The Little Mermaid Novelization is Very Telling

[@happiestplace3754]

Ariel saved Eric from the storm, then Eric saved Ariel from Ursula. They saved each other, they are even. Ariel was always independent and adventurous on her own, so is Eric. They are a perfect balanced match. Ariel was never a "damsel in distress". Don't mess with perfection.

[@jturner2577]

They bring out the best in each other. And both are people you don't want to get on the bad side of.

[@ottobaron6392]

Also, Ariel also saved Eric, when she interfered with Ursula shooting Eric with the Trident, causing her to hit the eels instead.

[@jturner2577]

​@@ottobaron6392 They defeated Ursula together. Eric was the one to ultimately take her down sure but he wouldn't have been in the position to do so without Ariel.

[@mackielunkey2205]

Also Ariel saving Eric more than Eric saving Ariel defeats the contrast that is INCREDIBLY important to the original film. Eric saves Ariel using the resources of the land, while Ariel saves Eric using the resources of the sea. And it points to a bigger message of the original movie. That doing everything yourself to prove yourself is not enough, you need the support of friends and family. Ariel telling Triton that she saved Eric isn’t good enough, because she doesn’t have proof that humans can be kind to merfolk, just thingamabobs signifying their existence and not evidence of their selfless actions. It makes perfect sense why Triton would still be leery because of the writers’ attention to the nuances of Ariel’s actions and words. I think LM 1989 is a great film and I think everyone should watch it, it’s a pretty complex kids film when you think about it.

[@via3155]

I don’t get this even thing because who was keeping tally of how many times they saved each other 😭 there’s no “getting even” if you’re fighting to protect someone you love lmao.

[@arc7375]

You are absolutely correct. 1989: Ariel fell in love with the Prince and actively wants to kiss him and tries to on many occasions, but he pulls away each time out of respect = Ariel is a sex object with no autonomy. 2023 = Ariel is literally under a spell to not want to kiss the Prince, yet the Prince is shown to continue trying to kiss her despite her obviously showing no interest = Better message. What?

[@cristinademartini1284]

_"2023 = Ariel is literally under a spell to not want to kiss the Prince, yet the Prince is shown to continue trying to kiss her despite her obviously showing no interest = Better message." _ Wait up... *WHAT* ? Did they relly think that would be better?!?

[@AslgamingOffical]

Reminds me of when Disney remade the lost boys from Peter Pan to the lost boys AND girls, they're literally implying that girls are just as stupid as boys lol

[@iantempleton313]

Yeah, better message that all men are scum and all women are strong, independent and don’t need no man…see what they’re doing there?

[@LDtheBrachio]

@@AslgamingOffical That actually is an improvement actually xD (maybe I am speaking out of pain and an inferiority complex... but its great that true equality is being served!)

[@tarynriver]

@@roxylasch9058the story behind it wasn’t running away it’s that only boys would be dumb enough to fall out their cribs and girls are too smart and that’s why it’s all boys

[@patrioticjustice9040]

Exactly! I've been telling people that Ariel and Eric were kindred spirits; the way Ariel felt about the land, he felt about the sea. THAT'S what made Ariel truly fall for him. They're not some inferior-superior couple; they have each others backs. Ariel saved Eric twice and Eric saved Ariel twice. And you can see until Eric realized that Ariel was indeed the one, he wanted to be faithful and true to the girl who saved his life.

[@AL-ws5yi]

It’s all about the girl now, who don’t need no man.🙄

[@andrewdowns3673]

This is what the new one shoulda focused on! Heck, have a scene were Eric shows Ariel some of his collection from the ocean. Maybe some items are from Atlantica and Eric is misusing them like Ariel misuses a dinglehopper. That woulda been cute! But no, we gotta have the girl be the focus and the guy has to be a plank of wood.

[@jturner2577]

They are Equals. They compliment each other. There in this together. There a Team.

[@ForgottenC2890]

@@AL-ws5yi cry

[@haileeraestout5567]

Its Crazy On How Eric's Related To Aladdin

[@genebaker511]

It's almost as though the remake tries so hard to remove every important motivation and details that gives characters their own agency. One example: Ariel having amnesia removes her own desires and goal, therefore turning her into a blank slate that needed to be guided by other characters.

[@jturner2577]

Did the writers really not think how bad a plot point that is?

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

@@jturner2577 They needed anything to do to get their force consent allegory into this thing. They don't care about anything other than that and it really shows.

[@usonohoshi6165]

​@@jturner2577 I have a feeling their lack of experience may attribute to their bad execution. It doesn't take much to see what a movie made by an experienced writer looks like. And this is definitely not it.

[@usonohoshi6165]

​@@SuperCosmicMutantSquid I mean... Their ideas are FINE. I've seen these messages done, and done well in other stories. It's only their execution that sucks ass. If they are REALLY passionate about their messages, they could at least put it in the story that is also part entertaining and immersive.

[@kathleenramirez2379]

THIS right here was the biggest disappointment in this rewrite. It kills a lot of the motivations, the personal stakes, just…ugh! WHY YOU GOTTA DO THIS DISNEY????

[@GabePlaysYT]

By making the humans actually hate the mer-folk, the movie not justifies Triton's fears, but it also ruins a huge part of the ending when he sees how much Eric loves Ariel and that humans aren't as bad as he thought. It's a fresh start for both kingdoms and it's symbolized with Eric and Ariel's marriage and their daughter Melody. They didn't just weaken Eric's character and make him as wooden as they thought he was, they also weakened Triton's character and the story as a whole

[@jturner2577]

Triton's fear of humans is supposed to seen out of paranoia, clouded judgment brought by the Anger and Grief of losing his Wife. He's meant to be shown as someone who's in the wrong. Who's holding a whole speicies accountable for the action of a select few.

[@mammonsimp6973]

​​@@jturner2577 unfortunately, the novel said Ursula is the one who killed Ariels mom Edit: she have something to do with Ariel's mom death

[@felicity1877]

the hate on mer-folk is a mythological reference as in Europan legends mermaids are usually described as dangerous and even devilish - luring with their songs people into death; this is also a little bit referenced in "Fathoms below" when the sailors are reminding themselves to be careful.

[@TromaDogg]

It's because they went with an actress of colour for Ariel, so they couldn't resist throwing a thinly veiled allegory for racism in there as well just to hammer home to kids that if you don't accept the 'new' version of Ariel then you must be a hateful bigot like the humans in the movie.

[@iantempleton313]

Ironic isn’t it? Eric was actually the more developed and likable OG prince from Disney, and now they’re gonna make him an undeveloped and one noted character. So ass backwards.

[@nikibogwater6598]

My biggest question is why in the ever-loving blazes would Ariel agree to Ursula's deal in this version??? OG Ariel was naive and impulsive, yes, and Ursula took advantage of her when she was in an emotionally vulnerable state, but Ariel isn't STUPID. In the original, we can clearly see Ariel getting more and more uncomfortable the longer she's in Ursula's home. The only reason she agrees to the deal is because Ursula tells her that winning Eric's love will be *easy.* The whole point of Poor Unfortunate Souls is Ursula convincing Ariel that she can and will help her get her happily-ever-after. Ursula needs Ariel to be informed and on-board with the idea in order for their contract to be binding and immune to Triton's magic. I feel like adding in the whole "Oh yeah and btw you won't actually remember why you're there or that you need to win his love in 3 days in order to not become seaweed" would immediately tip off even a desperate character like Ariel to the fact that this woman is bad news and she needs to high-tail it out of there. At best, this change breaks the rules established in the original's worldbuilding, and at worst, it turns their wannabe girl power super mermaid into a complete idiot.

[@usonohoshi6165]

Not just that. Ursula was pressuring her as well. Ariel was conflicted, knowing she would leave her family. But it was Ursula who kept pushing about getting Eric. This is why the pacing of the song gets more fast and intense half way through, UNTIL Ariel signs the contract. She didn't give Ariel time to properly think. Because if she did she would realize what Ursula was doing the reject her.

[@clairelin0216]

Ursula knows all she needs is for Ariel to break for one moment to sign the contract, Ariel has her own concerns about what signing the contract would mean, she's not so stupid as to not think about the implication of becoming a human. And it's funny how they said Eric shouldn't force himself on Ariel, and then make Ariel forget about the fact that she needs to kiss Eric to stay human so Eric actually has to be the person that makes all the moves to kiss Ariel. Eric is a perfect gentleman, and it's sad that they're doing this to him because they don't want to focus on quality storytelling but politics.

[@Ari-yy7pm]

And before Ariel met Ursula she was already thinking how could she approach prince Eric as a mermaid

[@patrioticjustice9040]

Let's see. A black girl is not allowed to speak for most of the movie, she's on the verge of being owned like a slave, and she's a complete and total moron. Leftists: (thumbs up)

[@spookykatelyn2161]

Exactly, they made ariel in this version really stupid. In a way it pisses me off that they did this to her character. If I heard that my memories of the same kind of deal would be erased I would cancel the deal and high tail it out of that creepy lair knowing its bad news. .

[@marielsea2292]

If Ariel was just going to forget what she has to do why did Ursula even bother turning her into a Human in the first place? Why not just hold her hostage until King Triton comes after her?

[@jturner2577]

I guess because she thought Ariel would drown to her death before she could reach the surface? I don't know.

[@dustymcwari4468]

@@jturner2577 I think they mean why bother even turning her human, just make her forget she ever made a deal with the witch, let the days pass as Ariel continues her merry mermaid ways under the sea, and boom, easy victory, especially with Triton breathing down Ariel’s neck and keeping her chained to Atlántica after the stuff that happened inside her grotto

[@Specsboy1999]

@@dustymcwari4468 I would argue that becoming human is the incentive to sign the deal in the first place with the clause of needing the kiss within three days being the part she doesn't remember. Just have her dumped on an island somewhere away from Eric's kingdom (they introduced the power to make portals and she doesn't abuse it) where she had no method or reason to reach Eric to fulfil the clause and wait out the three days then boom Ursula wins.

[@dustymcwari4468]

@@Specsboy1999 it stops being an incentive if she forgets about it

[@Specsboy1999]

@@dustymcwari4468 True, I guess the time limit only starts once the legs come in. All I am going to say is the amnesia thing is just going to be one of the many unecessary plot holes we dunk on after this movie makes a bunch of money from the casual movie goers.

[@cathygrandstaff1957]

If they wanted to remove the urgency to kiss Eric they could have removed the time limit or made it 3 full moons instead of 3 days. In the original story there is no time limit, and they could have added another requirement like fetching an artifact for Ursula, which would obviously help Ursula take over the kingdom, if they wanted to make the two bond over treasure hunting. Ursula caring about Flotsam and Jetsam enough to want revenge for them makes her one of the few Disney villains who actually cares about her underlings.

[@jturner2577]

The Time Limit being 3 full moons and Ariel needing to acquire the Artifact during that time would be a really good changes and further show how Ariel and Eric compliment each other through their love of exploring. However the latter would probably require a much longer runtime or it to be split into 2 movies. It would work fine for a TV Series but could be quite challenging for a movie. I do love these ideas though.

[@BuizelCream]

​@@jturner2577 I agree with you. It would require to develop that section of the external plotpoint of Ariel and Eric setting off into a journey. And to not make that part of the story feel boring, new interesting character dynamics and internal conflict must be written in it too.

[@mylesleggette7520]

@@jturner2577 It's called a montage...

