In Defense of Ariel - How Disney’s The Little Mermaid Is Misunderstood

[@ViewerOnline101]

I hate when people claim that Ariel changed her life for a man. She wanted to become human LONG before she even met Eric (does the song Part Of That World not ring a bell?). Eric just became another reason and what Ursula made their contract revolve around. The REAL message is that Ariel went after for what she wanted in life and didn't let anything hold her back (that's a good role model), not that she gave up everything for a man; that's such a narrow-minded claim.

[@foxmulder6695]

I agree with almost all of what you said, Ariel had wants outside of Eric even before meeting him, she had a real desire to see the surface and an agency about it. But where I disagree is Eric's value to her, Eric isn't just another reason, he becomes the fulcrum for her desire because she was in love with him, that is ultimately why she makes the deal. And that admittedly bad argument of "Ariel just changed her life for a man," is very alien, stripped of context; she changed her life because she was in love with Eric, he's not just some man to her, and she's not just some woman to him.

[@Wolf10media]

@@foxmulder6695 they often forget she saved his life twice in the movie. Once when his ship caught fire. Twice when he was under Ursula's spell. Yes her friends helped her with that, but that's what friends are suppose to do. He in turn saved her life. They are both heroic in their own way and compassionate. That was the bridge they've built.

[@Wolf10media]

Ariel accomplished her goal and more. She IMPROVED relations with the Merfolk and Humanity. I wish it was the focal point of the sequel. Where we see a lot of Merfolk having asked Triton to transform them to humans and have the same experience Ariel has. Oh my, I should stop now before the creative juices flood.

[@turtswing]

Oh, also, about Ariel becoming a human, both thanks to Ursula and Triton. When Ursula turns her into a human, she does so VERY below the ocean, no clothes and in a way that looks and most likely feels really painful. It very much feels like Ursula wants to further humiliate and hurt Ariel, in a very toxic "You need to suffer to get what you want" way. But when Triton does it, Ariel is on the surface, the process is painless and she gets out of the water in a simple yet gorgeous dress. You don't need to suffer, or sever yourself to achieve your goals. It's through determination, understanding and being true tò yourself that you can really be happy.

[@EmeraldAriell]

in the beginning when she needed to help flounder she dropped her bag with her latest finds. she's not attached to the objects themselves but what they represent. an experience she wants to have that seems impossible

[@calxiyn]

I love that so much!

[@valerievargas1548]

They say that Ariel was selfish that she simply abandoned her family and friends for a guy, but I feel that she was basically trapped in her own life because of an overprotective parent and I wasn't sure at the end she was going to accept that maybe she and Eric weren't meant to be after all until Triton decided not to keep her in a bubble (no pun intended) all of her life anymore so it's why he finally gives her freedom and she'll always still be a mermaid in her heart.

[@princessangel821]

To piggyback off what you said, if she had fallen in love with a merprince of a different kingdom, she STILL would have had to leave her family. As will her other sisters if they marry other royalty. If falling in love/moving away to follow a dream makes a person selfish, then 90% of people are "selfish" bc that's part of growing up and becoming your own person, which we ALL do in one way or another.

[@empirestate8791]

You need to watch the prequels to understand Ariel's decision to flee. Her father Triton was a strict and somewhat unstable ruler who went bananas after his wife Athena died and banned music in the kingdom for 10 years simply because Athena was known for her lovely voice and perished while trying to retrieve a music box he gave to her. He arrested people left, right, and center for singing and even confined his own daughters to the castle after he caught them. It took his daughter almost dying to convince Triton that music should be legalized again. Even after that her father was very strict and limited her freedom, even though he loved her very much. The destruction of the grotto was the final straw, as Ariel lost her most prized possessions. She just snapped and decided she couldn't take it anymore and rebelled against her father by going to the sea witch and becoming a human.

[@Esmeralda2diamon]

What bothers me with the criticism about Ariel is that they say that she changed her body for a man. When Aladdin technically did the same thing and he never get criticized for that. I agree about Ariel by the way. She is often misunderstood. I think she is brave and kind. She is one of mine favorite Disney princesses.

[@calxiyn]

Yeah, and I will say though - the thing with Aladdin is that he learns to STOP pretending and be himself, which is probably why he doesn't get as much criticism for changing (because he changes back). However, where people get it wrong is that Aladdin changes himself to be someone who he isn't, whereas I think Ariel changes herself to be MORE of who she is. Ariel changing to be human is her embracing her "true self" whereas Aladdin pretending to be a Prince rejects his true self. But people see Ariel changing her body completely wrong, imo.

[@thebeavpercabethftw9604]

If anything Eric was a side benefit. Ariel always wanted to explore the world above.

[@calxiyn]

Exactly! And poor Eric by the way, like people always say he has no personality but he’s probably one of the more developed princes over here! He doesn’t want to conform to traditional masculinity or prince hood, he acts and dresses like a regular commoner. He never parades around the fact he’s a prince. Like he’s super down to earth, and faces the same struggles Ariel does. That’s why they’re so perfect for each other.

[@thebeavpercabethftw9604]

@@calxiyn Honestly Philip and Henry, especially Henry are the most boring Princes. I would add Charming, but Cinderella 3 really made me like him.

[@calxiyn]

AH WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CINDERELLA 3!!!!! God I love that movie 🤣

[@thebeavpercabethftw9604]

@@calxiyn Unironically the best non-Pixar Disney sequel. And I am including Frozen 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Rescuers Down Under.

[@Black-Swan-007]

I've been saying this shit forever. Ariel is and always has been my favorite Disney Princess and I will defend to the death her not being sexist, materialistic, or a bad role model.

[@tjsmith5276]

This is why these classic Disney films ought to be enjoyed in adulthood and not just written off as just for children. Watch this film at the age of 5, did ya? Well, now that you're 25 I say 'look again.' It's a shame I'm only seeing this video just now. Disney movies of today seem to be dropping in quality because modern Disney fails to understand classic Disney. The thing about all the remakes is how they try to "update" for a more mature audience. However the remakes fail to understand what made their original counterparts so special.

[@Interestingenough4]

Ariel is like many teens, she often doesn't make wise decisions. Huh, it's as if she's humanized, people make stupid decisions in the heat of the moment. Also, on your points about Triton, it's not that he's putting her down, he's trying to protect her and shepherd her in what he believes is the right way. And after his outburst in the grotto, he IMMEDIATELY realized what he had just done, and the scene of him sobbing on his throne later was heartbreaking. Him turning her back into a human was not giving in to a child's tantrums, it was an act of parental compassion and atonement for his mistakes.

[@reyfan011]

I am so happy more people are noticing that Ariel was not a poor role model. When people talk about wanting to change how Disney princesses are they use Ariel as an example of what not to do.

[@Scalesthelizardwizard]

30:42 Also I'd like to add it's reasonable to be upset when your stuff gets broken especially if it's caused by a loved one I like to compare Triton destroying Ariel's collection to if my parents got rid of my Yugioh collection which is really important to me and holds a lot of sentimental value

[@genevieveatwater4533]

I really appreciate you pointing out that the movie is about PARENTS! It's a point I frequently make that most people-- even who defend it-- seem to forget. The movie is about the fact that Triton is pushing his daughter away, into the very danger he's trying to save her from.

[@jamesmccarthy4777]

Don't forget that the first Kingdom Hearts game really made Ariel a powerful party member.

