the way it's written makes it impossible for the protagonist to end up with the prince, and it's so well crafted that even the smallest absentminded alteration can mess the whole thing up. The big difference is that the original tale shows us things how they really are in such a situation ,as you said it's an one-sided romance and Hans Cristian Andersen doesn't candy coad that .He presents the reality of the situation that If you try to pursue someone you don't know that won't end well , Disney's version by contrast completely ignores all of that and tries to present what is a very weird plot about what is essentially a stalker pursuing her idol as romantic ( Romanticising The Little Mermaid is like romantising Romeo and Juliet,both stories are Tragedies at their core and the writing is such that a traditional Happily Ever After misses the point these stories tried to make. ) The protagonist's inner conflict is much stronger, more tangible and constant throughout the story in Andersen's tale , and she has much better reasoning behind her actions as well as being a far more multiphasited character that has been much better depicted in other film adaptations than Disney's ( After Ariel gets legs her strugle is entirely external , If she had kissed Eric in time she would have won .Her view of the world never gets challenged which makes her appear very static ... Would've been too difficult to have a little scene up on land where Eric has a fall out with his guardian and Ariel sees through the reaction of the guardian feelings regret after Eric angry stormed out that and starts to realise that perhaps her father is not so unreasonable or cruel as she once thought,or see a father yelling at his daughter "Betcha on land they understand that they don't reprimand their daughters ... " they already established it so why didn't they make her at least try to see her fathers pov at some point, or that both life on land and underwater has hardship ... ? ( The whole father / daughter conflict is portrayed in quiet an one-sided way ,both of them have flaws but only Triton has to learn from his mistakes and Ariel does not ... ? Ariel is more proactive,yes, but in terms of development she is as developed as her predecessors, though at least they have their paper thinn source materials and the limitations of their time as an excuse, with Little Mermaid they had everything handed to them on a silver platter in terms of story themes and characters so they don't really have an excuse for Ariel's lack of growth ) Little Mermaid ( 1989 ) is good on a superficial level ( audio/visuals ) ,but the writing though serviceable enough for what it is ,gets the job done, it's quite a downgrade and doesn't hold a candle to it's objectively superior source material ... The only good thing the remake did is make me appreciate the '89 version a bit more

[@pajhuson6897]

This is so good! Thank you so much for making this. My favorite Disney movie is the little mermaid and I've always had these criticism thrown at me. I'm so happy that I now know how to explain why I don't agree with most of them. Again thank you so much for making this!

[@BetterWithBob]

We heart Ariel

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@BetterWithBob We Ariel fans gotta stick together.

[@pajhuson6897]

@@jonnyboy4289 Too true♥️

[@Jessica-cj3jo]

Between this and the Morgana video you're making a habit of defending some of my favorite misunderstood female characters. Excellent analysis!

[@BetterWithBob]

Your comments made my day :) thank you!

[@kieranstark7213]

@@BetterWithBob I just don’t get why people think The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning is the better DisneyToon Studios film of the trilogy compared to The Return to the Sea? Is it because The Return to the Sea can copy elements from its predecessor (understandable, that does happen at times, but at least it tried to do anything but be something that feels like an emo fanfiction of the franchise, which we won’t get to later, but right now) and Ariel’s Beginning at least tried to tel it’s own story rather than copying Footloose (in fact, there are people who actually give TLMAB the alternate title of Finloose, myself included. It just makes me regret ever thinking this would be the best film in the trilogy. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnWZqZ6gfMxnd80

[@TCt83067695]

6:23 i haven't seen it yet. Was it addressed or not?

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

In the Broadway show and other adaptations SHE DOES. Apologize. AND CLEARLY SHE IS GRATEFUL to her father for her humanity. ALSO forgotten by MANY. I have to say I WISH I MADE this vid for it addresses MANY SHALLOW criticisms

[@serenitymoon825]

Hello from four years in the future! The remake pales in comparison. Once I got over my nostalgia, all I could see were the flaws. That is all.

[@BetterWithBob]

I haven't seen it but I've heard Haile is good

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@BetterWithBob That wasn't enough to save the movie. Don't watch it! Not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin!