[@jadeharley7190]

Or to shorten it, like three weeks aka “by the next full moon” or something

[@jturner2577]

@@jadeharley7190 That would work too.

[@freebretth]

“Trying to fix things that aren’t actually broken” Agreed, and I think that’s the main problem we have here, really.

[@michaelj9681]

*Original Ariel:* Explores shark-infested waters for fun, rescues a prince from a fiery shipwreck, sells her soul to a witch, defies the king of the sea *New Disney:* "Ariel was too much of a damsel"

[@jturner2577]

Original Ariel is quite the Badass.

[@clairelin0216]

It just goes to show that they don't know the definition of a damsel in distress.

[@gravenwolf6535]

They keep forgetting that Ariel loves and was so curious of the world of land. She even had a cave filled with things from the surface. She also thought her father was wrong about the views of humans from being fish killers and eaters However, meeting Eric and falling for him was the final nail that made her want to go to the surface. It was more than go to Eric but to explore the surface as a human herself. It got me so upset when Ariel's actress said" going to the surface to chase some boy."

[@SP-ny6pk]

It also sucks that they say “princesses were treated like a price to be won” but now, they’re making the prince to be the price

[@JT_Saenz]

@@jturner2577 Combatively, she stood little to no chance against Ursula. (8 tentacles vs 1 MerFin) However, that didn't stop Ariel from throwing hands at that Sea Bitch, LMAO! At least she got more moves in the Kingdom Hearts Franchise: Thunder Potion and [my personal favorite] SPIRAL WAVE!

[@demonairs]

It bums me out that they don't have the pink dress or the sparkly blue dress or even the wedding dress! I know it's not important as a narrative, but dammit, if I'm watching a Disney princess movie, I want to see princesses in pretty dresses!!

[@kbraven7007]

You know the story and characters are more important to the story than the number of sparkly dresses right?

[@mammonsimp6973]

​​@@kbraven7007 you also realize that every princess have their iconic dress right? That's how Disney has been marketing them Even beauty and the beast live action was criticise cuz of the gown looking like a bunch of pasta stack together and Cinderella 2015 was praised for the beautiful gowns You can see the effort put in every single one of them

[@kbraven7007]

@@mammonsimp6973 Uh Ariel's iconic form is her mermaid form, Jasmine wear pants and Raya didn't even have a dress and only wore pants

[@infinity_flair]

@@mammonsimp6973 Because dresses and pretty things are like sunlight to vampires to whatever 'modern audience' Disney is catering to these days.

[@lulukulu5489]

​@@mammonsimp6973 I feel a teeny bit sad for Haylee, you got a contract with one of the biggest entertainment company in the world, and they gave her one of the most cheapest looking dress in a live action disney princess so far (even live action Belle peasant dress looks more expensive than that cheap thing), mediocre looking Eric, and they also ironically making Ariel and Eric looking like they live in an american slave era movie

[@QueenMariposa5]

If they felt Ariel was too much of a damsel, they should've had her work together with Eric. He could've been having trouble steering the ship due to the storm and since Ursula was chasing Ariel, she can lure her in the right position.

[@jturner2577]

Exactly.

[@AmbroseSimpson]

If they felt Ariel was too much of a damsel, they could've just worked with a different intellectual property. Or better yet, forgone writing entirely and just taken up tiddlywinks.

[@Raximus3000]

...They would have thought anyway. This is disgusting.

[@kbraven7007]

That or they have Ariel and Eric not end up together and have Ariel become an ambassador for the mermaids and have the ability to change from mermaid to human and back whenever she wants

[@narnia1233]

Honestly I really dislike the incredibly stupid idea to have Ariel steering the ship. I don’t care if I get blasted for saying this. Ariel is a MERMAID. In the concept art they show her steering the ship as a mermaid. Do you guys see how stupid that is? She has a tail. She’s a fish. It’s the same as suggesting a fish steer a ship. Or, put another way, imagine someone with both legs amputated or someone in a wheelchair being told to steer a ship. If you know nothing-steering a ship is not easy. You do have to have legs to be able to brace yourself while moving the huge wheel. You can’t be dangling from the wheel. If you’re dangling from the wheel-what will happen is you’ll be like a hamster in a wheel who loses its balance. You’ll go flying in the same direction as the wheel is spinning. This already drives me nuts. Just the unbelievably dumb idea of Ariel as a fish steering the ship. That is not possible.

[@demonairs]

I also feel that the amnesia thing removes Ursula's confidence. It makes her look like she knows Ariel could succeed even without her voice.

[@jturner2577]

Now that you mention it, yeah it does make Ursula less intimidating. It makes her feel both dumb and cowardly. Less Brainy.

[@JT_Saenz]

“The little tramp! She’s better than I thought…” I definitely recall Ursula underestimating Ariel’s ability to earn Eric’s affection even without her voice which, or course, resulted in her transforming into Vanessa and then using Ariel’s vocals as a method in bewitching Eric to ensure the mermaid’s failure.

[@jturner2577]

​@@JT_Saenz With Ariel having Amnesia. Vanessa serves no narrative purpose really except maybe as a spectator so Ursula can admire her own handiwork.

[@usonohoshi6165]

It removes Ursula's confidence. Shows she lacks resourcefulness. (Honestly... this feels like a waste of a spell) And it completely loses Ariel's agency. This one plot hole is enough to sink the whole story. (Pun intended)

[@usonohoshi6165]

​@@jturner2577 same with the song kiss the girl. Seems like they should have just scrapped it all together.

[@chiauve868]

They also apparently don't understand the point of Ursula's use of magical contracts. Her target from the beginning was Triton, but he's got the trident and is too powerful for her to move against. By ensnaring Ariel into a legal, magical contract, even Triton can't do anything against it aside from basically renegotiating its terms and giving himself in Ariel's place. The contract she had with Ariel was that she would become human, but the price to pay was her voice and she had a time limit. Ursula, knowing Eric was searching for his savior via her voice, assumed without hers, Ariel wouldn't have a chance. But Ariel has such a winning spirit and character that Eric fell in love anyway. To stop this, Ursula couldn't touch Ariel because the terms of the contract had been set, she had to work around her via Eric. Ursula putting a spell on Ariel to make her forget interferes and negates the contract, rendering her whole plan pointless. Also ugh why can't disney let princesses have fun anymore? From that screenshot of the page of Triton and his daughters, it's not just a gathering, it seems to be that his daughters rule different parts of the sea but with him as the head ruler and they've gathered to discuss ruler stuff. Let princesses have a concert to show off their vocal prowess to the masses, let us see a snippet of merfolk culture! Bring back music and whimsy!

[@kyburn6195]

The criticism of the marriage at the end in original makes me wonder if people have ever seen a movie before. Did it need a "3 days later" caption at the bottom or something so they weren't confused? You'd think seeing the merfolk and humans getting along would mean months or even a couple years have passed for a marriage of ROYALTY to be approved by the public.

[@fionnaitsradag5152]

Exactly! Planning a huge, royal wedding would take months, at the very least. More likely a year or so.

[@clairelin0216]

The people who made those criticisms can't understand the concept of time skip when they see one. Everything has to be spelled out for them to understand. Time skip is needed when you only have about 90-100 minutes in a movie, people understand that it is a time skip when they see it, but those people who only want to see something wrong with that scene will say it is wrong even when you explain the concept of time skip and transitions.

[@Crawlingdreams418]

same with the critics of disney movies going "where are the mothers?". Gee, i don't know, dead, perhaps

[@clairelin0216]

@@Crawlingdreams418 Yeah, most of them are, and sometimes they're not even mentioned anywhere because they're not that important to the story.

[@rainbowmoon1461]

It’s also just general knowledge that the relationships in movies often happen faster than they generally do in real life. I don’t think anyones take away from the animated little mermaid is you can get true love in 3 days without saying a word. 😂

[@scophmaster9214]

Actually there is a children’s book about planning the wedding for Ariel and Eric so there does seem to be a decent amount of time between those scenes.

[@jturner2577]

Thanks for pointing that out.

[@theroseofversailles]

Wait, what book was it? You just sparked a memory of a book I had as a kid. It was about their wedding plans I think.

[@kbraven7007]

I don’t think that’s canon to the movie though

[@avalasialove]

@@kbraven7007 Canon or not, it isn’t unreasonable to assume that some time had passed. After all, there’s no way they could’ve planned such an elaborate wedding in just a few hours.

[@kbraven7007]

@@avalasialove Hey with Triton's magic, it wouldn't surprise me if they could pull it off. Plus in the Little Mermaid storybooks mention that it happens the following day.

[@ceropuntocinco]

Ursula makes a deal with Ariel AND ERRASE HER MEMORY?!!! So, what is the point of making a deal? Just kidnap her and make her forget

[@jturner2577]

Even a classic James Bond Villain wouldn't be that stupid.

[@angelcat2865]

@@jturner2577 Exactly

[@KcTheForbidden]

But at the same time why wouldn't ursula do that in that og animated movie? Just capture her and hide her or something for ransom your thinking too hard about it but your entitled to your opinion

[@corcor1122]

​​@@KcTheForbidden Because she needed the contract. Triton was forced to trade places with Ariel because of their deal, legally and magically protected. Even the all mighty Trident couldn't destroy the contract between Ursula and Ariel. Ursula prefers to work from the shadows and manipulate events, just kidnapping Ariel wouldn't work because Triton would just destroy her, Ursula has no allies, no armies nothing. Triton would have absolutely annihilated her had she done that.

[@KcTheForbidden]

@@corcor1122 ok and that's why I said hide her triton can't just find someone at whim he has to look too like any other person

[@ianyoder2537]

Disney: "We support gay people" Fans: "So then why are you attacking the legacy of Howard Ashman? a famous gay songwriter?" Diseny: Oh you see we don't actually care about real gay people. we just like the idea of them and want them to give us their money while we push them off to the side so we can also get money from china."

[@samueltitone5683]

Disney doesn’t like gay people. They like their money. Ghostbusters 2016 showed that idiots online will turn bottom of the barrel corporate slop into a cause to rally around for social justice and Hollywood has been worse for it ever since.

[@ottobaron6392]

They think turning Eric into Norman Bates with a domineering mother is stunning and brave. In "Little Mermaid 2" Eric's mother will die. In his grief, Eric will build a motel below the castle, and pretend his mother is still alive.

[@jturner2577]

​​@@ottobaron6392 And then Eric tries to kill his own daughter. Before either Grimsby or Carlotta stop him and he's locked up in a padded cell in the castle for decades.

[@MissMoontree]

Also, even in the cartoon they changed the meaning and moral of this queer love letter that the little mermaid is.

[@graylykan2739]

Don't forget Disney also doesn't care about black people, transpeople, Muslims, and other ethnic minorities. They just like the IDEA of them so they can get money from them while also getting money from China, a country that actively HATES gay people, transpeople, Muslims, and black people.

[@kunonabi]

I'm honestly not sure if the creatives behind this are adapting this out of pure hate for the source material or just an inability to actually to understand it. I've become fairly numb to things I love being defiled in this modern age but seeing this done to TLM is actually very upsetting to me.

[@AL-ws5yi]

I know. It’s very disheartening that they don’t understand their own property.

[@maxtull21]

Likewise.

[@angelcat2865]

I'm pretty sure it's a combonation of pure hate for the original AND the inability to understand it. They also have absolutely NO understanding of what Love really is.