[@blakegoodman7785]

I used to be against Ariel not taking Flounder's fear of the sunken ship into consideration and dragging him along, but recently, I've come to view it as a good thing, as she was pushing him to fight his fears and help him get braver.

[@JapanFreak2595]

Watching all these Little Mermaid defense videos honestly made me realize how much I relate with Ariel, in terms of having a parental figure invalidate our own unique lived experiences due to their past hang ups. To be clear, it never got blown out of proportion in the case with me and my mom, but the feeling was still there beneath the surface. Overtime I understood what she went through and why she was fearful and anxious over certain things regarding me and my brother, which allowed us to better communicate where we were coming from in much clearer terms. Hell as I’m writing this I’m realizing how much I also relate with Ariel in terms of how we couldn’t exactly be open with our hobbies (Video Games and Anime btw) because of our parents preconceptions. I mean my mom forbade me from watching Shaman King as a kid cuz the episode where Yoh was fighting Faust, and it was one of my favorite shows too. Before I thought it was cuz the skeletons being resurrected there fore it was of the devil (and it was probably still that), but then I learned more about her trauma when it came to how her family practiced Santeria (Cuban religion) and the added context help me understand it a little better. Even with that being said it was still an event in my life that led me to less open with her about what loved cuz I was afraid it would’ve been dismissed out right for being seen as a waste of time or evil. Luckily for her she and my dad were the best parents any child could’ve hoped for, and gave me and my brother a stable environment to grow up in without too much issue. Man this came out longer and more personal than I anticipated. 😅

[@Satanna.avemaria]

I never viewed Eric as the main motivation Ariel always wanted to see the world above. Eric was always seen as a bonus to me 😂 a side thing but she ended up falling in love which is even more good

[@meredithcarroll6209]

Exactly. She gets the guy *while pursuing the dream she already had.* That’s a pretty darned good role model.

[@liliannakifflin6343]

My mother still thinks Ariel is evil, But I can tell you why that she is the most misunderstood princess of all Disney history. Most fans don’t know that Ariel had lost her mother due to a boating ship Accident caused by humans, and that’s why her father was so against humans to begin with. I think the biggest mistake that Triton did was not telling his daughter about the death of her mother. And without motherly guidance, is the reason why Ariel rebelled the way she did against her father. My mother still considers Ariel evil, even though I told her she still doesn’t believe it. Blessed are the misunderstood. I stood up and supported Ariel since I was five years old even to this day now that I’m 39… You can’t make it up.

[@annien.1727]

Ariel has been my favorite Disney princess since I was little. I keep telling everyone who badmouthed her that she DIDN'T trade her voice for legs just so she could be with Eric. NO! That's NOT the case at all! It irks me to no end when everybody just jumps to false conclusions without looking at the bigger picture first.

[@Armand-ue7om]

Wished Disney would expand more and made stories for the other six sisters though. Felt it was a major missed opportunity. We already got a bit of an introduction on them in "Ariel's Beginning"....

[@spookykatelyn2161]

Ariel was a childhood favorite of mine, and I believe the fact of why they show her trove full of human objects and her interest in the human world could be that she represents some autistic traits. I'm a high functioning autistic person and I can relate with ariel sometimes. And I believe that ariel is already an empowering female character that is a good role model for young girls.

[@michaelburns2003]

Exactly the same. I have ASD & most of time you wouldn't know unless I tell you. When I was little I used to run around imagining I was a merman & if I went into a tent it would become my grotto. I collect dolls & I feel the same way Ariel does with her human objects

[@logangreen6107]

I have never had a unique experience. 😂

[@beatricebrown6581]

Solid breakdown! Possibly one of the best I’ve seen for this film 👌 Another point I really just want to go off on is that I am so SICK of people saying that Ariel “left her entire kingdom and family” for a man; using that as justification to say that she’s a selfish brat. As if to say that she “abandoned her responsibilities” for what she wanted, like how people make the same fairly dumb argument against Elsa; I highly recommend watching Shady Doorags’s video in response to Shaffrillas productions on that particular topic, if you’re curious. Shady breaks it down very well, I think. I don’t believe either point is the case for Ariel or Elsa, and I think it’s pretty unfair to say about both; but we’re talking about Ariel here. First of all, when Ariel married Eric, she pretty clearly became the QUEEN of the land! Since they’re both royalty, and we know that Eric was being pressured into marriage for a while; most likely due to wanting to keep the kingdom most stable with both a King and a QUEEN, since Eric’s parents are likely dead, and he was the only one ruling over the kingdom at that time. When Ariel married him, she would naturally start ruling over the land along WITH him, and bear the responsibilities with him as his partner and lover. That’s how the monarchy WORKS, so I don’t get where people get off saying that she just abandoned all her responsibilities just because she won’t be ruling over Atlantica. You guys do get that Eric has a kingdom TOO, right?! Just because they’re now together and happily married doesn’t mean that they’re just going to live carefree for the rest of their days and not care about anyone else but themselves! Like, ever heard of a honeymoon?! That’s what that’s for; relaxing for a bit before returning back to their everyday lives, but now living together as partners. In fact, Eric is finally agreeing to his responsibilities as the King in marrying Ariel; he had no problem with marriage, but he just wanted to find the right girl that he actually loved first! Eric is shown throughout the entire FILM to be a responsible ruler, as he’s not above doing “dirty work” with his crew, or interacting with his subjects; as seen in his outing with Ariel. In fact, the RESPONSIBLE thing to do as the Prince was to take Ariel in with him when he found her on the beach, because he cares for everyone no matter their status; he didn’t even know that Ariel was royalty, too, but that didn’t matter to him! And since Ariel sacrificed her life in the sea for him, as well as him sacrificing his “freedom” for her, and considering that they both SAVED each other, it’s pretty clear as well that both are also willing to bear the responsibilities of RULING with each other. That’s the promise they made to one another with their marriage vows. Secondly, it was never mentioned WHATSOEVER in the film that Ariel was to rule in her father’s place in Atlantica! She’s the youngest daughter; and though very clearly Triton’s FAVORITE daughter (even though they often didn’t see eye to eye, we could still tell how much he cared for her), that’s not how monarchies usually work. The first in line for the throne is usually the oldest, and considering how many sisters Ariel has, she would be LAST in line for the throne! So when Triton eventually needs to retire the throne, her oldest sister would likely take their father’s place; either that, or if you COUNT the sequel, Melody would be the next ruler. Although I’m not sure whether she’d rule the land or the sea…’Cause the land kingdom still needs a ruler, even though Melody would DEFINITELY prefer ruling over Atlantica; so it’s more likely then that Ariel’s oldest sister would take the throne for the sea. And even if she wasn’t the youngest, I’m pretty sure neither Triton nor Sebastian would trust Ariel with such a responsibility; they’d think she would be too reckless and careless with the job (Which I wouldn’t really blame them; lol). So they’d probably MUCH more trust one of her sisters with taking Triton’s place. And yes, Ariel DID miss the concert (Which was an important “Royal duty”, I suppose), but it wasn’t like she purposely ignored it; it genuinely just wasn’t the first thing on her mind. It was a honest mistake; she was preoccupied with her special interest. And being a teenager myself, I completely understand; I’m pretty sure we all forgot things, or did stupid or reckless things at least ONCE when were teenagers! But the concert was still clearly on her mind, and she was instantly reminded about it on her OWN without needing Sebastian to chase her down, like in the remake 😑 Why did they think that would be a good change, or make her character “better” in any way? But anyway, my third point is that no; Ariel did not just “abandon her family” for life on the land! Considering how tenderly she and her father hugged before she left on the ship with Eric, it’s pretty clear that she never intended to completely cut ties with her family. Plus, as shown in the sequel, with her father’s trident, she has the ability to transform back into a mermaid whenever she wants! And at the beginning of the sequel, she even introduced her daughter to her grandfather, Triton. ❤ And even when unforeseen circumstances with Morgana changed that, she still specifically says “I wish you could be with us, Daddy.” Though I absolutely hated how her character was handled in the sequel, that clearly shows that Ariel is not cut off from her family in any way, even after marrying Eric and starting a family! And what, did you just expect Ariel to never leave home?! It’s a part of life! It’s called growing up! Did YOU never leave home after you married your significant other, or at least got your own place with your boyfriend or girlfriend?! That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re never going to see or talk to your family again (Unless, of course, you may unfortunately have toxic parents or family members)! How is that not MORE sexist to not want Ariel to be independent, just like Calxiyn pointed out?! But Ariel ended up proving Ursula wrong, that she DOESN’T have to completely cut ties with her family just because she became human! And like I already pointed out, Triton is perfectly healthy and ruling over Atlantica at the moment; and even when he eventually gets too old, one of Ariel’s sisters will likely take the throne. So Ariel didn’t “abandon her kingdom” by marrying Eric; she now has the land kingdom to rule over, a responsibility she is clearly willing to take on, and is shown to do so when she rules as Queen in the sequel! So no, I believe those criticisms against Ariel aren’t at all in good faith. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 😅😅