[@serenitymoon825]

@@BetterWithBob Halle was good, but it's not enough

[@Iggybart05]

honestly in this day and age it's starting to feel like it's a crime for a female character to have flaws at all. which is hella ironic since one of the key criticisms of actresses and models is that they set unrealistic standards.... the same unrealstic standards set for guys when chris hemsworth takes off his shirt....

[@elizabethhurlbut1475]

This was a fair and excellent argument that the original didn't need fixing. It seems Disney's current procedure for releasing the "live-action" versions of their animated films is to cut down the original masterpieces as broken with inappropriate messaging. Instead of copying the animated movie and making it 'realistic', the live action Little Mermaid should have told a story closer to the Hans Christian Anderson story. Instead of speaking with emotionless/ugly cgi animated animals, Ariel could have spoken with her six sisters (who in the book gave up their hair to make a deal with the witch to save Ariel's life).

[@beethovensfidelio]

There’s no way that Disney was going to do a faithful retelling of “The Little Mermaid” given that it would’ve been bloody and depressing for their family friendly brand. Ironically, Disney produced a faithful adaptation of the tragic Andersen fairy tale “The Little Matchgirl”.

[@johnforbes4915]

Thank you for your excellent taste in Disney Princesses. Ariel has always been my favourite 😊

[@TheHeadNinjainComics]

I wouldn’t have a problem with half the arguments critics make against these films if they didn’t make shit up. It’s like they have nothing to call it out on so they go out of their way to be disingenuous in some vein attempt to have a point.

[@BetterWithBob]

Yep. 2000s and early 2010s pop feminism was full of ridiculous criticisms where they were trying to make Disney Princesses out to be responsible for the gender pay gap.

[@TheHeadNinjainComics]

@@BetterWithBob ahh yes! The mythical pay gap that isn’t based on gender at all as opposed to the position you hold or how long you’ve been on the job. In most industries anyway.

[@MaricaAmbrosius]

The sequel shows that Ariel learned not to mess with sea witches.

[@zalybrainlessgenius503]

I'm not going to watch the video, but I'd just like to comment: She's 16 wtf?? 😂😂

[@kieranstark7213]

Oh boy, the description gives me important, major things to say. 1. The Disney Renaissance of the ENTIRE 1990s! 2. The criticism these Disney Princesses of the 20th Century get are all bullshit, especially the ones the 1990s/Disney Renaissance Princesses get (regardless of how you feel about Lindsay Ellis, you gotta admit, she’s right to harp on people who whine about the 1991 Princess Belle having Stockholm Syndrome! Looking at you, Game Theory!) including Mulan’s criticisms being so misogynistic (especially when it was filmed in a CONCENTRATION CAMP OF ALL PLACES) that it’s probably the reason why we got the overrated live-action Mulan remake nobody should have looked forward to so that it would never have happened.

[@ColleneWebb]

Well done, Bobby! 🌟 Excellent points made here. Love the 'double standards' highlighted! 😂 Weirdly, I didn't watch this film until 2014 when I was researching to play the character in a theatre tour. Somehow it passed me by when I was a child, despite being an iconic redhead! I used to like Thumbelina (subconsciously because she was a redhead and looked like me). 👩‍🦰💕

[@BetterWithBob]

Did you know Jodi Benson voiced her too?

[@ColleneWebb]

@@BetterWithBob I do now! That's amazing. 😲

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@ColleneWebb Speaking of double standards, five years before Disney released “The Little Mermaid”, Disney released a fantasy romantic comedy called “Splash” (albeit under the studio’s adult-facing label “Touchstone Films”), which basically flipped the ending of the former on its tail (hehe) by having *the MAN (played by Tom Hanks) give up everything (his family, his friends, his business, his life on land, his home, and presumably his own species) in order to spend the rest of his life 🎶under the sea 🎶 with the mermaid he loves (played by Daryl Hannah).* SPOILER ALERT FOR A 38-YEAR-OLD MOVIE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qX6pf6NqhpqGiLc

[@beethovensfidelio]