[@Tempusverum]

@@angelcat2865👈facts. They don’t know live at all, they’ve never had it in their dysfunctional families. That won’t stop them from lecturing you, though

[@angelcat2865]

@@Tempusverum Agreed

[@donaldwright8567]

I'm a little confused. If one of the objectives of the remake is to give Ariel more agency, isn't giving her magical amnesia so she's constantly forgetting her objective of getting Eric to kiss her and keeping her from becoming a part of Ursula's cursed garden counterproductive to that goal?

[@jturner2577]

Yes it is.

[@MokohiChan]

Yeahh, it's pretty funny how they changed Kiss The Girl in a way that takes it from a cute song to now ACTUALLY being creepy. Ironic.

[@Eidlones]

I've said it about their previous remakes, and I'll say it now: They're dumbing down these remakes so idiots that only take it at face value can enjoy it, widening the possible audience. But conversely, making the older ones, aimed at children, deeper and more thematically rich than the "adult" version that tries to justify it's existence by saying it's the more "mature" version.

[@Guy21072536]

The idea of Triton having multiple ethic daughters is a low-key Polygamy. They definitely didn't think this through.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

Yep.

[@jturner2577]

No they didn't. And I don't see him as someone who does adoption.

[@happiestplace3754]

You know what they say, plenty of fish in the sea.

[@Guy21072536]

@@jturner2577 adopting someone into the royal family is a very big deal, and all Daughters meant to rule each of 7 seas. Does that mean Triton had 7 wifes from each sea? That's some Robert Baratheon move right there

[@Hanako-Kun-t9b]

@@Guy21072536 he pulled a zeus

[@itrasheditgood]

The biggest point that everyone misses about the animation, is that the story was never about Ariel, she doesn’t change, it’s her father who has a character development. It is about him losing his daughter because she doesn’t love his control over her, that’s where her fascination of a different world comes into play. In the end he faces Ursula, he saves his daughter and he gives her, his permission to pursue the prince in the end.

[@VerdantRange]

Man, what is it with Hollywood having no damn clue about how to have consent in their stories? It's plainly obvious that in the original, Ariel was interested in kissing while Eric was pushing her away. You didn't even need to sound on to get that. The only way it'd be more obvious is if she was holding up a sign with "kiss the girl" written on it.

[@Shiirow]

thats because they view women as only victims, they can never be the perpetrator, meaning even if she literally sexually assaulted Eric, she is still the victim because "woman".

[@angycat4262]

Tell me if I'm crazy but even as a kid I saw that scene as "he likes her because he's taking her out to explore and taking care of her, but he doesn't want to kiss her yet because he's still thinking about that other girl and it wouldn't be right" and I still see it like this, in my interpretation he's just hesitant to kiss her because he's still torn about the girl who saved his life, even though he's interested in Ariel he knows he shouldn't start anything with her when he's still infatuated with someone else. You know, respect? Emotional maturity maybe?

[@angycat4262]

@@krissywizzle I can say I hate modern Disney and not feel guilty about it, I'm all for girl power and removing problematic things like the way native americans were represented in the original Peter Pan movie, but that doesn't mean they need to completely butcher the movies. I know the original Mulan movie didn't do very well with Chinese audiences and I'd be completely fine with the remake, IF THEY DIDN'T COMPLETELY RUIN THE WHOLE POINT IF THE STORY, my girl committed a crime to save her family even though she knew the chances of losing her own life were huge, she saved China by killing most of the clan on her own and later killing the leader and her crimes were forgiven by the emperor. The whole movie has a feminist message overall, she's supposed to get married, she feels like she should but she's failing at being like the other girls because that's just not her nature, she decides to go to war instead and finds the happiness she wanted. Why give her super powers? Why introduce a completely new character to be telling her "you're a girl and you can fight that means you should join me and be a villain", its almost like they're saying she's only allowed to be a good soldier of she's the villain of the story

[@BarbieDoll-k5n]

you care way too much, looking for things to complain about. find the nearest bridge and well you know the rest

[@Ex0t1cButt_ers]

@@BarbieDoll-k5n People are allowed to have an opinion about a movie they don’t like, so shut up.

[@-gmc1219]

So Ariel wants Eric to kiss her, but it´s Erics´s fault if he wants to kiss her 🤣

[@Raximus3000]

So, the mt situation a man is at fault no matter what. Saria law becomes more and more...

[@ThePlaidman-]

I saw the original on my 4th birthday back in 89 and I remember loving it even though I'm a guy. I remember watching it over and over when I was a kid and even though I grew out of that love, I still look back on the film with fond memories and I would like to show it to my kids one day. Everything I see about this movie makes me want to watch it less and less. So, while I will happily show my kids the original as many times as they would like, I'm not even going to acknowledge that the remake even exists. I'm so disappointed in Disney lately.

[@umbrellaunderdog]

Just as this film ruined the image of the original you should try reading the novel that inspired the 89 film that depicts mermaids in a much more darker and morbid light. Mermaids originally were soulless monsters who ate men. =3

[@gineriella]

As a kid, TLM was my favorite movie. I always identified with Ariel based on her being independent and a goofy little nerd. I always thought her and Eric were perfect for one another because they complemented each other. I never saw him as being her "savior" or her even needing that. They just liked each other and realized they fit, even if it took Eric some time to come to that conclusion. There's such a soulless that accompanies all these live-action remakes, it's no surprise they'd nix all the romance and genuine human (and mer-person) interaction. The writers probably haven't ever felt that or just legitimately don't know what it is.

[@JAKESPEARE95]

I find it hilarious how they wrote themselves into a corner regarding the whole amnesia thing. In the new film, Eric is forceful with Ariel having her memory wiped, she can’t consent so they are making the male character out to be the bad guy with one thing on his mind. Honestly, it’s so bad it’s giving flashbacks to the cat-calling scene in SHE-Hulk. Also if they take away Ariel’s agency how does that make her a strong character?! I’ll never understand how modern Hollywood can get it so wrong every time. 😑

[@NSnicket]

That doesn’t take away her ability to consent. It just makes her forget that she NEEDS a kiss, not that she wants one. Her consent is still there. I can understand being irked with the changes but don’t make things up.

[@brandyloutherback9288]

Facepalms. If you're going to make changes, make sure the changes make sense or serve the narrative! Most of the changes in the B&TB remake were baffling, and this remake is going down the same way! Most of these changes don't make sense or are just stupid. Disney is making it hard for me to be excited about this remake.

[@kingandrewcecil348]

Agree. To quote the Nostalgia Critic in his Beauty and the Beast 2017 live-action remake review on how their attempts to fix the animated original's flaws don't make sense or don't add up "And that now is how we solved that plot hole. But fear not, we got even more to confuse you!" 🤦🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️

[@shippendales8543]

I think this film needs to be watched as jts own thing disney fans are annoying Either a remake is too similar or too different Just watch the film as an alternate story and see if it works on its own

[@qwerkiangoita7148]

​@@shippendales8543 yes but why they don't make another film of Mermaid?

[@usonohoshi6165]

Oh so true. The teleportation book in the beauty and the beast was a complete plot breaker. They NEVER should have added it and done something else to reveal why the mother died. They could have used that to save Belle's father without Belle putting herself in danger.

[@usonohoshi6165]

@@shippendales8543 It's hard to do that when the cast and crew CONSTANTLY compares the remake to the original film. Even claiming that the remake BETTER. Rule of making adaptations or remakes. NEVER say something THAT stupid. You're only BEGGING people to compare them. Which is why people are doing it now. And even critics are saying "it's good. But not as good as the original" If they did this shit right, people would be enjoying BOTH version for what they are. Instead of being force to only like one of them.

[@arnold20139]

It makes me truly sad that Disney is trying to erase Howard Ashman's themes, songs, and contributions towards the Disney Renaissance. Plus since Eric is adopted, he can't ascend the throne. Also since Eric doesn't save Ariel, Triton doesn't get to see how humans aren't all evil.

[@MarkERoth]

Prince Eric's original character was a breath of fresh air compared to disney princes up until Little Mermaid and I liked how he felt like an actual character who participated in the story through the movie. His youthful excitement and curiosity of mermaids is interesting and adds to the fantasy setting that all the old experienced sailors think one way and Eric was there to challenge that. I'm guessing the writers at disney felt it would be more realistic for Eric's upbringing to come complete with a stick up his behind and a general mistrust of mermaids because off all the stories he's heard from sailors. Its interesting how in modernizing stories for modern sensibilities, the stories become more "problematic" with the tropes the originals are panned for. With She Ra they argument was about how bad it was that all the characters looked the same but when trying to introduce diversity the character designs become very racist. In Little Mermaid all the backlash about the perception of Ariel in the original has caused the story to become exactly what they complained the original being.

[@personapokemaster8844]

The amount of stuff they overcorrected only makes me ask more questions in the end, when you think about it long enough. If mermaids and humans hate each other in this version, how come Ariel developed such a fondness for them despite the obvious vitriol? If she and her kind were told nothing but about how humans hate them and hunt them for sport, why would she want to save Eric from drowning to begin with, other than it being the right thing to do? This point might seem moot considering there are some people who come from prejudiced backgrounds who seek to empathize with others they are supposed to despise, but my point still stands. It's just interspecies Romeo and Juliet with even more convoluted plot details. If she's never been to the surface world before seeing Eric's ship, how did her skin become darker to protect against the sun when she's been underwater for her entire life? Why is King Triton Hispanic and why are his daughters' different races? Is Disney implying that Triton or his deceased wife were swingers or sleeping around with other merpeople? I can't believe Disney is promoting adultery or having children out of wedlock. I know he's a king, but I don't think the alleged family friendly company wants to explain mistresses or bastard children to children. Wouldn't this time period have slavery or heavy racial tensions? Why are there so many different races intermingling in a Danish fairytale during that time period? I have a feeling they're going to compare being a mermaid to being a minority in this film and it's gonna piss me off so much, if Grace Randolph's take on this is anything to go by. If the deal is for Ariel to kiss Eric before the sun sets on the third day in order to become human, why does the story need an amnesia spell to begin with? I know Ursula's the villain, but wouldn't removing this from Ariel's character remove any agency she had? The whole consent and kiss the girl controversy is dumb to begin with and having Eric be the one to initiate it, seems rather counterproductive because it's not as if that's the entire point of the movie, I know it's modern Hollywood, but how is a woman pursuing her crush on a man somehow anti-feminist, wouldn't her pursuing Eric be more feminist when you think about it? And to add on to that, removing lines from Poor Unfortunate Souls about women needing to keep quiet, was meant to be a manipulation tactic on Ursula's part, cause she's the villain, villains are meant to gaslight the heroes. If Ursula still turns into Vanessa, why would Ariel be upset about him wanting to wed her if she lost her memory of having to kiss Eric before the time limit? I thought her entire goal was not to impress a boy, so if they follow that story beat, why would it upset amnesiac Ariel if her entire purpose was to "find herself?" Also, how would Ariel know how to steer a ship? She has never been to the surface before but somehow is able to wobble up to the steering wheel in mermaid form, somehow managing to pierce Ursula despite earning her ire and yet were supposed to believe that Ursula wouldn't want to turn Ariel into fish fingers after what she did almost immediately. And for that matter, Eric killing Ursula to save Ariel is what proves to Triton that humans can be trusted to save merfolk kind and that they aren't enemies, removing that would only exacerbate the pathetic attempt at this racial allegory or whatever. I keep asking these questions as if Disney cares, but as someone who grew up with the animated classics, I'm just disappointed, not even angry, just wistful at what has become of this once beloved movie making company. Love your videos J. Keep up the good work.