[@bobatealily]

Yes! Finally someone who also thought the same. I knew I wasn’t the only one who notices the media and society pushing this skewed and toxic interpretation of what they think independence is. Independence doesn’t mean you should never ever ask for help. You should ask for help when you need it and don’t know what to do. We all have limits and it’s super unhealthy and harmful to push yourself past your limit. The real sexists are the naysayers who claim Disney movies are sexist. (Projection 101) Bad faith criticism of Disney movies is ironically due to sexism, particularly hatred of femininity. Many ppl seem to only hate pre-Mulan Disney princesses bc they’re not manly which is so degrading. Not saying being manly is bad, there’s nothing wrong with being manly at all. If there’s nothing wrong with being manly then there’s nothing wrong with being girly.

[@aestroai8012]

What you've said here is basically the message I get from the film. Knowing the films context I'd almost go as far as to say the film is playing around with gender role reversal. Ursula is playing Ariel's naivete. She knows from the song how Ariel is the very opposite. Even Sebastian plays around with those girlie tropes when he coaches her later in the film. This film has a lot of subtleties perhaps modern audience aren't getting.

[@turtswing]

You raised a lot of points about this movie I never considered, especially on its many nuances and subtleties. Your video REALLY needs to be seen by everyone who's a fan of TLM, or was swayed by all the bad faithed readings! **

[@Kusanagikaiser999]

Its kinda Funny you mentioned Lindsay Ellis, because I recall SHE was the first you tuber that SPREAD the misunderstanding on Ariel and the Little Mermaid as a bad influence for little girls, back when she was working on Channel Awesome with Nostalgia Critic...so is ironic she is backpedaling now, when she was one of the first that popularized making fun on this film as a film that teach little girls to look for men for be validated or some crap like that, when in reality this film is nothing like those people claim, I just found that ironic, I guess time really changes people....or is not very popular now, making fun on the Little Mermaid and she just want to safe face.

[@SankaJonesCreations]

I think it's the former; reevaluating the movie and her opinion of the movie years ago compared to what it is today. Time _can_ indeed change people and their perspectives sometimes.

[@twjr2855]

What bothers me is that relationships involve change, it involves compromise, and it it involves giving up parts of your life. So why is it wrong for a woman to want to be with a man, be in a relationship, and being supported by your male partner? What is wrong with this. I think the feminist movement has it all wrong. We all need help we all need love and we all need support.

[@chattycatty3336]

Actual feminist would agree with you. Feminism is supposed to be about breaking down the patriarchy so all humans are treated equal, regardless of gender. "Feminazis", those that hate all men and support the "girlboss" attitude, is what has led to companies making 'woke' movies like this

[@chocothun1]

All of this!! 1. If you look at the original story, you notice the same fascination with the world above, and only making the choice as she felt it was her only option for a human soul and immortality, rather than longevity and oblivion. 2. The story is about Ariel following her passions…but Triton’s is lowkey similar to the parental journeys in “Encanto” and “Turning Red,” if not more subtly: “children got to be free to lead their own lives”…as Sebastian said.

[@bakedbeans5494]

Ariel still sucks.

[@v_zach]

Your phrase "Princess perception problem" is brilliant. Princess bashing was an unfortunate trend from the late 2000's and 2010's that will hopefully die soon.

[@calxiyn]

Thank you! Yeah I definitely wanna go through all the Disney / Barbie movies for this exact reason.

[@e-122psi3]

I mean to be more precise, it was Scuttle that did most of the saving from brainwashing, though I love that scene just as much. But yeah, it comes off a bit like they resent Eric got to return the favour, like even with plenty female damsels they were rarely JUST the damsel, they were helpful in other areas, while with every role reversal nowadays it comes off like they need to be flanderized, the dynamic needs to REVOLVE around how useless the boy is compared to the girl, and if the scales even back out even a little then it's 'regressing'. Granted I can kinda see why fans are bothered that Eric got the big epic end climax for his moment. If anything it is VITAL they have Eric come through for Ariel at points because it shows Ariel made the right choice.

[@sashaviktor5961]

And let's not forget Max's very important contribution biting Vanessa's butt. u.u

[@tsukihana7839]

Great defense! You adressed all the criticisms against Ariel and debunked it with nuance and very good analysis! Ariel is one of my favorite princesses and it's kinda discouraging to see how much she's hated, so thank you for making this video. I also may add that Ariel was a victim of the weakness of the third act of the movie in general, because you can see it was pretty rushed and thus, they cut a lot of things that were originally storyboarded like Ariel having a longer and heartfelt apology with her father after the fight was over. The directors had a restriction of budget and time and so they were urged to wrap the movie and that was the result - that, and Jeffrey Katzenberg ordering to redone the ending to make it more "Die Hard". The Broadway stage later reincorporated that scene in the finale, and it was beautiful. They also had Ariel confronting Ursula herself, which was also pretty satisfactory after all the manipulation.

[@MaricaAmbrosius]

Quick note on the dancing: it's something she turned out to be really good at in the fairy tale

[@mrplayboyinternational.1999]

dancing animation was a tad rushed.

[@Wizard608]

PLEASE DO SNOW WHITE, CINDERELLA AND AURORA!

[@Tyrantlizard874]

RWBY: why am I so horribly misunderstood? Disney Princesses: first time?

[@gkingGabe72]

After watching these videos defending it, I appreciate the story The Little Mermaid tells about following your dreams when your family members shun you for it.

[@joeprovo3627]

Do you know what's ironic about Ursula promoting those misogynistic ideals? The fact that most of Ursula's design was based on a famous drag queen. A *drag queen*. Someone who I don't think would promote such sexist ideals. But hey, at least we know why Ursula looks so iconic.

[@joeprovo3627]

Also, I think what you're trying to say is that people who dislike the Little Mermaid are somehow biased in some way. And you may be right, as the story is generally about acceptance and being true to yourself.

[@shounenbat510]

Drag queens only promote sexist ideals, so it makes sense to me. Ursula does look iconic, though.