You could argue that “Aladdin” is the inverse of “Little Mermaid”. Think about it. Aladdin falls for someone he can’t have because she’s a princess and he’s a street rat. Aladdin enlists the help of a magical being to turn him into a prince in order to be with Princess Jasmine. Aladdin’s lies indirectly hurts the people he loves - the Genie, Jasmine, and the people of Agrabah. Jafar outs Aladdin as a thief and as punishment he gets thrown to Siberia. He feels terrible about his actions, and tells Abu that it’s his fault and he has to set things right, which he does by defeating Jafar and saving all of Agrabah. *TL;DR: Aladdin makes the same mistakes Ariel does, but at least Aladdin takes ownership of his mistakes and fixes them.* *In Ariel’s case, her father King Triton and her boyfriend Prince Eric basically come in to fix the messes she started.*

[@beethovensfidelio]

@Aqua Luna Took the words right out of my mouth! According to the book “Disney War” by James B. Stewart, Ariel originally had a more active role in defeating Ursula, but then-Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg didn’t like that because in his mind, *”it simply didn’t make any sense that the gentle mermaid Ariel would be so easily able to overcome the all-powerful sea witch Ursula.”* So by Katzenberg’s logic, a little mermaid can’t defeat an all-powerful sea witch, but a HUMAN MAN can? 🤦🤦 Ariel may be small, but she is certainly not weak. Not only do we see Ariel *lift Eric up to the surface and drag his unconscious body to the beach,* but we also Ariel exhibit *upper body strength* on two separate occasions (as evidenced by her climbing up Eric’s ship in order to see humans for the first time, and then climbing up Eric‘s wedding ship in order to stop him from marrying the sea witch).

[@beethovensfidelio]

@Aqua Luna That’s not the only time Katzenberg made a sexist remark about “Little Mermaid”! According to John Musker, Katzenberg was concerned that “The Little Mermaid” was gonna fail both commercially & critically because it was aimed at girls (after all, mermaids are stereotyped as being something only little girls love), and he felt that “guys movies” (like “Oliver & Company”) tend to do better than “girls movies” (like “Little Mermaid”): kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZLWdqeriLBrjLsm12s Of course, Katzenberg would eventually eat his own words! 😂 😂 Not only did “The Little Mermaid” outgross “Oliver & Company” at the box office, but it was better received by critics than “Oliver & Company” was. Katzenberg’s mentality was basically this: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GirlShowGhetto

[@LovelyLivelyV]

“The messes she started”? Ariel was not at fault for dooming the sea to Ursula. Triton was. Ariel wouldn’t have gone to Ursula if her father didn’t break her trust. If your parent destroyed all the things you loved in front of your own eyes, wouldn’t you want to get as far away from them as possible? What Triton did was unacceptable, something no parent should EVER do to their kids, and he paid the price when his actions pushed Ariel to make a deal with Ursula out of desperation. Also, Ariel didn’t sign away the throne and power and doom the sea. Triton did. Granted, it was to save Ariel, but you still shouldn’t blame her when he was the reason it all happened anyway. He wasn’t fixing Ariel’s mess, he was fixing his own. If Ariel had to fix Usrula’s actions by herself, it would’ve meant she was cleaning up her father’s messes, and Triton wouldn’t have had that moment of proving he really DOES care about Ariel. And Ariel learns her lesson too; thanks to their interaction at the wedding, we can see she finally appreciates her father. As for Eric, it’s only fair he gets a chance at saving her because she saved him twice. It evens out. Remember that relationships are a two-way street, so both sides have to do their part. Triton did his part in showing Ariel he really does care about her, and she reciprocates it. Ariel saves Eric’s life, and he saves hers in return.

[@beethovensfidelio]

@Aqua Luna I don’t think those were Jeffrey’s actual words. They were just lifted from the “DisneyWar” book: *”Katzenberg, in particular, had problems with the third act’s resolution of the threat from Ursula. It simply didn’t make any sense that the gentle mermaid Ariel would be so easily able to overcome the all-powerful sea witch Ursula. ‘This just doesn’t work,’ Katzenberg said on several occasions before leaving screenings.”*

[@jeffreygao3956]

@Aqua Luna I’d rather not have a Little Mermaid remake.

[@graemewest9887]

Also, I LOVE how the reprise of “Part of Your World” makes it more specific to what made Ariel sacrifice what was important to her for the one she loved. The first render of the song is “Part of THAT world”; the reprise is “Part of YOUR world”. Showing how she’s learning more and more about the world she was so obsessed with beyond just the cool trinkets. And it still wasn’t “I want you, I wanna suck your...” Well, you know...It was, I want to be part of your WORLD with YOU in it! (See the line: “What would I give to live WHERE you are?”) It’s making her more keen on leaving to live somewhere completely different from what she knows, because she loves him so much. Not just the fact that she liked him! So to say that she sold her voice for D*** and a man is pretty ridiculous!