[@jturner2577]

Yikes so many plot holes or stuff that needed clarification.

[@dustymcwari4468]

Also the final confrontation showed Triton and the viewers that Ariel was safer with the humans, as the only threat in the story was sea folk (Ursula), and the one who saved her and him was a human, so Triton letting her stay with Eric above water also makes sense because Triton is an overprotective father that wants to make sure Ariel is safe and sound, so after Eric risked his life to save his precious daughter, and Ariel being sad she’s leaving the human world, he was left very convinced that he can trust Ariel to him, and she’s gonna be much happier in the world above

[@tiamystic]

Srry this is HELLA unrelated and I know you’re talking about racial minority but oh shit-I feared this would apply to me 💀 With the “they're going to compare being a mermaid to being a minority in this film and it's gonna piss me off so much”, I’m planning a children’s fantasy story where the main character, born as a human/mermaid hybrid, has background of her troubling experiences on land for being known as “weird” or “difficult by foster families and other humans, when that’s just her natural traits of being a mermaid hybrid I guess, her experiences being a metaphor for neurodivergency and what neurodivergent people go through. (To give a visual of what she’s been like throughout her childhood-it’s like the scene of Saorsie in the shower at her (grandma’s house?) In Song of the Sea, and her grandma getting pissed) She moves into a superstitious/mermaid-fearing town (kinda like the one in Luca 💀) and finds out she’s a mermaid. She accepts this part of her, that has been seen as weird, cannot ever be fixed, and learns to embrace her differences, making change to how the townspeople think about superstition in later books. Yeah not a lot of context BC it’s only one part of a huge story. But like is this okay-like IDK…and if not, any alternations/improvements?

[@jturner2577]

@@tiamystic I'm looking forward to it.

[@personapokemaster8844]

@@dustymcwari4468 Precisely! Again, the attempt by the movie to make it more sensible for modern audiences, ends up ruining the original message of the story for social brownie points from the terminally online crowd.

[@clairelin0216]

I will watch the original animated film just to protest

[@AL-ws5yi]

Same.

[@kingacrisius]

@@migalorsdarwin1930 what?

[@mazkeraid4039]

Ditto.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

I just don't see what Eric being adopted adds to the story when you could easily have it be that he lost his father when he was quite young and his mother had to raise him herself while running the kingdom as regent. If I could rewrite, I would make it that his father was a seafarer like him and was actually the one to have taught him how to sail in the first place much to his mother's chagrin since Eric was the only child she managed to carry to term which has made her overprotective of him especially after his father ends up being shipwrecked and drowned. However, as Eric grows he becomes more rebellious to his mother who insists he stays in the castle and acts like a proper prince instead of a common sailor. Unfortunately, Eric always felt more of a connection with the sea than with land and sees it as a way to escape his overbearing mother. As for him not believing, he does in this version because as a child he swore he saw one when he went sailing with his father who tells him who agrees. Also, take the stupid plot point about her forgetting to kiss Eric when she's on land. Instead, I'm going with the idea that Ariel has never been in love or in a relationship before so she doesn't really know how to act with Eric so on the first day she acts very awkward and tries way too hard to impress him which actually manages to weird him out and makes his mother dislike their odd guest, which makes Ariel already feel like a failure and thinking that she'll end up like the rest of Ursula's victims. That is until she hears barking from Max who seems to be inviting her to play which she happily agrees to. Eric walking by and trying to think of ways to help the mute Ariel, catches sight of the two together with Ariel and Max playing tug of war with a bone which makes him smile before calling out them. This causes Ariel to become embarrassed but she nods and Eric teaches her how to play fetch with Max which she quickly learns how to.

[@jturner2577]

Now that's a good rewrite.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@jturner2577 I mean I'll give them credit, I like the idea that he loves the sea in the way Ariel loves the land but I feel like they're deliberately taking away the romantic elements they used to do so well. I still remember how in Cinderella, how Ella and Kit just seemed made for each other with how they interacted and understood each other. I don't know adding the idea she just forgets makes it seem like she doesn't really want Eric and diminishing his character to be cold and strict takes away from why they fell in love.

[@jturner2577]

​@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 I definitely give them credit for that idea as well.

[@JT_Saenz]

When a fan of the animated feature film from ‘89 writes a more soulful synopsis that feels like it would translate authentically to live action….you know who should’ve been part of that screenwriting team! 😅🙏🏽

[@angelcat2865]

I like it 🥰

[@corgilover2319]

Thank you SO MUCH for saying it's rude to Howard Ashman. This whole film only happened BECAUSE of Howard. This film saved Disney so Howard SAVED Disney and now they are changing most of his ideas and words. In case people do not know just some of the things he did was: make it a broadway style musical, give Ursula's artist inspiration to use Divine's look, make Sebastian Jamaican, help Jodi "find Ariel's voice", and oh yes write every lyric in the whole movie. It's disrespectful and weird. I actually think this version is making Ariel more of a "damsel" and less of a fighter than the original. Her voice is lovely but can that honestly save the movie? And if she is cursed then yah, why Vanessa? So weird.

[@beethovensfidelio]

Ironic since Ariel kills Ursula in the live action remake, so she’s not a damsel in distress. Also, the “Proud Boys” naming themselves after a deleted song from “Aladdin” is more offensive to Howard Ashman’s legacy than a few lyrical changes to “The Little Mermaid”.

[@cgarcia2595]

Yet the critics say this is the best live action movie up to date. 🤔 Honestly I agree with everything you said it’s clear the director and everyone involve in this movie didn’t understand the true essence of the story.

[@jturner2577]

Few Critics are legitmate critics nowadays as in giving legitmate critiques.

[@shippendales8543]

The film is being judged by critics as its own movie Which it is Disney fans cant make up their minds a remake is either too similar and pointless or there are too many changes 😂 Remakes to me are alternate stories to the og films so they should be different still have the essence of the og story The original Disney film changed multiple things about the original book too so those directors did not get the essence of the book at all 😂 So you can also someone who read the original book felt the way you do about the Disney movie from the 80's changing the story too much and not understanding it Disney Little mermaid isn't like the source material at all down to even the Christian themes in that book And yet people love the Little mermaid on its own People should watch the new film and decide how it plays on its own too

[@shippendales8543]

Disney animated movies by their very existence don't understand the essence of their fairytale adaptations though 😂

[@theaudiobookshow1332]

Yeah

[@theaudiobookshow1332]

​@@shippendales8543 it's different, very different, have you seen the contents of the books? contains death, torture, how would disney make a kids movie if they didn't change things? no comparisons

[@penpendoggo]

OK HEAR ME OUT!!!: Ariel’s first reaction to tears would've been a very powerful scene :( When she is left behind by Prince Eric and Vanessa, she cries for the very first time. As the tears stream down her face, her sadness turns into awe. Her tears remind her of her fascination with the human world-that there is still so much to discover. Seeing Ariel embrace a painful part of being human with such wonder really pulls on your heartstrings. This small scene would complement King Triton's arc. Since the death of his wife, Triton has prohibited anyone from venturing above the water's surface. He actively suppresses his own grief, preferring to remain underwater where tears cannot be shed. This all comes full circle beautifully at the end when Ariel gets married. We can have a small part where Triton tearfully gives Ariel away to Eric. This enhances the symbolism to not only be a union between worlds, but a resolution to many years of grief and generational trauma. Disney really missed this opportunity :/

[@cross-eyedhollow]

I like this

[@alexp.d3689]

Go and apply to become a writer at Disney Studios,we need people like you ❤😂

[@Ex0t1cButt_ers]

That is actually really good, and certainly better than whatever the heck Disney is doing right now.

[@Valkerson]

Calling Ariel a damsel is the biggest insult to her character. Just because she is not a “girlboss” doesn’t mean she is a damsel. If you had ever watched “Return to the Sea” where her and Eric had a daughter you will see how strong and brave she always has been. She literally went to a ship that was on fire to save Eric when she was only 16.

[@joseroa5243]

Amazingly brave to make everything that make ariel the Prince chracter, and make Ariel none character.

[@katherined]

Trying to fix things that weren’t a problem in the first place… That’s a Disney remake for you. They did it with Aladdin making Jafar a whiny kid They did it in The Lion King by making the animals too real They did it with Mulan by giving her chi powers They did it in Pinocchio with him actually going to school and be punished Now they are doing it with The Little Mermaid by giving Ariel amnesia to kiss the boy.

[@valeclbrt]

and my personal worst... making maleficent not evil (and will never forgive them for not making her into a dragon)

[@Keznen]

@Vale C. Maleficent is an alternate universe and not an actual remake of Sleeping Beauty, though.

[@sapphirewriter8349]

The changes don't make any sense at all and honestly, for a movie that's supposed to make Ariel impowering, she comes across actually weaker than the animated film especially the adding amnesia thing, which yeah, as you said it makes it more like he has no choice but to force himself on her! Great job Disney! Didn't think that one through! lol

[@TheStOne1]

I'm so sad and disappointed of this remake. They completely misunderstood the original movie, I agree with you on everything you said in this video, and for what I've seen in the trailers and clips, even the music has been watered down to say the least. I completely hate what they did with Kiss the Girl and Under the Sea, as for Part of Your World, although it's good and beautiful, the way it's been sung and orchestrated doesn't fit the scene and Ariel's mood at all, I think Howard Ashman would have hated it and also would've scolded every person in charge of the changes on his lyrics and script and would have made them cry and apologize, this remake would have been cancelled immediately by his command. He was that thundering, King Triton was a beginner in comparison 😂

[@aeoligarlic4024]

I have a feeling the orchestrated version is for the climatic ending scene. I feel the somber original version of Part of Your World would still be in the respective scene

[@shippendales8543]

Partbof your world fits Ariels mood though Aril is a teenager and feels like not being able to go to the surface is the worst thing imaginable You can hear her longing and see it The end of the world It's what the song is really about and that scene cultures that perfectly

[@ottobaron6392]

So Ariel has never been to the surface, yet she has long been interested in the surface. Why would she risk her soul, for going up to the surface she hasn't had enough interest in going up to? Now she's traveling with Eric, but not married with her? Why would a controlling mother, allow her son to travel with a woman he's not married to, when he isn't supposed to leave the castle? Does she travel with them, as Eric's chaperon?

[@vegeta002]

I'm just surprised they didn't have Ariel marry the mother...

[@KcTheForbidden]

Why would ariel risk her own life for someone she hadn't even spoken to why would like you guys are thinking way too hard about it without questioning the logic of the first movie the simple answer is because she's young and dumb just like the first movie

[@cheshirerose2001]

It’s so odd to me how they ended up being more regressive Now it seems like her only motive was a man I swear these shitty remakes just miss the point entirely

[@ottobaron6392]

@@KcTheForbidden Her father destroying her collection, that she built years building, hurt her deeply. Prior to Triton going full wrath, she probably would have remained under water. Once Ariel was hurt by her father's display of anger, she was vulnerable, and Ursula had her minions contact her. Also, Ariel had enough interest in the outside world, and a desire to learn about it, that she would reach the surface, and became friends with a seagull, who gave her ridiculous explanations as to what she found. That Ariel makes friends with an air breather, but doesn't go up to the surface to chat with him, is a ridiculous idea. How do they communicate, sign language?