[@joeprovo3627]

@@shounenbat510 I guess you right.

[@Stancella]

Said drag queen was even cast as her voice actor but died before the recording began.

[@brandondodge6040]

I feel like I could listen to you talk about Disney stuff for hours. The Triton part of this discussion in particular was amazing and insightful.

[@calxiyn]

Thank you so much! I’m really passionate about this stuff so I’m glad to hear it! It’s funny you say that because the original august script was actually a Triton video solely about him. I covered it pretty well here, but maybe I’ll make another one just about Triton!

[@brandondodge6040]

@@calxiyn That would be awesome!

[@mk_wizard]

While the original could be seen as a cautionary tale about how changing yourself for love is bad and doesn't work, the Disney version is very different. Ariel didn't change for a man. One could see her journey as wanting to see the world which meant moving out and switching to a lifestyle that suited her better which can be seen as a metaphor for converting to a religion, she actually believes in which is ok to do. Falling in love with Prince Eric was something that just happened on the way and Eric fell in love with her because she is fun, gets joy out of simple things and selfless. She did not give up her life for a man. She chose to live a life she really wanted and just happened to meet the one on the way.

[@megareavermickeybot7985]

feminist that I was refering to actualy mad e a comment on the line, " Bet you on land they undertand that the ydon't repremend their daughters " and their comment was,who wrote that? must have been a man........Like...what??

[@marinakukenbach3851]

Great reading! 😊 Also great comment to Ariels "materialism", you analyzed that very well!

[@PrincessTreasure]

we are SCREAMING into the void 😭😭😭

[@tulip5210]

so far this is probably the favorite of the ones I came across.

[@nut4ku]

It's ironic that disney is trying to change a story that was perfect from the beginning. Ariel in the original version doesn't desperately doing everything just for her beloved man. This has been proven from Howard Ashman's statement, the legendary lyricist who made Disney rise and started the renaissance era of Disney, when making the song Part of Your World (in the original version) "We though Ariel would have a song in her grotto. Howard agreed but it it was important to him that the song expresses her longing for the human world and not simply for a human prince. He compared her to a girl who had never walked, who dreamed about one day being able to take her first step". Disney without Howard now can't bring back the vibe they managed to build before, lacks creativity and is too affected by social media criticism from people who don't understand the plot of this story. Those people are too closed-minded, don't really dig into the positive messages conveyed in a film. If they always criticize and have a bad regards of a film, even if there are only a few small things that are not in line with their thoughts, then they will never find the messages of the films they watched. I will not accept criticism from anyone who doesn't know Howard Ashman. I really hope that there's someone like him that can bring back Disney to their own way

[@annien.1727]

Bravo! Bravo!👏🏻👏🏻Hear! Hear! That NEEDED to be said!

[@caitlinlittlemermaidfan.6423]

@@annien.1727 I agree.

[@erickviveros9195]

Love your point, but all that ends the moment Ariel goes to Ursula. She has to make Erick fall in love with her to prevent Ursulas contract work. Yes, she has great intentions, yet the movie does no focus on that for the rest of the film.

[@robbiewalker2831]

What doesn't help is that in "Return to the Sea" (canon or not), she criticizes her own daughter for doing the same thing Ariel did (disobeying the parent) when she was younger. If anything, it's makes the original source material look better by comparison.

[@tulip5210]

no it doesn't she does that because she is immensely hurt and is in pain. You don't think rationally when you are in that state.

[@theresahall5141]

@@robbiewalker2831 considering Ariel is afraid of of Ursula sister hurting her daughter while Triton fear was based of hate and what happened with his wife. I don't know exactly how she died. All we know is pirates showed up and she died.

[@b1uel1ght52]

It's also worth noting that when Triton turns Ariel into a human at the end, he is above the surface of the water.

[@Nintendofan781]

I always had a soft spot for ariel ever since I was 5 years old. I loved both little mermaid films.

[@annien.1727]

Me, too!

[@caitlinlittlemermaidfan.6423]

Yeah and me. Ariel deserves better.

[@RazorRex]

THANK YOU! I'm working on a video regarding Ariel and this video was very helpful. It was very in-depth. The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie- the more I think about and watch it the more I appreciate it. Thanks again!

[@probenfetchak8076]

I just wish I find a girl that looks at me the way Ariel looks at Eric

[@fcv4616]

I've always thought that the people calling Ariel "bratty" or "selfish" can't relate to the feeling of not fitting in the community you live with. I think though that this movie speaks volumes to anyone who in one way or another has been marinalised from the average community, or having to make big sacrifices in order to pursue their dream. Examples include immigrants, people with different religious beliefs (or lack thereof) and LGBTQ people. Great video btw! You bring so much nuance to this movie!

[@ObjectOfEveryHarem]

Also she’s like 16, and I think the youngest of the family. of course her actions are going to come across as selfish at times.

[@marielsea2292]

And People with Disabilities!

[@jillevers1432]

So much to say for a great story. I don't know what to say or where to start with to compliment on. All I can say is great job defending a great movie. And I do love your comparison with Triton, Sebatian, Eric and Grimsby. Been recently thinking about how this new movie with see Triton and I am afraid the movie will see his father figure as threating.

[@rebecaherreradejesus7370]

i understand ariel better now thank you

[@LumeanTV]

This is my new favorite video, thank you. I'm also glad you mentioned Eric, because not a lot of people pay attention to him or end up misunderstanding his character a little, despite him being one of the main Disney Princes. [He's my favorite prince ngl. Best man.]

[@calxiyn]

Thank you so much Spine! Yeah, Eric gets a REALLY bad rap for some reason. Like so many people say he’s boring. And he’s not like, Flynn Rider or anything but I wouldn’t say he’s boring either lol. But like we always talk about, that’s probably based on what people remember and not actually rewatching the movie. Cause Eric is over here rejecting toxic masculinity and superficial titles/status but no one ever talks about that lol

[@LumeanTV]

​@@calxiyn Honestly, if Flynn hadn't come in, he'd still be top 1 in my book. Flynn isn't a prince though, so he's still sort of top 1. By technicality. But yeah, it's really weird? Like, 'boring' somehow stands in for 'understanding, empathetic, and respectful' in a weird sense and I just. How and why-- Smh. Eric's the real king. Even if he does just exist in the second movie, he fully trusts Ariel to _handle herself_ when she goes back into the sea and allows Ariel even to take charge. Mans' got confidence in his mf wife. Some people should take notes. As for princesses that you could do next, I'd really like to see what you have to say about Merida!