[@transp0rter1]

I fell in love later in life (after my 30s), and ... The Little Mermaid is tangentially correct about: infatuation, desire, lust. We are often gaga / stupid over the object of our affection. There's a quote: everyone is foolish in love.

[@beethovensfidelio]

That would apply more to the Andersen fairy tale of the same name than the Disney animated film, since the fairy tale is meant to be a cautionary tale about how impulsively giving up everything for a guy you barely know will turn you into sea foam. The Disney version rewards that type of impulsive behavior by having Ariel marry Eric.

[@Hi-jw7oq]

I love how phoebe from charmed gers slut shamed when in all of season 2, she really doesnt even kiss anyone let alone date all that much

[@BetterWithBob]

I know. In fact, when the House of Halliwell rewatch podcast got to Season 2, they noted how it was Piper who actually had the most guys at that point

[@cesar6447]

It's curious how ppl say that ursula was right, bc eric loved ariel without needed to say a word, but the whole movie he's trying to communicate with her, and as far as he concerned She was MUTE, so is understable that he didn't care about that, or what he was supposed to do? drop her bc she was mute? ableism?...

[@beethovensfidelio]

If Eric wants a woman who’s mute, he’s a sexist prick, but if he wants a woman who’s NOT mute, then he’s an ableist prick. Dude can’t catch a break! 😂

[@CJDM310]

Ursula wasn’t right though. Ariel was not a passive passenger. She actively communicated with Eric even though she couldn’t speak. Her personality shone through so well that Ursula had to sabatoge the kiss. She did not expect Ariel to almost succeed on the second day.

[@paschameleon]

Very well said

[@vindozadm7772]

I have to say, I liked the love action remade, tho Ariel saving Eric at the end I can see both sides of liking and not liking that. Tho I would have preferred them killing Ursula together so there is any complaints, but it happened.

[@beethovensfidelio]

To be fair, the 2008 Broadway musical version of “The Little Mermaid” had Ariel kill Ursula in the climax.

[@brittanydavisghiblieaglesfan]

Thank you so much for this video! Ariel is my favorite Disney princess and has the most beautiful singing voice. I agree with everything said in this video. Her detractors completely miss the point of her character. Ariel has interest in human world and wants to explore it; it’s not solely because of Eric or “She leaves her home and her friends for a man!”, like her detractors complain. It’s also because she wants her freedom and is tired of her father’s iron grip on her. I also agree with you that her detractors complain that she leaves home for love, but they give Hercules a pass for doing the same thing (double standard). She’s also the first Disney Princess who is not a passive, damsel in distress, like Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Sure, Eric has to save her in the climax, but like you said, she saves Eric twice. In some ways, I like Ariel because of her flaws. As much as I love “Beauty and the Beast” and Belle, like the Unshaved Mouse said, I feel like she’s *too* perfect. The most interesting characters, in my opinion, are flawed. I also prefer Jodi Benson’s performance over Paige O’Hara’s (like Unshaved Mouse, even though I still like Paige O’Hara). Once again, thank you so much for this video. It’s nice to see people like you, Unshaved Mouse, Schaffrillas Productions, and Rachel from Rachel’s Reviews come out in defense of Ariel after years of criticism.

[@BetterWithBob]

I don't know if you're familiar with Lindsay Ellis, but in her days as The Nostalgia Chick, she used to rant about how much she hated the movie and Ariel's character. But last year she did a video re-examining the movie and admitting her criticisms were overblown and not really warranted :)

[@songweretson]

"When the remake comes along, I expect this to be addressed." Oh, you Sweet Summer Child... XD

[@BetterWithBob]

Dare I ask how it went lol. I probably won't watch the remake

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@BetterWithBob​​⁠​​⁠The live action remake had Ariel genuinely apologize to her father by saying “I’m sorry, father. This is all my fault”, and then Ariel kills Ursula by driving a ship into Ursula: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3qup6eMabRkhrcsi=x3AtUjyHbwpzCLnM&t=3m50s And before you blame these changes on “wokeness”, the 2008 Broadway show also had Ariel kill Ursula by smashing Ursula’s conch shell to the ground, and had Ariel genuinely apologize to her father by saying “I’ve caused you so much trouble. Can you ever forgive me?”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/boqmfaivodF5aqMsi=egsaLk3-ha2SPUpz&t=4m40s

[@BrcRosa]

This is wonderful.