[@KcTheForbidden]

@@ottobaron6392 uh huh and Ariel can write so why didn't she write to prince Eric? Her having amnesia kind of actually fixes this plot hole

[@venomsjunkmail]

Something that bugs me about this, outside of the normal stupid Disney live action screwups, is them changing up the prince. In the original I always saw him as a pretty cool guy who genuinely fell for Ariel because of her somewhat goofy way of interacting with the world. Which was a stark contrast to everyone he normally sees. So in the end when he fights off Ursula despite Ariel being half fish it shows he stilled cared about her. Not as a damsel in distress but someone he cared about... or somefish. Anyone who thinks he was creeping on her is deluded, too. The original is all Ariel fawning over him because she watches him as he watches the sea all the time. She sells her voice for some legs just to try and get close to him. If anything Eric is a saint for finding her charming and interesting when he could have easily been stuck up and saw her as beneath him. In their attempt to try and fix things that aren't broken they're just making them worse and using diversity as a shield. Which is a detriment to those where diversity is supposed to mean something. Not everything has to be diverse (in that you should choose people that best fit the setting, time period, acting skill, etc.) and not everything has to be exactly the same as it used to be. At least make an attempt to make something good instead of just a cash grab that throws a beloved classic under the bus while using diversity as a shield. If you want to see something that's a Disney show that has actual diversity and well done characters, lesbian no less, than watch The Owl House. It's not taking a classic and trying to change it to be something it doesn't need to be. It's a new thing with its own identity being great on its own without trying to ride the success of something that came before.

[@jturner2577]

I love the Owl House and it still pisses me off that there wasn't a Full Season 3. I'm glad it got an ending don't get me wrong but man what could have been. I'm very grateful that the series exists. And I can't wait to see what Dana Terrace has planned next. Personally I'd love to see her tackle the Lovecraft Mythos. She has a great sense for the macabre.

[@RandomDragonEXE]

Oof, definitely. Disney robbed us of a full season 3, where so many characters and settings could have gotten more screen time.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

Do these stupid writers not realize that in the past it was considered inappropriate for a man and woman to travel the world together if they weren't married or related?

[@jturner2577]

In universe I don't think many people would say that out loud to the prince out of fear he'll retaliate by evicting from their homes or executing them to make a point. Insulting royality to their face unless you were a jester was a bad idea.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

@@jturner2577 sure, the common people wouldn't say anything but what about the royal court? Let's use Imperial Russia as our example. The last tsar was extremely powerful, he could send someone off to Siberia or prison if they cheesed him off. That still didn't prevent the royals from gossiping when his wife let a dirty monk into the court to heal her sick son, which eventually was a factor in the tsar losing his throne entirely Extreme case, yes. But the point stands. Even royals couldn't do whatever they wanted. Going against what was considered proper was a big freaking deal.

[@fionnaitsradag5152]

Exactly! In the old days you couldn't just live and travel together unmarried. Even royals with mistresses had to be at least somewhat subtle about it. They couldn't just flaunt their affairs in public. And given that this is supposed to be a wholesome, family friendly story, no way could they just skip getting married.

[@cameussmith]

It really couldn't be any more obvious that the people behind this never at all in their lives watched the original film and aren't going to. God is this at all the same company anymore?

[@angelcat2865]

No it is not.

[@migalorsdarwin1930]

"God is this at all the same company anymore?" kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKi2paZoqJmVl5Y

[@jturner2577]

​@@angelcat2865 It's a sinking ship with it's content library and Television Animation being it's lifeboats.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

I've heard that some families banned the original movie from being watched by their kids, so new writers never having watched the original isn't too far-fetched in my opinion....

[@angelcat2865]

@@jturner2577 Sad but true.

[@TentenchiAMVs]

Okay. I couldn't help it. I absolutely BUSTED OUT LAUGHING with the "Eric is adopted but Triton's daughters are not explained" part! 🤣 I've been wondering about those girls ever since the doll line dropped in the Disney Store. I honestly thought they were just going to not explain it. I was NOT expecting Eric to be EXPLAINED to be adopted and NO MENTION of the mermaid menagerie. These people really don't know what they're doing. There is literally no way all of those girls can be related to him. I paused the video so I could laugh. 😂 On a similar note of ignorance... Has anyone noticed that the big "we're fixing this" selling point of a lot of these "live-action" movies have actually done the opposite? The Lion King is supposed to be more realistic yet lions don't talk, and I didn't see Mufasa try to kill Simba even once. Lions also don't have royal bloodlines. Not more realistic. Or Aladdin. Jasmine needed to be a more powerful character but all she did was complain about not having power. There's an entire series where she saves the day multiple times and pulls off just as much heroics as Aladdin. Already powerful. Mulan. More culturally accurate. A KZbinr who is actually Chinese has a video on that. Let's just say they missed the mark. Not more culturally accurate. The Little Mermaid needs to be more diverse. She has an entire series that highlights being true to yourself and excepting of others. What's probably the most iconic and memorable song (Harmony) come from an episode that literally uses the word "prejudice" to describe the villain's drive toward dividing the kingdom. The Little Mermaid already promoted diversity. No change needed. Who are these people and how do they function? And what's with all the bad parent-child relationships?! They need some therapists or something. 😕

[@mammonsimp6973]

I laughed my ass off when: 1. they said a fisherman named joshua is the one found ariel and bring her to Eric's palace 2. A scene where the sisters cleaning the coral after eric ship was wrecked and hates human for polluting 3. Eric was adopted and was found by the shore back then..like why is this even a thing?? 😭

[@MsJubjubbird]

If Eric was adopted he wouldn't be the prince

[@mammonsimp6973]

@@MsJubjubbird exactly... There's too many flaws in this story telling and they tried so hard to make it 'realistic' 😭

[@brandonbreaux1296]

Every time I see your videos it renews a sense of hope in me that there is some sanity left in the general minds of criticism, and that storytelling from out recent and distant past still has a chance to endure into the future. Thank you. I remember when I was younger that I would have loved to see a live action version of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast”. They were two of my favorites and I had always wondered if it would be anything like I would imagine. Now I regret ever wishing that. Disney doesn’t know how to tell stories anymore, only how to appeal to demographics and be “trendy”. Their willingness to butcher perfectly good adaptations is honestly sickening but also disheartening as THIS is what children will see before the animated predecessors now. What wonder is there in this? It’s just spectacular pandering; a glittery, sparkling turd on what once was. Yes Disney adapted older stories, but people didn’t have many complaints because they were done well. With a love for the stories and art that just doesn’t exist there anymore. I can’t even bring myself to buy a ticket just to see what it will be like. Their remake of “Beauty and the Beast” was so atrocious I couldn’t see how they could come back from it. And they haven’t. The changes they made show they haven’t and won’t learn from their mistakes so long as people will watch what they make. I pray, hope, and wish beyond reason that people say that enough is enough and refuse to see the movie in such high numbers that their company has no choice but to scavenge off their coming projects to stay afloat. To say that I’m not a bit bitter towards them would be a lie.

[@mhiggs8001]

Oh I’ll watch it, but they won’t be getting a dime from me. All of these changes and for what? They are just ticking boxes at this point and I don’t appreciate being patronized.

[@angelaparkes451]

Let's be real here though and understand that these "remakes" funnily enough arent any different from the animated movies back then. Disney Renaissance Era took old stories and made them into movies with very very big changes: Rapunzel, Mulan, Tiana, Ariel....all of them were stories that were told for centuries. Disney just changed, added, took out some things and it became hits. Just like today. So what's the difference? You are an adult now. These remakes are remakes of their own movies instead of the original stories. The love for art still exists. Disney still creates their own stories like Moana, Encanto, Inside Out, Soul, Turning Red and many more. Appreciate the fact that Disney is cashing in on these remake era while also making original movies. Hell this is the remake era where even video games are remaking their own stories. Being bitter is fine but looking at the history of things should uh help your bitterness towards your ruined childhood.

[@KcTheForbidden]

You sound like a parent would "the old stuff is better" this remake is for a new generation and the old generation that is able to hold back their biases. Why wouldn't people want to see it there's nothing wrong with adapting something to be a little different and in this new age with the technology we had people more so appreciate the art of the cinematography. A movie can be enjoyed just because of its visuals and the original isn't that deep or ground breaking in terms of storytelling anyways but fun nonetheless because the audience was children

[@KcTheForbidden]

And no they aren't remaking old movies to stay afloat disney has money alright and they aren't remaking them because they ran out of ideas. It's too keep the properties relevant and to keep them going as long as they can which lucrative yes but maleficent was amazing cruella was amazing cinderella was amazing I'm sure kids liked Mulan Aladdin or even beauty and the beast although I didn't like them I wasn't really the intended audience

[@fusetunes]

​@@angelaparkes451 but the thing is... like you said, they aren't just making adaptations of public domain stories anymore, they're remaking their *own* adaptations with only minimal changes, in a completely different medium using visuals that will age within a decade or so. everything ends up looking uncanny and out of place because they're partially trying to recreate sets/color palettes/character designs that were specifically created to look good in 2d, but also trying to be 'realistic' which removes some of that inherent appeal. no matter what way they lean it's just not going to look as good, especially because the classic animation will literally be beautiful forever (and that's why every generation since their release has grown up with them). combined with the story needing to retain its core beats for nostalgia and recognition's sake, and broadway versions doing way more creative adaptations of these films, i just don't get why it's necessary when they could do a remastered theatrical rerelease of the original (like they used to before vhs/dvd) if they wanted to recirculate the story and get more money- especially because their current original work clearly isn't being given the love it deserves. their production schedules have gotten super rushed resulting in more executive meddling and therefore less memorable storylines, turning red was robbed of a theatrical release, they barely promoted strange world and then acted surprised when it flopped, the same thing happened to princess and the frog so they literally purged their entire 2d department, and they've been announcing and sharing more about all their remakes than any of their originals lately... not to mention they're barely giving those originals time to breathe before they get remade now. like, does moana really need a live action instead of getting a sequel when it's not even a decade old yet? of course i'm happy that there's any original content to begin with, but it's hard to feel like they're respecting art when it seems like animation, the thing they built their entire empire on, is an afterthought now. (edit omg i'm sorry this is so long, i want to work in animation so i'm very passionate about this subject lol)

[@GoddessOfWhim2003]

i hate everything they're doing to my favorite movie. i saw the original for my 5th birthday in 1990 in theaters. it made a huge impact on me about not giving up on your dreams and true love is real

[@usonohoshi6165]

Okay so the movie doesn't mention what an art book points out about how Ariel already rules apart of the sea. So I'm guessing since you didn't mention it it was never mentioned in the film? I honestly hope that's the case, because the ending insinuates that both Eric and Ariel basically abandoned their respective kingdoms. Which I find VERY funny to be honest.