[@intergal6916]

Lol haven't they heard him make a funny remark about scuttle's singing? The guy has sense of humor

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

As you say PEOPLE are the only true happyness in this life, when they are- friendly, loyal & considerate, and that's NO fairy tale

[@megareavermickeybot7985]

I one time critisized a femenist who critisized the Lil Mermaid by writing herself into the song where she makes remarks to every lyric that just sounded like she was just putting Ariel's dream down while taking pot shots at the male gender. It didn't go so well and by didn't go well I mean she promptly blocked me. Toxic Femenists don't take critisism well and aren't ones for discussing things or listening to other people's opinions they would rather derail you, put you down or simply ignore and atack you. So it's always nice when I can here reviews like this that shows how the Lil Mermaid is not only a good movie but empowers women and thinks outside of the gender Bias bubble that most femenists restrain themselves too. The Ieroney is that Femenists are Oppressed but not by men or traditional standards but rather by an insecure bias that honestly doesn't actualy give women that much credit. The Sad ironey is they are actual putting women down by being scared and insulted by the idea of a woman every needing or relying on a man. They feel that men can never respect women that aren't the boss and those that can't respect the bOSS WOMAN is just scared of losing power. Which in turn is discrediting men and not giving men enough credit. It dehumanizes men in such a spitful and callace way, forgetting that men are human beings too that can geniuly care about other human beings , male or female and aren't inherantly gender biased. Even men that believe in Gender roles still have the ability to recognize and see just how capable women can be. Are the sexist men out there? sure but WHO cares? those pigs can go wallow in the mud for all I care but to act like all men are sexist pigs is like saying all women are too proud and insecure to be helped when they need it. That insecuerity is a real sighn of weekness, because true courage comes from aknowledging that your human and that you can be week or even helpless at times but instead of letting that defeat you, you continue on to be strong even when times seem hopeless. Women who can hang onot hope even when ihope seems lost are truely strong women because they are willing to face a terrorfying reality of no being on top of the situation. But just because you can be helpless at times does not nor SHOULD NOT TAKE AWAY FROM TIMES you did incredable things that a dependant person would not be able to do and that only an indipendant person could do. The Ironey of devalueing women for needing help from men is that your depowering women rather than empowering them because your no attention to the increadable acomplishments they pulled off and only obssess on the fact that the man is having a hero moment. That doesn't come off as supporting women to me, that comes off more as simply being jealace of the man. And being jealace of men does not help women. If anything men and women balance each other out not just by supporting each other but being there to handle a situation when the other can't. being there to show that friends and equals come in all forms. So long as you only see the man as someone who's there to show you up, then all you see is an enemy and someone your afraid to show weekness to. So you try to destroy them , make them week, you atack the idea of masculentiy because you can't feel liek you can amount to anything if a man is allowed to be strong, but that means you don't see yourself as a man's equal and so you have to cripple the man and be in charge , because you view being equal as not good enough. You view being equal as impossible. and then you try to say men fear women who stand up for themselves. Men don't fear women who stand up for themselves they respect it. a man who doesn't isn't a real man at all. A man who feels a woman has be below him or else he'es not a man was never a true man to begin with. But the same can be said about a woman. A woman who has to demoralize and break a man down, isn't a real a woman at all. She's less of a woman because she needs a man to be week in order to feel strong. She needs to defeat man as her dragon, like a hunter taking a trophey, rather than someone trying to match with an equal fair and square, not afraid if they LOSE. No not being sure you won't lose, no I mean not being afraid of the fact that you can lose, that you can't always make the race on your own. So what if some sexist jerk calls you less if you don't win on your own or doesn't triumph without stumbling? guess what there are plenty jerks in this world, be they sexist or not, they are jerks because they try to put you down for having any kind of weekness for falling short of any standard! I'm a guy but I sure have had people put me down and act like I'm always a loser just because I do thigns my own way and I don't seem to succeed like they do. But I still to it and I reamin strong when I'm week and determined when things seem unfair. Your not a champion by demonising and stereotyping others as atagonists or all falling into one singular charecter type. Your a champion by facing your own failures, your own conciquences made by your own actions and owning up to your own mistakes rather than blaming them on someone else. Saying your a victim all the time and therefor your somehow better than the person supposedly living better than you, isn't overcoming your problems, it's jsut comparing yourself to someone else, and when you see them doing better than you, you wind up pushing yourself in an unhealthy way because suddenly you always have to try and be better than the other person and being better than them is some how your equality to them, instead of treating them how you would like to be treated. Because...you don't view them as an equal, you view them as than yourself, and that life must just be bias against you and favoring them because how else would they get so far when they should obviosly be behind and beneath you. It's a messed up and shows you have issues with just accepting someone as a person rather than as a challenge or as apunching bag to make you feel better about yourself. But by atacking them, by atacking men, by atacking the oppisite gender and those of your own that happy just being themselves, that's rather Incell to do. More importantly, your just atacking yourself because your frustrated and you don't want to feel week. Your fine making others feel that way, it makes you feel like your having victory over someone, and I get it. The desire to feel stronger than others, that's anot a gender exclusive thing and it's sexist to think that it is. It's natural to want to feel victory over those you view as atagonists. the problem is that your biggest antagonsit is ALWAYS going to be Yourself and if you give yourself that kind of pleasure what's to stop you from going to far if you have no self control? If you have no self control, you have no real control at all, and that meeans when you get control of others, their not being control by someone who has good ententions but rather by someone who is controled by empulsive wishes. Am I making any since to anyone?

[@ZendayIsTheBestMod]

love your animation/avart and i agree on what you are saying on ariel

[@calxiyn]

Thank you!!!

[@briancheuy7703]

I really liked your take on Ariel as a character and the points you made can you do Brave next?

[@calxiyn]

Thank you so much! You're the 2nd person to ask about Brave - is there like, a lot of Brave discourse that I don't know about?? What do people usually say about Merida?

[@wintersnow998]

@@calxiyn They usually say the same things they do about Ariel - that she's an entitled brat who should've listened to the parent who was misunderstanding her and refusing to see her side of the story. Obviously, the movie is more nuanced than that, but that's the most common complaint I've seen.

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@calxiyn Not to mention Brave and the character of Merida were well received when Brave first came out.

[@Wilahelm2]

Something to keep in mind is that the idea of a story needing to be empowering is more of a modern story telling concept. Many myths, fables, and older stories were not concerned with empowerment as a central theme. There is nothing wrong if a person does find one of these stories empowering but we need to remember that was never the point of the story and having another concept be the stories central theme is not a bad thing. Many of the older fairy tails are cautionary tails, they were designed to teach lessons. The original was written almost two hundred years ago with the main theme seeming to be you should never let the pain of your life drive you to hurt others and this selflessness will be rewarded with a place in heaven. The 1980's movie's theme is like Cal said, children should be careful of which adults they trust since even someone who seems to be on your side could be using you for their own purpose. Saying the Little Mermaid is sexist is only true of you look at it superficially. There is more to both versions of the story with context that adds layers to it and Ariel. This seems more like people jumping on a bandwagon without really thinking things through. Sadly, an all too common thing in the internet age.

[@calxiyn]

Yeah that’s super important as well - the whole empowering girl boss thing is really recent. But I think what I’m trying to show is that Ariel isn’t empowering in a “girl boss” way, but the “girl boss” way is already kinda 🥴 and performative. You’re right that a story doesn’t need to be concerned with empowerment as the central theme for sure - but I think what’s what I want to show. Is that a character can be an empowering role model in a way that differs from the “girl boss” idea. The role model is gonna be subjective for every person, but it’s less “can this person be a role model for ALL women or people” and more “can this person be a role model for a group of people”. I think that’s the issue really, is that so many people want to make characters that relate to everyone, whereas a good role model or hero, is one where you can see the value in it for someone else, even if you don’t relate. Like seeing and knowing “I don’t relate to x, but they’re a good role model for people who do want y” And yeah, I totally agree with your last point. I think the problem is, like I always preface is that people don’t watch the movie but rather go off their memory or the public’s cognition of the movie. Like the memory of a group in society about the movie vs actually trying to analyze it. That’s why so many people think Ariel’s story is sexist - because that’s the idea that prevailed in the social consciousness. And it’s very sad.