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

And what were Maria and Tony doing in West Side Story?

[@beethovensfidelio]

What does “West Side Story” have to do with Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”?

[@anitanielsen1061]

“The romance is rushed” Well, there’s only so much a single movie can do 🤷‍♀️

[@beethovensfidelio]

Perhaps the 2 HOUR LONG live action “Little Mermaid” remake will rectify that!

[@alexp.d3689]

​​​@@beethovensfidelio Hi, I'm from the future, and to your comment I respond with : LMFAO good one ... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sagev.5818]

Ariel has always been my favorite Disney princess (to the point that I have a tattoo of her on my arm) because she is a flawed yet good-hearted character who I love! Thank you for disputing the ridiculous criticisms that Ariel gets!

[@ran196]

I agree with alot of your points, but I also want to point out that Ariel unlike other princesses, wasn't pressured into romance. Its Prince Eric who is being pressured into finding someone. As we see in his 2nd scene, Grimbsy said the kingdom wants to see him settled down and the statue was suppose to be a wedding gift. Prince Eric in turn said that he wants to find the right girl first since he didn't fall for another Princess of another kingdom. We also see Eric trying to get to know Ariel too, since during the Kiss the Girl scene, he clearly said he felt bad not knowing her name so he tried to guess it. If there is any criticism of The Little Mermaid from me, though these criticism more involves with world building than plot, is that there is obviously some sort of class structure, obviously since there are royalties and we also see in the beginning Triton and Sebastian riding into the concert hall being pulled by Dolphins and Goldfish respectively, even as a kid i thought it was weird. Also the racism under the sea, as we see Ariel clearly calling Flounder a guppy.

[@EmeraldAriell]

people want to cancel Disney so bad that instead of making fact based logical arguments they choose to take the lazy way out and point at old movies and scream "problematic"

[@BetterWithBob]

Yeah it's an unfortunate relic of the late 2000s when bad faith criticism was all the rage

[@jeffreygao3956]

But Ghibli is still superior!

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@BetterWithBobExcept those criticisms of Disney have existed long before the 2000s. The NAACP held picket signs protesting the racism in Disney’s “Song of the South” during its theatrical release in 1946. Ariel was so heavily criticized by feminists during the 1989 release of “The Little Mermaid” that Disney had to hire a woman, Linda Woolverton, to write “Beauty and the Beast” in the hopes that Belle would be more “feminist friendly” than Ariel. “Aladdin” was criticized for having racist lyrics in “Arabian Nights”, so much so that the lyrics had to be rewritten for the 1993 VHS release. Of course, you can like Disney animated films while still acknowledging the company’s long history of sexism and racism.

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

Belle is a Regurgitated Ariel. In more ways then you can imagine. Two words. Sherri Stoner. Live action reference. Also Disney seems to have a love /HATE thing with the franchise due to this

[@beethovensfidelio]

How is Belle “regurgitated Ariel”? Unlike Ariel, Belle didn’t change her species to be with a guy she just met. If anything, the Beast changed back into a human because he was no longer cursed, thanks to the power of Belle tearfully declaring her love for him. Unlike Ariel, Belle sacrificed herself to save others. Belle traded in her freedom and home life to save her father from rotting inside the Beast’s dungeon. In “The Little Mermaid”, it was King Triton who sacrificed himself to save Ariel by turning himself into a polyp. Ironically, the little mermaid in the fairy tale is a lot more altruistic than Disney’s Ariel, since she let herself turn into sea foam so the prince could live with his new bride, and she consequently reincarnated into a philanthropic air spirit. Unlike Ariel, Belle had a healthy relationship with her father Maurice. Maurice wasn’t a domineering ruler and an emotionally abusive father, but rather a daft inventor and a loving father. Belle wasn’t characterized as “boy crazy” like Ariel was, since she refused Gaston’s wedding proposal and she didn’t fall in love with the Beast at first sight. The women that were “boy crazy” in “Beauty and the Beast” were the three blonde “silly girls”, since they were meant to serve as a foil for Belle.