[@jendoe9436]

Just…. Why? Admittedly, The Little Mermaid isn’t one of my top favorite movies (think it got overplayed too much for me growing up, so I tended to zone out on it), but even I can see how the ‘changes’ are messing up a perfectly passable story. For one, why are they pointing out Eric as being adopted? Yeah his parents weren’t mentioned in the original movie, but normally monarchy lines are passed through BIRTH RITE. Unless Eric was the Queen’s (because I’m assuming that’s the line the movie wants to trace since the King/dad isn’t mentioned much and gIrL PoWeR) orphaned nephew or something it’s very unlikely the adoption would work, or at worst the people are being lied to about Eric’s lineage. Second, the idea of Ariel having amnesia is one of the most stupidest and overused tropes in romance. If she had amnesia to not wanting to be around Eric, then she should instead be more focused on the trinkets and sights of the town. Ariel’s whole thing was an obsessed fascination with human things. Now that she’s on the surface, wouldn’t the fishermen be practically tying the girl down because she keeps running off to see things? Like she did in the original, but also stayed close to Eric since he was her guide and goal to fulfill the contract. Third, an environmental message, really? 🤦‍♀️ Ugh, animated environmental PSA’s are hardly good or coherent. And given Disney’s track record and influence, they are honestly the last ones to talk about pollution and sustainability. Guess they’re trying to cash in on those sweet ESG credits. Honestly, I’m way more excited for Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. It looks fun, different, sweet, and has a genuine red headed mermaid!

[@jturner2577]

I think Ruby Gillman could shred the Live Action Little Mermaid at the box office.

[@bewareking6458]

Who ironically is the villain/antagonist of the movie. Dream Works is soooooo totally going to bash Disney over the head. I'm seeing this movie for sure. At least DreamWorks can get color down to a T.

[@jturner2577]

​@@bewareking6458 DreamWorks crubstomps Disney in terms of Quality. They certainly did with Into the Spider-verse and Puss in Boots 2.

[@skydawn4103]

@@jturner2577 Into the Spider-Verse was made by Sony Pictures Animation. But it seems that you're right otherwise

[@jendoe9436]

@@bewareking6458 Hence one of the reasons I'm excited for Ruby! DreamWorks does pretty well with dismantling common tropes while keeping that sense of respect for them. The fact it involves ragging on Disney is extra nice as that's their call signature 🤭 The color and style are also really nice to look at. Even the dark sea from the trailer doesn't just look like a blob of black. The Kraken's glow probably helps light the water, but it still shows that it's possible to set scenes at the bottom of the ocean and still be able to make everything out. Plus, Ruby looks so cute! I'm not normally a fan of the 'squishy' look, but something about her just makes me smile. And yeah, Chelsea is definitely gonna sell the movie! It looks like DreamWorks is going more for the siren route with her, which I'm here for.

[@Schoolgirl325]

I think it was a mistake to make Scuttle a gannet bird to have her carry human artifacts to Ariel from above the sea, rather than having Ariel go up there herself to get answers. Triton’s explosion at Ariel after he finds out she rescued a human actually makes more sense in that context, and it makes him more sympathetic. He’s not happy about Ariel’s fascination with humans before, but the grotto destruction was a reckless moment of blind rage. He finds out she’s fallen in love with a human, and his patience with her runs out, so he explodes at her by destroying her entire grotto to punish her. In spite of how upset he was with Ariel for being fascinated with the world above before, he still didn’t enjoy being tough on her or grounding her.,It was only when he found out that Ariel actually rescued the life of a human that he finally lost his shit on her because, from his perspective, that was the most dangerous thing she could have done. Triton’s mind immediately went to the possibility that she could have been killed by a human, like his wife, Ariel’s mother, was. In spite of his disappointment with Ariel for going to the surface, Triton hadn’t ever reacted as badly as he had in the grotto scene before. It’s why Ariel is so horrified that her father would actually get angry enough to punish her by destroying her grotto in that scene. It was his tipping point, and that’s the whole point of that grotto scene. He’d get angry, lecture her about the dangers of humans and the surface world, but this was the worst thing he did, regardless of pure intent. You can tell destroying Ariel’s grotto collection as punishment was something he deeply regretted afterwards. In this remake, it sounds like he just loses his shit on her the moment he finds out about her going to the surface. There’s no slow-burn build up to that explosion in her grotto, and it makes Triton less sympathetic as a result. He just destroys her grotto collection the moment he finds out she went to the surface.

[@TheAmateurPodcast]

Also Eric risking his life to save Ariel was also to prove to her father that not all humans are bad and that they are capable of loving mermaids even after knowing who they truly are. 🙄🙄 how Disney misses the point to their own movie is beyond me

[@Schoolgirl325]

@@TheAmateurPodcast To be fair, while I still stand by my previous statement that Triton was never a deliberately malicious abusive parent like Frollo, Lady Tremaine, or Mother Gothel, I do think he falls in the same category of essentially well-meaning, but occasionally abusively overprotective and illogically restrictive Disney traditionalist parent as Elena “Abuelita” Rivera from Coco when she destroyed her grandson Miguel’s guitar after finding out he rebelled to get it because she was taught that “music made her father leave her mother and grandmother,” or Queen Elinor when she cried to herself after angrily burning her daughter Merida’s crossbow because she wanted for her to be a more suitable princess consort for marriage, rather than the free spirited tomboy her daughter keeps trying to be instead. Triton’s not intentionally going out of his way to be the bad guy in Ariel’s life. He does genuinely love his family, particularly his youngest daughter, and he doesn’t delight in making any of them feel sad. However, he really wants her to be safe and live up to his standards and traditions as a normal mermaid princess in Atlantica. Much like these other exceedingly strict and overprotective traditionalist Disney/Pixar parents, he’s not willing to be open and upfront with Ariel or anyone else about his own issues. He’s gotten too comfortable with avoiding insecurities, fears, and past traumas by wielding authority and intimidation over others to get them to comply to his rules instead because it’s easier than being vulnerable. Luckily, he does eventually come around to make amends in the end, and learn from his mistakes. Of course, pure intention doesn’t excuse the abuser’s actions against their victims either, and I really don’t believe that any of these Disney/Pixar movies with these problematically overprotective parents do either, just because they are ultimately forgiven by their victims. In Triton’s case, his aggressively and cruelly overprotective punishment to “get through” to Ariel about humans by destroying her grotto collection pushed his youngest daughter away from home and into the clutches of a monster that led to the near demise of all of Atlantica. Much like Ariel runs away from home after her father destroys her entire beloved collection of human knick knacks to “protect” her, Miguel also runs away from home and almost dies in the spirit world of his ancestors after his grandmother Elena destroys his guitar to keep him from being able to play music after her mother forbid it in the family. It is worth noting that not every abusive authority figure out there is acting that way to be evil, and they can change, if they are willing to recognize their faults. Queen Elinor almost gets transformed into a bear permanently after she destroys her bow and arrow to punish her for not being a “proper”lady as a princess consort like she wants her to be. Yes, these are Disney animated movies, and I understand problematic people with abusive traits don’t always change and recognize their bad choices and mistakes in their relationships that easily in real life, even if they aren’t maliciously intended. However, they should. If they truly have a conscience and love those they hurt, they will feel guilt for hurting them and change for the better, even if they don’t earn forgiveness. I think fans tend to equate forgiveness of an abuser as enablement of their abuse, but it’s not the same thing at all. If these abusively overprotective Disney parents were being enabled in the hurt they caused, then Ariel, Miguel, and Merida would just comply with everything they ordered them to do, regardless of how cruel, exceedingly restrictive, and unfair their parents methods were to discipline and “protect” them. They don’t, though. They call their problematic parents out, they rebel, they run away when they refuse to hear their kids out or hurt them to get across a point, and that is how they inspire these problematic parents of theirs to be kinder and loosen the leash on them for the better.

[@Danul623]

So their plan to give Ariel more agency is to have a magic spell dictate her decisions? This movie is the definition of "one step forward, two steps back."

[@GabePlaysYT]

7:35 how the heck is Ariel taking control of the ship when she's back as a mermaid 😫

[@jessicahawkes9637]

haha I know right. I'm like are they going to give her some special muscle strength to stand on her fins.. Who knows...

[@WingsOfDespair]

I have a lot of opinions but the point about the wedding being rushed struck me the most because I never saw it that way. The transition that was used for the original movie implied a time skip, in my opinion. Also another little tidbit about Kiss The Girl in the original that I haven't seen a lotta people bring up; Eric didn't know Ariel's name (cuz obviously she couldn't tell him, and Sebastian had to clue him in during the song). I can't imagine Eric wanting to kiss a girl without knowing her name, whether that girl saved him or not so that's another reason why he was hesitating and pulling back. Plus, he was much more receptive to kissing her after "guessing" her name before Flotsam and Jetsam ruined it.

[@TheRavenShadowsWolf]

The marriage first; gave a MUCH happier end than the original powerful and poignant tale... but there was also the aspect of the song "Part of Your World." Which was a big selling point for the original movie. She literally gets what she always wanted - to be a full, and permanent part of his world. Eric gets the queen that he didn't know he was always waiting for, which would have been part of the royal responsibility that he was subconsciously ignoring (to almost willfully, given that it didn't suit his own sensibilities to just pick SOMEONE. It had to be the "Right" girl. Which was Ariel) So they get to grow together for the rest of their lives in a hopeful, likely very happy and still challenging marriage that depending on how old you are to watch the scene you'll understand as inferred. Or not, since the first time I saw this I was maybe 10 in the theatres when it first came out. So that part was lost on me then, it was just a good ending where the two characters you spent the whole movie watching several side characters go so far out of their way to help, get the ending they wanted. Which is still better than being sea foam, while Eric marries another girl. (I do like Hans' version, and I respect the intent in that lesson, but man. Grim/Dark... and it wasn't even written by brothers)

[@TheRavenShadowsWolf]

@@mariatorres-by6du Not saying you're wrong at all; but it's not the version I know. According to a summary I just looked up by Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) the story has different variants. Which wouldn't surprise me. The version he tells because I saw the original movie before I knew about this summary, sounds like it takes elements of both the tale I know, and Disney's story. The one that I read that was a "dumbed down" version (since it's a fairy tale - they'd have to make it digestable for kids of as many skill levels as possible) a LONG time ago. In that version the "grandmother" was the sea witch, and the bargain was very clear. You get to live as the human you want to be, but you have to I believe it was -contextually - give up something you value just as much as the thing I offer. Which translated in the gift of the dagger to the point of, kill what you love. There could be several variants, and the one I read may have been the version more commonly associated with the brothers' Grimm. I can appreciate the sacrifice, but heck, I loved the original Disney's Little Mermaid BECAUSE it was a different take on the same basic tale but it DIDN'T go there. So you're known version is a good one too. Frankly every culture probably has aspects of the same tales, with different mythical beings and fantastical endings based on their own beliefs and values. You could tell me she changed into a Djinn, a Gargoyle or a Griffon, and I'd believe there was some version out there where she might have done. There's at least two different versions of Repunzel I know of, though I believe people get her confused with Sleeping Beauty, and call it Briar Rose.

[@bushral.tasneem5464]

@@mariatorres-by6du there are two versions: the original where she turns into seafoam, and the rewritten one where she turns into a daughter of air.

[@tangroro]

4:02 What the actual fuck? I bet they made this change so the "strong female lead" won't be the one who's forcing herself onto a man, which is the thing that pisses me off the most, when people said it's sending harmful message to kids, but Ariel wasn't trying to get Eric to kiss her because she loves him, she's doing that because HER SOUL AS LITERALLY ON THE LINE! If Eric didn't kiss her in time she would become Ursula's prisoner, so this change just makes the scene actually harmful and creepy Hell, I'm willing to bet in the original, considering the context, even if Eric DID kiss her right there and then during Kiss the Girl, the spell still wouldn't work because Ursula specifically said it has to be a kiss of "true love", and at the time Eric's heart still belongs to the girl who saved him, not human Ariel, so even if they kissed it won't do anything

[@droth1031]

I keep saying it; it's the New Coke Strategy. Release a new, inferior version of a well known product, then when people complain, re-release the original product and watch the sales skyrocket. They've re-released the 89 movie on DVD and Blu-ray, but they're charging new release prices.