[@Wilahelm2]

@@calxiyn I get what you're saying. There are many ways a person or group can be inspired or empowered by a story. The idea that there is only one valid way to view it is counterproductive and leave you blind to different ways of looking at things. I was a history major in school so I tend to view things in that light. I was taught that we should never judge the past but work to understand it. This lets us understand how we got where we are and helps us see where we are going. This also applies to works of art. The Little Mermaid movie is over 30 years old and the original story is almost 200 years old. For me, I try to look at what was the original point and themes of those works, how well were they presented, and are they still valid today. I would say they original themes were presented very well and are very valid today. It clearly still connects with lots of people on multiple levels. If some don't connect with it that's fine, some works just don't connect with people, but it's wrong to dismiss it without trying to understand it. Ultimately the issues isn't that Ariel isn't an empowering figure, it's that she isn't empowering in the way some people want her to be as they see their way as the only valid way to view the issue.

[@calxiyn]

Absolutely. I think your very last sentence completely hits it on the head. Which is why now, it's been so interesting (in a weird way) to see Disney take away the uniqueness of the princesses in the live action, and just "girl boss" all of them. Basically putting them all in the same box, to appease the people who only see "empowering" as one single way. Like what they did with Belle, Jasmine etc. I don't hate the remakes like other people do, because ultimately fairytales are meant to have alternate versions - like no version is the "correct one". But I am a little worried they'll do an overcorrection that will seem tacky in a couple years. Like they won't necessarily feel "timeless" like these movies do 30 years later, because they'll be dated by this specific trend.

[@Wilahelm2]

@@calxiyn Not a surprises really. It's easy to forget that Disney is a corporation like all the others so the all about the money. They push this version of empowerment not because they actually care but because they think it will make them money. The original stories so much of Disney is based on were old tales that captivated children for generations. They had a timeless aspect to them that Disney was able to keep for the most part. However, the more recent live action remakes seem to have lost that element. They've traded quality story telling that will hold an audience for decades (if not centuries) for superficial trends and a few extra bucks.

[@intergal6916]

Im actually upset how others belittle ariel and only think of her flaws. She's actually adventurous, free spirited and fearless. If we remove her part with ursula, we can see how brave she is to take risks if she has a goal or wants something. There are both negative and positive results of being a risky person, but Ariel also learns from the results of her mistakes. Its what makes her realistic.

[@Demolitiondude]

Ariel is a good example of a character changing the world around her. Her actions changes triton, even with him being protective father. These kind of characters are harder to pull off good. It took a roman general to years ten years later to bring back the archetype. General Maximus Decimus Meridius.

[@tulip5210]

dang I keep getting these videos in defense of ariel oo

[@JustA-Person]

Me too and honestly I’m living for it

[@nessierey6721]

Thank you!!!❤

[@patrioticjustice9040]

I honestly hate people who keep criticizing the classics (like saying tales of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty is sexist because they were 'kissed without consent.') A large percentage of Disney female protagonists are attacked by another woman, usually out of jealousy, vanity or greed. In regards to Ariel, it wasn't a matter of "needing a man to save the day," it was the fact she was in an impossible situation and needed help. Trapped at the bottom of a whirlpool with a Kraken sized Ursula taking pot shots with a magic trident; it was a literal definition of shooting fish in a barrel. Ariel had saved Eric from drowning; naturally he'd be inclined to return the favor. You'd be surprised the length guys would go to to save the ones they love. What's he supposed to do? Stand off to the side and say, "Yeah, go Ariel, you totally got this because totally empowered and stuff?"

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

Rey to imagine being a male parent to 7 daughters with no wife, its a VERY tough task

[@CityGirlWriter]

Loved your video! I never watched "The Little Mermaid" but have heard the criticism regarding Ariel and her motivation. Thank you for clarifying this. I was wondering if you will discuss more Disney princesses, I am curious to know your stance for Merida from Pixar's "Brave". There are people who love her but many who hate her. There are two main issues for Merida: her motivations are hallow and generic & she turned her mother into a bear after having a tantrum. However, Merida is the only Disney princess from Pixar and was the first princess who does not end up with a love interest at the end. I am in the grey area because Merida is heavily coded as aromantic asexual (aroace) and an archer (I love archery), but I also see how her impulsiveness affected her relationship with her mother and brought chaos to her kingdom. Would love to know your stance, if you have one. :)

[@calxiyn]

I’m so glad someone who hasn’t seen the movie is moved by my analysis!! Thank you so much! In terms of Brave - I haven’t actually watched it recently. Merida is definitely on my list though! (All the princesses are) so I’ll try to look into the discourse around her character and see what I think!

[@DragonFirePrincess7]

I find it funny that Lindsay Ellis made that other video when once upon a time she was making those exact criticisms like "Ariel changed herself for a man" or "She was a selfish brat" guess she changed her tune. But your video is excellent and I'm glad people are finally shutting all those gross criticisms down :) liked and subscribed!

[@karamixon5815]

Ariel is stodgy, sweet, knowing of peoples. Ariel TV show related in show😥

[@YoTratoYTrato]

This is a great argument! Thanks for having my homegirl's back! Lol. No but really.. this is well thought out and presented really well.

[@PIKACHUxSNEASEL64]

I never knew The Little Mermaid was this nuanced! I have never watched it before and now I want to!

[@calxiyn]

I’m really glad to hear that! Yeah, I think there’s a lot more nuance than people give Disney Movies credit for! This is just my interpretation of course, but I think they are a lot deeper than people realize!

[@emmad.176]

@@calxiyn I think when you really watch the movies, take into account the little details and everything involved, the princesses are pretty amazing and all have great things to teach. They are allowed to be flawed (or should be in my opinion), and can still be commendable despite those flaws. I think it depends on what you choose to focus on.

[@nightfall902]

Read the story as written by the author Hans Christian Anderson...then discuss what Disney did to the story.

[@calxiyn]

I’ve read it. I think something we need to keep in mind, is that fairytales inherently change over time to reflect the needs of the people in the culture they’re a part of. Disney changed it - but fairytales are all about change - which is why there are so many versions of Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood. Some for example, where Little Red dies to send a specific moral, some where she doesn’t to send a different moral. In his story, The Mermaid definitely had less personality than they gave Ariel and in that story, you could probably argue moreso about her main motivation being for love. So it’s pretty frustrating, since Disney gave her a lot more depth than the original, yet people are still unhappy. They very much enhanced the original source material.

[@nightfall902]

I don't think that moral values inherently change ovber time. I do believe that they are altered to reflect current values. In the case of Disney, that value is dollars and cents and marketabilty. The story was not altered to reflect a new moral or value or to make it more relevent, it was changed to generate a profit. I do not take issue with anyone making money; however, Disney has a habit of taking serious literature and turning it into simplistic cartoons for the sake of revenue.

[@calxiyn]

It sounds like that you look down on the cartoons, which I find to be very pretentious. The original story was through a Christian lenses (ie, gaining an immortal soul etc, the mermaids live hundreds of years but don’t have true immortality compared to humans because humans can find God). The new moral is about finding freedom and acceptance on earth vs any religious messaging. I don’t think you can say that there wasn’t a new moral when the entire character arc of Triton really WAS the new moral, for parents to learn. Everything is meant to make money. These videos are meant to make money. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be creative - they gave it new value and reinvented the story while making money, which is what ALL creative people ideally want. They want their craft supported and to survive on their creations. I think it’s pretty reductive to look at the movie like some sort of cash cow, especially when around this time the movie itself was a GIANT creative risk and unlike anything they had done previously. That’s why it started the new Disney era

[@nightfall902]

@@calxiyn In truth, I love cartoons. My only point is a simple one. If you have a message of any type that you wish to convey, by all means do so. If you simply want to take a classic work and alter it for the sake of making money, i do take issue with that. Create something original to express your opinion, a new classic. Add to the base. You can't simply discount the original work because it was written at a different time or place.