[@beethovensfidelio]

Also, how is Belle a regurgitated Ariel when Belle was meant to rectify the feminist backlash against Ariel? Yes really! John Musker recalled during a press tour that there were some female reporters who gave him and Ron Clements grief because Ariel married Prince Eric at the end of “The Little Mermaid”. Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to assure the female reporters that Ariel loved all things human, not just Prince Eric, but sadly this didn’t change the mind of female reporters. Jeffrey took Ron and John aside by saying to them during a “Beauty and the Beast” meeting: *”Sheesh!! They put me through the ringer! Guys! Whatever we do, I don’t wanna get tagged like that again! We gotta make sure that doesn’t happen on this one!”* Therefore, the “feminist” changes made for Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” were the result of Jeffrey Katzenberg getting “roughed up” by female reporters during a press tour in Florida, as well as Jeffrey not wanting any critique that would diminish the movie’s box office returns. Source: howardashman.squarespace.com/blog/john-musker-question-countdown-5

[@vaneram1072]

Now they make it more worse they put a Ugly girl 2 play the life action. Movie 2 play her instead of Ariana 2 play her in the movie 😢

[@shortmashins4031]

She's my least favorite or not at all She based her happiness on another person.

[@beethovensfidelio]

It’s worth noting in the eponymous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale that the little mermaid doesn’t get the prince and thus she turns into sea foam. HOWEVER, the little mermaid reincarnates as a “daughter of the air” who can obtain an immortal soul through performing 300 years of good deeds, therefore the little mermaid’s destiny is in HER hands because she doesn’t have to rely on the love of a prince in order to obtain her immortal soul.

[@zsedcftglkjh]

That's what "love" is. You're describing selfishness.

[@alexp.d3689]

​​​​@@beethovensfidelioTHIS ,I interpret the ending as telling us that we shouldn't hang on to the past and learn to move on, and that we shouldn't rely on other people to get what we want but that we should work for what we want to have . There are many ways in which a person can be happy, and that romantic relationships are not the end all and be all of life

[@graemewest9887]

I’d say this Ariel is a BIG step up compared to the Hans Christian Andersen one! The past one literally only saw a boy she liked and wanted to do it. Heck, I don’t even think she was given a name! For the Disney one, Eric was only one specific addition to finally make her take action after never being listened to or even considered for her own ideas and interests, and that was just the last straw.

[@beethovensfidelio]

Well at least the fairy tale condemned the mermaid for throwing her life away for a boy she barely knew as evidenced by the sea witch telling the little mermaid that her desire to become human is stupid and will cause great sorrow (which the sea witch isn’t wrong given how the mermaid dies at the end). Contrast all that with Ursula who enables Ariel to throw her life away for Prince Eric, which in the end she gets rewarded for doing because she married Eric.

[@anitanielsen1061]

People hate Ariel?????????

[@beethovensfidelio]

Ariel is a divisive figure. People either love her or hate her. Personally I’m in the middle. On the one hand, I like Ariel’s design, and my autistic self can relate to Ariel’s special interests not being understood by her friends and family (then again, my special interests didn’t kill members of my family, so Ariel’s friends and family being concerned about her obsession with humans is justified since humans killed Ariel’s mom. However, I digress! 😂). On the other hand, it does frustrate me that Ariel doesn’t get a redemption arc and agency in the third act, since she relies on King Triton and Eric to sacrifice themselves for Ariel and defeat Ursula. The problem isn’t that Ariel made mistakes since that’s inevitable with adolescence, but rather that she doesn’t take any responsibility for making them and instead gets rewarded for her recklessness. Had Jeffrey Katzenberg not cut the alternate ending because he wanted it to be more epic like the movie he just saw which was “Die Hard” (yes really!), then the complaints about Ariel lacking a redemption arc and agency in the third act would vanish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHeTkH2BrrV2racsi=8nNCIjLDeB-qaoBa&t=4m29s Thankfully the 2008 Broadway show AND the 2023 live action remake fixed those issues by having Ariel kill Ursula in the climax and Ariel sincerely apologizing to Triton for hurting him.