[@jillevers1432]

She get amnesia from the spell? The prince collects ocean things? And Ariel gets to kill Usuala? Why are my predictions becoming terrifying results?

[@VanAkita]

Original Ariel: fascinated by the surface world and land, motivated even more to visit them when Eric is rescued 2023 Ariel: possibly escapist mermaid wanting to follow a man she rescued in the unknown land of the surface because she had the hots for him. Disney higherups: Original ariel only chased after a man

[@kingandrewcecil348]

"Geez mon, I'm surrounded by amateurs! 😫😫😫" - Sebastian the Crab, upon hearing how literally everyone behind the production of The Little Mermaid 2023 live-action remake keep completely missing the point of the original 1989 animated classic with these changes as demonstrated here 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️🤦

[@Leamichellefan2244]

Will you hate me if I say this whole thing is just absolute garbage and I have no intention of watching it?

[@maxtull21]

Likewise.

[@Leamichellefan2244]

@@maxtull21 thank you, and I also said that one of the reasons I have no intention of watching it it’s because the lead actress in my mind at least based on what I’ve heard from the trailers has a very singing voice and very acting but apparently I’m not allowed to say those things because I just got told off for it. oh, and I meant to say very emotionless acting in very average singing I guess those words didn’t make it in somehow. Sorry please don’t discount my opinion for that, and please don’t hate me for my opinion.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

No, we’ll do the exact opposite.

[@AL-ws5yi]

@@Leamichellefan2244 we can’t express our opinions current year.

[@Leamichellefan2244]

@@AL-ws5yi yeah, I’ve noticed

[@BEB156]

As someone who've fought tooth and nails for years for Disney Little Mermaid (mostly for Ariel, my all-time favorite Disney princess) and debunked most of the criticisms against the movie or its main character, it's really painful to note that the remake is trying so hard to "correct" and "fix" its source material... only to make this criticisms more valid.

[@leelewis445]

They simply don't know how to tell a sensical story. Given the fact that they have the original movie as a blueprint and still completely drop the ball with these asinine changes, is a indictment of the utter hackery behind these remakes. This attitude of "we are the choosen ones to fix the mistakes of the past" is so ego driven and disgusting. As much as I would want this movie to flop, it may very well make them a decent return. What an utter shame.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

All in favor of watching the original film in protest like this comment

[@Newsgomergirl]

I just finished watching the original myself 😊

[@AL-ws5yi]

Yup!

[@andrewdowns3673]

Unfortunately I have to watch it for my job. But I ain't going to like it and will watch the original.

[@queenclarity4709]

Already done

[@zillauniverse7208]

I just got it on Blu Ray today

[@monsterchic162]

Honestly it's actually kind of hilarious that they keep creating the problems that they claim the original has and are trying to avoid. They did the same in cinderalla where they had her leave the house and be more independent, also having her mother die when she was an adult instead of a child, all claiming that's so much stronger and less passive... except she's more passive in the remake cause unlike the original she's not a child that was manipulated and trapped in servitude, she's an adult that could leave at any time. Unlike the original where cinderalla got angry and frustrated and tried her hardest to escape when the step mother locked her in her room, the remake has her smiling the whole time and instead of trying to escape she just sings and dances and ends up being being let out cause the mice open a window and someone hears her singing... and yet she's supposed to be stronger? Mulan is another one where they clearly didn't look at the source material. The remake has her be perfect and a great fighter from the get go, all the mistakes with the match maker are made by the new unnecessary sister and they act like her hiding the fact that she's a girl is a bad thing... all of which completely misses the point that mulan is not a fighter, but she goes anyway because she knows her father won't survive another war and she hides who she is because women weren't allowed to fight and she would've been killed! It's actually ridiculous how badly these woke directors and actors interpret the originals and think that their shitty lifeless remakes are better.

[@awenrose4765]

Well, it's not usually the actors fault. Most of the time, the blame can only be put on the directors and writers. The actors are only doing their jobs. I'm an actor myself, and trust me, we do NOT always agree with the writing, but there's only so much we can do. Only a very famous, very powerful actor can request script rewrites and actually be listened to. We have a lot less power than people seem to think. However, in this particular case, I am upset with Ariel's actor for what she said about how this Ariel is better than the original because she "doesn't just leave for a boy." That statement is something she had a choice in, and personally, I think it was wrong. It's a shame too, because i actually liked her in interview clips I saw and was excited for her.

[@jturner2577]

​@@awenrose4765 Hello fellow actor. Well Techincally I'm an aspiring one who's only done 1 short film as an Extra.

[@monsterchic162]

@@awenrose4765 You're right, my apologies. When I included actors in my rant I was mainly thinking of hallie berry. I never followed any behind the scenes of the others, I just wrote them off as bad remakes and never looked at them again after watching them, but The Little Mermaid was my favourite growing up so I kinda take extra offense to how badly they're butchering my childhood favourite and acting like they're doing it a favour when they clearly weren't paying attention when they watched it cause if they did then they'd realise that their complaints are moot points.

[@awenrose4765]

@@monsterchic162 Yeah I get that. They really did not understand their own movie. In their attempt to be "feminist" they ruined a perfectly good, actually fairly feminist character and made the whole movie have a bit of a...weirdly misogynistic undertone

[@eternalbliss330]

@@awenrose4765 r u guys braindead? do u lack reading comprehension?? halle has already stated that isnt at all what she meant. she said, they changed the PERSPECTIVE of ariel leaving the sea “just for a boy”. perspective meaning, some audiences perspective of ariel’s character. as u can tell, many ppl lack media literacy as a majority of the population literally think ariel left the sea for dick. thats an ongoing joke abt the movie, halle said this film makes it CLEARER that that is NOT the case since people lacked the nuance to get it the first time.

[@slicerneons3300]

I hope it fails. A message that we won't put up with low quality rewrites of childhood classics, one that they will listen to if it hits them in the pocketbook hard enough.

[@needle1025]

I say this: When the movie comes out...NO HATE WATCHING!!!

[@bbgunz1705]

Why would I have expected anything else from a Disney live action remake? Seriously, all of the remakes for the Renaissance's big 4 (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King) all suffer from the same problems: they're all the same damn film as the originals with the charm and visual appeal sucked out, and whatever changes or additions they have are pointless and made to address 'problems' with the movie that never even existed in the first place, and shows that the people behind these remakes completely missed what the originals were about. Honestly, after everything I now know about the film, race-swapping Ariel now seems like the LEAST offensive thing about this movie: CGI animals with no expression, disrespectfully changing the lyrics of Howard Ashman's songs (again, for issues that never existed), putting Eric down so Ariel looks better (social vengeance), and Scuttle voiced by Awkwafina? So yeah, not watching it. If I am going to watch a movie involving mermaids coming out soon, it'll be Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. I really hope DreamWorks keeps up its hot streak and the film is good, because we would all love it if they outdid Disney with a mermaid movie released the same year. Anyways, great video as always, and congratulations to M and J for reaching 40,000 subs! Woohoo! May you girls rise and prosper while Disney crashes and burns.

[@MaverickhunterXZero]

Modern writers hate the classics because they can never create any better. So they set out to demean the original and "fix" the problems of it.

[@serafine666]

Disney has gone from competing for Best Picture to being so pathetic that they don't even understand their own movies. It kind of hurts to see the studio humiliate themselves, and fall so far that they are actively trying to undo their greatest successes. It's not even worth analyzing their failure because the writing is just that vapid.

[@umbrellaunderdog]

I hardly would call stealing other people's original works as "competing for best picture" except for maybe cheating to do so.

[@serafine666]

@@umbrellaunderdog Whose original works do you believe they stole?

[@katiewhitson4940]

I was just telling my husband the other night that if they really wanted to do a reimagining of The Little Mermaid they should have done a movie version of the stage musicals (I saw it about a month or so ago at local Catholic high school I thought it made some interesting changes while still doing a service to the source material.)

[@bobi200samatar6]

It would be amazing if this film causes people to go back to the animated version and realize how actually cool Ariel is there. I can only hope for the best

[@Cartoonandanimelove1]

the original Eric: romantic, gentleman, respectful (holds back from kissing her), gets to know her, friendly with the town folks New Eric: Closed off, tries to kiss her without consent but she pushes away, has never met the town folk since he’s not allowed to leave the castle Old Ariel: adventurous, rebellious (explores dangerous places, doesn’t obey her dad or show up to her shows at the castles), dreams of seeing a new world and gets the courage after coming in contact with Eric and finding out humans are not dangerous after all New Ariel: Zombiefied by Ursula. Has no personal drive. Has never seen the human world before and suddenly likes it after the prince comes into her life (making her entire drive the prince)

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

I hate all these unnessecary changes. Disney really doesn't get its own movie lol. The cast especailly doesn't get the original story. But we're taking my sister to see it for her b-day lol. Every once in a while you've gotta see a bad movie right? So we're gonna suffer through it together.

[@Coramelimane]

I coulda swore, the sailors of eric's kingdom venerated Triton, claiming calm seas and blue skies are his blessing, and mermaids were a sign of good luck.

[@jessicahawkes9637]

yep kinda mentions it in the original.

[@dawnmana5876]

They went so "diverse" that they made things make no sense. My family is VERY mixed, and my siblings and I still don't look as "diverse" as faux Ariel's siblings. It makes it look like either Triton or his wife was a whore. Why is Eric's mother black? He's milk white. That makes no sense. Is his dad Asian? That would make the movie more of a funny parody.

[@hassathunter2464]

Pretty sure they added the "adoption" thing just so they can add a PoC "mother", even if that ruins the entire monarchy. Hacks through and through. And yes, Triton's sleeping around now... yaaaaaay. 😒

[@j.d.529]

I won’t be seeing this one in theaters. Prince Eric was my favorite prince, and there ruining his character.

[@theroseofversailles]

Eric is one of my favorite princes too. I love his original personality. But this new Eric is not my Eric. Why is Disney ruining everything??

[@victorvvc1925]

Ariel leaving everything for a man is not a misunderstanding, it's a blatant lie wokes made up to throw dirt on the original film to justify this poor copy and the unnecessary racial token! There's a very famous song called "Part of your world" where she explains why she wants to live out of the sea, and this is a song she sings before she meets Eric

[@eternalbliss330]

meanwhile, there’s currently a viral tik tok with 2.1m likes depicting ariel as “the princess that left the sea for dick”, so aside from your blatant racism in this comment, ur also wrong abt that not being a misunderstanding. as most people took that away from the original, unfortunately, not everyone possesses media literacy.

[@victorvvc1925]

@@eternalbliss330 So likes are a now an argument... what about the 2 million dislikes on the movie trailer? Are those arguments too? Oh, no, those are not cuz that's RACISM! 🥱💤... Another woke clown calling people RACIST as they just can't tolerate anyone thinking different from them! They have their heads so deep inside their asses they think you must be mentally impaired to differ from the BS they pretend to believe in! That is so mature! 🍼👈🏻 For you!