[@calxiyn]

But I think saying that you shouldn’t touch those old classics is just a fundamental misunderstanding of how fairytales work. Fairytales were never meant to be “one and done” classics never to be touched again. That’s what rich people wanted to do with them during that time period, but fairytales always came from the common folk. And each country, each village, each person told it orally and slightly differently. The idea of there being a “right” version of a fairytale that should remain unalterable, is just completely wrong. The very nature of fairytales is to alter them over time. Everything is inspired from something else. Everything created is “taking something else” and altering it to make money - it just may not be entirely clear how many of those inspirations are included. There’s no such thing as an original work in a vacuum - they created an original work taking inspiration from older stories and did create a new classic. So much so that we’re discussing this over 30 years later.

[@starlover1]

Thanks so much for this video I’ve really been annoyed at the Ariel hate that she’s been getting over the years I think it’s important to shut down the misinterpretations of Ariel because if we don’t stop the Ariel hate now than she’ll be remembered forever for those misconceptions of her character and not what her character actually is great video and I hope we will be able to stop the Ariel hate bandwagon once and for all.

[@fanghu7427]

Yes❤

[@bryanawilliamson5772]

I really love watching this video about the little mermaid I understand a lot better can you do a video again I love it

[@calxiyn]

Awwww thank you so much!! What you say a video again, do you mean with Ariel for something like the Little Mermaid 2? Or do you have another favorite Disney Princess? 🥰

[@TheHeadNinjainComics]

This is probably the best take I’ve heard about this film.

[@wrknjob]

hey, i’m sorry because this is unrelated, but i feel like i need to let you know that the synopsis of the season 4 finale of Miraculous has been revealed, and clips from “Mega Leech” (ep 10) and “Crocoduel” (ep 12) have been released. i’m not sure if you’d like to avoid knowing the finale since we’re only half way through the season, but if you want, then definitely go for it! p.s. Mega Leech seems to be animated by SAMG, which is exciting 😆

[@calxiyn]

Yes I heard! I’m trying to stay away from all that stuff XD they love to try and spoil us skskksksks

[@wrknjob]

ikr, we still have no idea what happens in from episodes 15-24! except for the name of episode 17 but still we know nothing 😂

[@RiseofTaitoShirei]

I think both the fans and critics of the film and it's characters are right about a lot.

[@saramccormack3025]

While you have made some excellent points in Ariel’s defence, you forget that Disney purposely made these characters flawed, so that we sympathize with them and relate to them. For instance, Ariel’s curious, adventurous, rebellious nature is easily identifiable with young girls, especially teenage girls, who are most likely transitioning from child to teen and are no longer willing to listen to parents or authoritative figures wanting independence for themselves, and because they genuinely believe that they live in a modern world and are able to judge for the right course of action as they are more accepting of new things but are unable or unwilling to admit that they don’t think about things long term or see the situation from all sides. Good and bad, the biggest issue with ‘the little mermaid’ is that both Ariel and Triton do not communicate with each other or understand each other feelings. Therefore, they have no idea of the problems the other faces. Ariel has no idea of the pressures, expectations, and stresses of not only being a widow, father and king/ruler, any more than Triton has of Ariel’s troubles or feelings. Both have had experiences with humans, both at the opposite ends of the scale. Triton has seen first-hand the cruelty of humans through the death of his beloved wife and Queen and was traumatized by it. Therefore, after that incident everything human he’ll see as bad. Whereas Ariel may have been too young to remember at the time. Or she overlooks all that in favour of all intriguing things that humans make, that they don’t have in the sea, without really knowing what they are or what they do. How can you know for certain whether a thing is good or bad, if you don’t know why it was made for? In the film Ariel never witnesses humans doing cruel things like ‘reprimand their daughters’ or ‘put down their dream and interests.’ If she did, then obviously she would see what her father sees. That aside, I think that Ariel is a bad role model for this one main reason. Ariel is one track-minded and a little selfish, she never thinks about what she is doing will affect others. If you think about ‘The Little Mermaid’ more realistically the main thing that fans forget is that the two are royals, not commoners, they are in a position of duty and responsibility. Royals are always held to a higher level of expectation then any commoners, royals are expected to uphold the law, morals and behaviour. None of which Ariel upholds, she does whatever she wants regardless, she’s never punished for her actions, she’s yelled at, but she’s never dealt any consequences or ultimatums. Triton even clearly stated that ‘contact between the human-world and the merworld was strictly forbidden. Ariel, you know that everyone knows that’. Despite knowing that, Ariel broke the law anyway and made a deal with a sea-witch - something that she knowns she shouldn’t do but she did. And towards the end she exposes not only herself but, to a boat lot of people, of her species' existence, and endangered everyone. If a real-life royal did this, they would be stripped of not only their title but all their privileges. Just like Prince Andrew is being cut out of royal matters and shamed for his wrong doings. Instead, Ariel is rewarded by allowing her to be with Eric. This is wrong in my opinion, it sends out bad messages to children, it is not ok to break the law, it is wrong to not think about the consequences of ones’ actions, it is a bad idea to willingly give away something precious that makes you unique, and it is dangerous and potentially lethal to trust someone with promises to help you without suspecting they have ulterior motives. All actions have consequences, where are Ariel’s?

[@tsukihana7839]

You are quoting the prequel despite the fact it was made almost 20 years after the original movie. In the original movie there's nothing to be said about what happened to Ariel's mother, so it wasn't designed with that on mind, it was something added decades after. If you cite the prequel, I can bring you the TV series (which is the original prequel of TLM, done few years after the original movie came out): In The Little Mermaid TV series is explicitly stated that Ariel actually was afraid of humans and believed them to be dangerous and evil, what made her change her mind was seeing a human (unknowingly to her, a young Eric, she never saw his face for continuity sake) freeing a helpless dolphin caught in a net and returning it back to the sea, she even tells Flounder "How can it be? A human that's not evil?" Thus triggering her curiosity and making her see not all humans were so bad. She also is shown in other episode of the same series she dislikes pirates - so it's not too far fetched at some point she identified them as the humans who killed her mother and just doesn't generalize all humans. On the other hand, had Ariel never broken the law and go to Ursula, Triton perhaps would had never found out about his subjects who were trapped forever by Ursula in her own little smuggling, and Ursula never would had been defeated and her prisoners set free as it happened in the end of the movie, neither humans and merfolk would had reconciled and co-exist peacefully as seen at the very end as well, so something good came out of it. I actually agree that Ariel needed to do something to correct her mistake, that's why I love the climax of the Broadway stage adaptation better: Ariel herself defeats Ursula and has a longer and heartfelt apology with her father, thus proving she matured and foresaw the consequences of her actions and fixed them. The animated movie suffered of lack of budget and time and that's why the end of the movie was so rushed.