[@hassathunter2464]

@@eternalbliss330 TikTok, the place where braincells go to die...

[@victorvvc1925]

@@hassathunter2464 And yet somehow 14-year-old likes are great arguments to believe Ariel left everything for a dick! They should change their nickname to eternalBullS**t330!

[@starblossom05]

Withoud Ariel & Eric married we whould also never have Melody there daughter.

[@WithoutaLight]

Why do I have the feeling that they decided to "fix problems" that weren't there and they did it in a way that means they CREATED the problems they were complaining about? :D If this version was the first one and they remade it by creating the animated one, the "we fixed this and that problem" would make more sense tbh 😄

[@PheonixCheeseStudios]

I'm gonna just follow the lead of one of the other comments and just take any of the useful world building ideas. Through I like the idea of Eric having a collection of sea stuff like how Ariel collects stuff from the land

[@Sivick314]

I have yet to see a single live action disney remake that was in any way an improvement over the animated version. they're just cash grabs across the board

[@jturner2577]

A full length Night on Bald Mountain movie possibly could. But sadly it went nowhere.

[@ManderzArl]

I wish I had done that as well. They ruined Beauty and The Beast. Especially the library scene. I did like Cinderella though.

[@kunonabi]

Cinderella came the closest since it mostly just fleshed out things but some of the casting really sunk it for me. Carter playing the fairy godmother like a Tim Burton character just derailed the whole thing.

[@jturner2577]

​@@kunonabi Cinderella and the Jungle Book are the closest Disney has gotten to a good live action remake of their Animated Films

[@angelcat2865]

The only live action remake I've EVER liked is 101 Dalmatians from the 90s. It's the only one I'll ever truly recommend.

[@minximayhem]

I honestly wouldn't even waste my time pirating this. It's such a waste for everyone involved. Halle Bailey, who is both gorgeous and talented. Javier Bardem. Even Melissa McCarthy. I was thinking about this last night actually. If I owned a movie theater I would refuse to put this on my screens and just show the original movie instead. No matter how much shit I got for it. There just comes a time where you just have to say no. Enough is enough. Enough race swapping, enough revisionism, enough being called a bigot for being sick and tired of this. Just enough. I also feel bad for the girl they got to do the novelization. Just some rando from Insta that does shorts about "brown girls". That's all it takes I guess. Did they pay her actual money or was it enough to have her name on that book? Cos from the passages it's like they just showed her parts of the toilet paper rolls with script words on it and she just took dictation. Eric doing things instead of having done things drives me up a wall narratively. At least remove the action markers. "Eric stands by a wall. *A Beat* The water roars arounds him *Optical*" As opposed to "Eric stood fast against the wall as the waters raged around him. Mercilessly." To think, English wasn't my best class. And yet. I really don't mean to knock her. Like I said this film fails everyone. I'm going to go watch Phoebe Tonkin on H2O,

[@Leamichellefan2244]

I don’t care how talented or gorgeous Halle is. I’m sorry when she started going out there and acting like oh I am Ariel now I am Ariel now I represent Ariel when she started being that arrogant that turned me off big time.

[@kittycatmeowmeow963]

Halle may be pretty and talented, but the movie is fucking ugly and terrible!😑

[@Kuromikinnie]

Race swapping is a stretch, the movies horrible but race swapping is certainly not one of the horrible things. You are in fact just a bigoted like your said 😂

[@xel1673]

Changing the spell on Ariel to where she doesn't even remember her goals and the risk she's put herself in not only makes her a total idiot for taking the deal (if she is aware she's going to lose her memory), but it also, as you say, ruins the tension. Rather than people, like kids (who might not be familiar with the animated version), wondering "will she, won't she?", it will be far more frustrating to watch her ignorantly sabotage herself from doing the one thing she 100% needs to do to avoid becoming the property of a sea witch. Furthermore, why does Ursula even bother to make good on the deal if she can just cast additional spells on Ariel? She could have even dumped Ariel miles away from where Eric is and let her roam around until the spell ends. Heck, if Ursula can alter Ariel's mental state and memories, then just magically suggest to her she's already failed at her task before she's even gone to the surface and then turn her into a seaweed creature in her garden. Far less work and zero risk.

[@leoncoben6983]

I just want to actively throw up whenever I hear about how they're ripping all the magic out of what was a great story. Narratively, visually, and creatively they are removing everything that was great about the original and shoving in modern today *NON ISSUES* just so they can self-project and whine about the world not being their dystopia. Unlike most of the other remakes The Little Mermaid actually has a very exclusive special place in my heart. The music was top notch in that movie and I loved it to my core and was one of my preferred Disney classics as a kid. The only other movie that I love just as much as this is from my childhood is Tarzan, but thankfully he's been done so many times they really can't ruin him.

[@Toaster-draws]

So- Disney thinks having Ariel not wanting to kiss Eric and him trying to kiss her is a better message? Also, that completely goes against what they are trying to do. Have the people making the remake not watch the original? This is just so confusing lol.

[@v13dendr]

So a random fisherman finds Ariel naked. Talk about akward.

[@colorin81colorado]

Your comments are always onpoint and very creative! This little mermaid is a stinker but your channel rocks!

[@AiIii-t3t]

I really feel weird when I see all the sisters - mermaids of different races. That is, doesn’t this mean that their mothers are different. And it turns out that instead of a touching love story from one part of the cartoon, where they all missed their mother, and where the father loved their mother, it turns out that Poseidon had his own harem?

[@suzygirl1843]

Jesus, get over it. They're trying to sell a product

[@KcTheForbidden]

They're mermaid maybe in this version kinda like the Broadway one birth is a little different comparatively to a human where a mermaid can have babies that range in race. Like I said in the broadway version they were different races too

[@lulukulu5489]

​@@KcTheForbidden Broadway always have a more of an excuse for blind casting, even that 90s black Cinderella movie uses a more stage background and obvious Hollywood set, movies however, is weird, double weird unless its entirely comedy😂

[@gunkulator1]

A half man/half fish creature: This is fine. The creatures have different skin tones: This is an outrage!

[@darkpinkgirl6684]

​@@suzygirl1843 mf we can comment on a movie's dumb creative directions if we want, unlike you, we don't want to mindlessly consume products

[@marissawilson9460]

The musical made some good changes without changing the characters or their motivations. These changes seem to be backwards of their intent especially Kiss The Girl. I wish Disney would stop or at least Re-make movies that actually need to be remade like The Black Cauldron.

[@jturner2577]

Agreed or movies of segments/shorts that could be expanded into a feature length film like Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain. I honestly think that could be a geuinelly unsettling film.

[@Inrezairo]

Darn, sounds like they had one new addition that could actually have been amazing. If Eric had a collection of sea treasures that could be so sweet, imagine the two walking down the beach, Ariel finding something like a coral hair clip from the palace and being reminded of home. Eric catches up and sees what she has exclaiming how lovely it is and sees Ariel holding it close thinking she finds it fascinating when really Ariel is just homesick. Eric takes a chance and chooses to show Ariel his collection and it could be at this point that the two really form that genuine bond over a shared love for each others world and this could help Ariel feel a little better and set the stage for the two falling in love. Imagine still a scene where Eric is puzzling over a ocean object and Ariel with a playful smile shows him how to use it, maybe something like a music box or light source that Eric would be struck silent by and just sits with Ariel for a time enjoying each others company. Ursula who depends on words to manipulate would never understand that you don't always need words to communicate and bond.

[@SamTheMan8707]

The whole her forgetting about this kiss thing is stupid...they should have had Ursula make her forget how to write to make the communication aspect harder...sort of like in the live action Cinderella (the only good remake honestly) the fairy godmother ensured her stepfamily wouldn't recognize her.

[@danielmalinen6337]

The reason why Ariel doesn't go to meet Scuttle on the surface, but Scuttle comes to meet Ariel under the surface, is said to be that King Triton has forbidden going to the surface and Ariel wants to obey her father's order because visiting the surface is forbidden to them. I guess with this change they want to convey a message and show that the new Ariel is less rebellious and less unruly than her old 1980s counterpart because the new Ariel is meant to be a decent, modest and exemplary good role model for young people, unlike the old one who was just a relatable teen character in the story. The downside of this change is that Ariel is now less free-spirited and wants to be less independent.

[@ejo663]

You've captured my thoughts so well. It's annoying that they made it seem like this was going to be more nuanced than the original when it is very shallow and confusing. I genuinely believe the only changes they really needed to make is just focusing on the human and mermaid folk conflict and resolution.

[@ple8379]

What they also missed, is the fact, that it was never confirmed, how much time passed after the fight with Ursula and the wedding in the cartoon (or as far as I'm aware). Some time has passed, or I'm going to assume so, the way they did the transition, but we don't know whether it was maybe a couple of days, or maybe months for that matter. Because it was neither confirmed or denied, I guess it's for the viewer to decide that. All they needed to do in the remake, was to say, that the wedding happens say, a few months after the fight. That's it, they wouldn't even have to change the visuals XD

[@clairelin0216]

They used time skip in the animation, and considering how Grimsby had said that planning a royal wedding does take some time, so maybe a few months? They never confirmed how much time had passed to the wedding scene, but since planning that wedding does take time, it's not like we need a caption there to tell us something like "three months later." for it to make sense.

[@ple8379]

@@clairelin0216 Apparently they do have to, if even the writers for the live actions think it happened like the next day or something :V.

[@clairelin0216]

@@ple8379 So they really didn't watch the animation, because if they did watch the entire animation, they should remember that Grimsby said planning a royal wedding does take some time, and that means more than one day.

[@ple8379]

@@clairelin0216 To be fair, I don't think any of the people who were writing the script for any of the live action remakes actually watched the source material at all. It's like you get a school essay to write on a book that you did not read, so you just read a short synopsis and write the essay like they know everything. That's kinda what I feel watching the live action remakes.

[@clairelin0216]

@@ple8379 They want to change things without any reasons, they had to make up reasons to change it. Even when people have no problems with the animation.

[@ManderzArl]

We need to raise awareness of protecting established IPs everywhere.

[@jturner2577]

Ditto.

[@grasshoppersofdoom]

I was actually a bit excited to see this movie before watching this video, it's very much giving fanfiction vibes, especially the amnesia part

[@Merchantic]

The remake sounds somehow worse than the other Disney remakes because it actively goes AGAINST what the original tried to do with its characters. It's actively evil and despicable in the name of progressiveness.

[@samueltitone5683]

I don’t know. Mulan 2020 is still a movie that will occasional pop in my head and make my blood actively ignite. Not only did they fuck up the genuinely positive message of the 90s movie by making it another goddamn chosen one story, they tried so hard to be progressive they accidentally made a film more regressive than the original poem which was written when the Roman Empire was still around! And then they had the GALL to thank the workers of a literal concentration camp during the credits!

[@hassathunter2464]

Pretty sure that sums up all the live-action remakes. TLK: Morale stripped out. Pinnochio: Made no actual actions, passive observer to all Peter Pan: HE'S EVIL! Mulan: No, you need the CHI, not willpower.

[@PersonallyPerhaps]

It’s like the people at Disney are just a bunch of people who have not seen anyone of the movies they’re remaking

[@AL-ws5yi]

This is just a cash grab for a company that has become creatively bankrupt.

[@jturner2577]

Except for their Television Animation. That's still good.

[@AL-ws5yi]

@@jturner2577 yes, it also was original stories that expanded the lore.