[@sjmhadsock4586]

Can you say double standards

[@alexp.d3689]

the characters and events from the book were way more nuanced and better thought out /explained ...Though an enjoyable film,it fails as an adaptation .For example in the book the prince and the littlest mermaid go to see a princess in a neighboring kingdom that was meant to marry the prince and unite their kingdoms.They got married which meant for the main character that she would turn to sea foam at sunrise ( do to the side effect of the potion that turned her human ). Her sisters appear and offer a solution ...Anyway,point being that the climax has a reason for happening on a boat ,they were sailing back to the prince's kingdom ... In the Disney version there is no reason for the wedding to be on a boat ,it is because it was in the book ... Not a bad film ,but story -wise has problems ,do to the clumsy changes from the source material ( the book has a stronger narrative/characters ) .The Little Mermaid ( 1989 ),Pocahontas ( 1994 ),Hercules ( 1997 ) and Tarzan (1999 ) are very poor adaptations of their respective source materials

[@blakegoodman7785]

Ariel totally deserves more credit! How can anyone call her a bad character when she behaves like this to Flounder?🥺; kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5uZnq2NZ8-peNE

[@renatashp]

thank you !!!!!!finally someone with common sense ❤❤❤❤

[@MS-19]

Two thoughts come to my mind, if perhaps tangential to your own discussion. 1) Disney has rarely been completely faithful to original stories: right from the very first film, "Snow White," which lifted the "love's first kiss to break the enchantment" plot point from "Sleeping Beauty," there have been deviations, usually designed to sanitise and engineer a happy ending, even if the original story had one already. "The Little Mermaid" is no exception. Sometimes, characters wind up being repainted, and that happens to Ariel. 2) It would be interesting to know your thoughts on Dan Brown's unpacking of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" in "The Da Vinci Code," wherein he 'finds' various bits of Grail symbolism embedded in the visuals of the film.

[@calxiyn]

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS VIDEO! I'm actually going to be moving this video essay style of content to a new channel, since this is primarily my reaction channel: www.youtube.com/@CalxiynCaresTooMuch/featured

[@TheUkrainianAutie]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@Astral_inkwell]

Great video thank you for defending her

[@jonnyboy4289]

If my research is correct, The Little Mermaid has been criticized for Ariel for going after a man since when it was first released in 1989. But, that was based on sexisms, which is not because if it were, then we would've has stuff like, "Ariel you can't do this because you're a girl." and Ariel saying, "Okay Daddy. I understand because I'm a girl." It's just that when the 2000s came in, that was when the criticism became more vocal and got much worse from the phony feminist criticisms in the late 2000s, which was when we got all this "role model" nonsense, as well as the growth in popularity of the internet, and on a side note personally, when The Walt Disney Company was in its 2nd dark age after the Renaissance ended when people began to crap on Disney from its line up of box office bombs in the early 2000s and worst of all when Michael Eisner's leadership was at its worst.

[@jonnyboy4289]

Quick question, people complain that Ariel doesn't change, grow, or learn anything because of her making bad choices and nearly dooming the world? We all make mistakes but it's essential to learn and grow from your mistakes. Despite her destroying the world, she is rewarded for her recklessness and carelessness.

[@calxiyn]

I think the reason why is because Ariel didn't need to change or grow - Triton was the one who had to learn and also caused the world ending doom. I think the message is that adults need to handle adult business, and they are to blame if their children are led astray as the parents.

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@calxiyn I didn't get a chance to finish that comment. I was meant to say what your thoughts on the criticism of Ariel not changing. People call her out for that.

[@calxiyn]

Ohhh I see. Yeah to me, she's not the one who needed to change, therefore, it doesn't bother me that she didn't have this huge moral lesson - that was really for Triton.

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@calxiyn In fact, Lindsay Ellis, in her Little Mermaid video essay, aknowledged that unlike Aladdin for example, Aladdin wants to get rich and live in a palace and win the heart of Princess Jasmine . But, Aladdin has a need and that need to be himself. Another example is Prof. Klump from The Nutty Professor, he wants to lose weight and be thin. But, his need is to accept and love himself while he strives to lose weight. But, Ariel, unlike Aladdin or Prof. Klump, Ariel has a want but she doesn't have a need. In fact, Ariel is constantly reminded to stay in the ocean and stay away from the human world.

[@sampeacaml9307]

That's why I hate her. I want her to rebuild the kingdom all alone for what she's done to her kingdom.

[@ZendayIsTheBestMod]

1st

[@calxiyn]

Thank you for being 1st!

[@ZendayIsTheBestMod]

@@calxiyn np you one of my fav youtubers

[@ZendayIsTheBestMod]

@@calxiyn you know when the new miraculous sentibubbuler

[@calxiyn]

I think it releases on the 6th of July.

[@ZendayIsTheBestMod]

@@calxiyn kk will watch out for it and your reaction on it

[@jonnyboy4289]

Saying Ariel is smart is kinda pushing it because she is naïve.

[@calxiyn]

How so though? First, I think there are different types of intelligence. “Street smarts” isn’t the same as academic intelligence. But why is she naive? That’s how Triton thinks of her, but that’s because his world view is far too pessimistic (and our world view as the audience, probably leans to be pessimistic too). On one hand, you could say stuff like “Bet’ch on land […] they don’t reprimand their daughters” as being naive, but I see that as hope. She hopes there won’t be judgement for people who are different in this other world, which obviously is untrue - but I don’t really see that as naive. We all want to hope for a place we belong, ultimately she found hers, even though the whole world isn’t accepting. All we can hope for are small pockets where the world is good.

[@intergal6916]

No she's not naive, if she were she'd end up just staying by her father's side and just obeyed him all the time. She always explored and knew more things around her compared to other merpeople If you're talking about the scene where ursula captures her, keep in mind Ursula successfully manipulated her. There were parts where she thought she wouldn't be able to see family again if she leaves her kingdom, but ursula used Ariel's anger towards her father as an advantage to make her sign the deal. Ariel was determined to get the prince's kiss in order to have her legs permanent despite it was a risky choice. It just means how dangerous manipulation can be when its done perfectly. Not even the smartest people can think straight when their emotions unintentionally took them over.

[@Sakuyamon]

Naivity isnt intellegence, its inexperience. Your intellegence dont really change across your lifetime, but your naivity usually disappear the more you deal events and people... and in some cases you become really jaded...

[@darladimple8437]

I thought she like a but spoiled

[@Sakuyamon]

@@darladimple8437 she isnt spoiled. What even got you that idea?

[@hadden_whitaker_2003]

I still think Ariel is awful. Sorry. But Elsa is a way better role model

[@calxiyn]

I don’t think we should pit the Disney princesses against each other - that happens to real women enough already. Maybe Elsa is a better role model for someone else, but every person is different, and that doesn’t mean any other one is worse.

[@hadden_whitaker_2003]

@@calxiyn true

[@sampeacaml9307]

She was selfish and made the worst decisions, bringing doom with her. She can never, ever be forgiven. Unless she rebuilds her own kingdom without help, that's what.... Or is changed into a slug and has to journey home to get a magic potion to reverse it. (wink wink)

[@calxiyn]

Do you want to talk about why you feel that way? Lol.

[@sampeacaml9307]

@@calxiyn Maybe. I just hate characters that gets away with everything. She did not deserve her good ending. She worried her father. I admit that maybe he should not have destroyed her grotto. But she didn't even say ''Sorry'' for the apocalyps she brought on her kingdom. Yes... Ursula manipulated her, but Ariel could have at least mended Atlantica before going up to marry. Also, Triton had good reasons to forbid contact above. His wife was killed by pirates and he did not want that happening to another one. How would you feel if your daughter constantly went to the surface, where a pirate might snatch her as well?

[@BEB156]

I may say that to anyone who made an argumentative video defending Ariel but... Thank you.🥲