My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

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My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by DC Fan »

Hi

I have this friend that he´s very weird. Want to know to what extent?

1. For the most part he won´t watch animated movies until Christmas time. Cause he just feels that´s the time to do it.

2. I know he´s the kind of person who´d like (REALLY) like Game of Thrones. I found the BD for the first 2 Seasons extremely cheap so I asked him if he´d be interested in them. And he said that he doesn´t feel like watching it EVER. Even though he knows how good it is.

He´s just that close minded.

As for Disney movies, he´s just barely started. Because of me. He has recently watched, for the first time, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

I said that just to give you the idea of how he is.

BTW, he has Tangled as his favorite Disney movie.

Thing is when he watched The Little Mermaid he found on it so many faults that it´s his least favorite of them all.

It´s not that he has to love it but most of he´s criticisms are too much.

-He doesn´t get why or how Ariel fell in love at first sight with Eric.

...I told him that´s just what happens in the story and Disney did it´s best (for the first movie that started what we now think of Disney in 1989) by at least having her that fascination with the human world.

I told him that, even though he doesn´t realize it, he´s comparing The Little Mermaid with Tangled. Of course, a movie made in these times will have a better explanation for everything with a princess much more proactive,

-At the climax of the movie he doesn´t understand how Ursula was defeated so easily since he believed her to be a goddess with all that power.

...I told her that was his thinking. But she never was.

And things like those. That he´s being extremely severe to the movie. I told him that he just had to watch it and accept it as it is. He can´t be looking for, basically, perfection. If the movie was made today of course it would have been different. But as it is it´s just a charming, beautiful movie. Most importantly: amazing for the time and the one that brought us his beloved Tangled.

So, what do you think? Is he right for judging the movie that way or he´s just been too harsh on it by somehow expecting it to be like Tangled?
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Semaj
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by Semaj »

As harsh as his critiques sound, you probably should show your friend some of Disney's earlier films, just so he can see how far the company has come since the days of Snow White.

The Little Mermaid was, of course Disney's first try with a fairy tale feature in 30 years. In addition to taking cues from Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, Ariel can be thought of as a stepping stone towards princesses presented from a modern, more active perspective.

I understand how frustrating it is dealing with non-cartoon fans.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by bruno_wbt »

I just hate people who dislike The Little Mermaid... I'm sorry, but I can't help it...
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by DC Fan »

My friend has seen the Walt Disney era movies. In fact, he loves them so much that (if it wasn´t for me) he´d never seen other Disney movies as he didn´t think they were on par.

To some degree he disliked Aladdin as well.

Putting it into perspective he has Robin Hood much better placed than The Little Mermaid; dead last.

And, as I said, it´s not that he has to like it. But to me he was just been looking for any kind of flaw to criticize it. And then he has Tangled as his most beloved. Yes, a princess movie made today what would it have? A strong female protagonist, fun, funny, action packed, going to an adventure...Things that are mean to appeal today´s appeal.

...Had Tangled/Rapunzel made in 1989 and Little Mermaid today they would have been opposite movies.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by Disney's Divinity »

bruno_wbt wrote:I just hate people who dislike The Little Mermaid... I'm sorry, but I can't help it...
:lol:

I have met some very nice people who hate The Little Mermaid, but I'll admit I can't date anyone who does.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by MeerkatKombat »

My boyfriend doesn't rate the little mermaid at all. As much as I love that film, I'll admit there are faults in it but it does sound like he might be taking the whole film a little too seriously and trying to find reasons to hate it. However, It is his opinion at the end of the day and I think trying to force your friend to like the movie will only result in him hating it more.
Show him some other Disney films and maybe come back to it at a later date, but if he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by bradhig »

I don't like the The Little mermaid either. They changed the ending from the original story , near naked heroine who wants to mutate into another lifeform , and stupid father.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by Disney Duster »

He is being too harsh. Ariel falls in love at first sight, and Eric loves the girl who saved him and then the girl who couldn't speak but he had fun with. And Ursula and Triton aren't supposed to be gods, despite Triton's name, so they can be destroyed by piercing their hearts.

It's interesting he loves Tangled, and Walt's great classics, but not the great The Little Mermaid.
bradhig wrote:I don't like the The Little mermaid either. They changed the ending from the original story , near naked heroine who wants to mutate into another lifeform
That's in the original version of The little Mermaid, too.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by DC Fan »

Thank you.

He´s about to watch Frozen. If he hated the way Ariel fell in love with Eric I can´t wait to see what he´s going to say when:

All of a sudden Anna falls in love with Hans. And I´m not talking what´s meant to be a critique to these Disney romances. I´m talking about how instantly she decided she wanted to meet the guy of her dreams..

Seriously. I can´t wait.

And as for what he thought of Ursula that´s my biggest thing. Not only it´s not true but that´s what he wanted to believe. So, who´s fault it is?

BTW, still that moment when Ursula becomes a giant give me chills.

Also, didn´t stop to think about what you said regarding how he loves Tangled and the Disney era movies when they can´t be more different; ones slow, classic, traditional, filled with romance...and the other it´s a princess´story for today´s audience where everything has to be pop and fun...even if the story has to change the most.

Not to mention to place Robin Hobin in a list way higher than The Little Mermaid. Tastes are tastes. But just in terms of the animation (very rough/recycled) to place it so over TLM (that´s an amazing achievement...more so for 1989) it´s incredibly unfair.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by rodis »

I just had the same experience! Me and my boyfriend were watching TV Friday night when TLM came on... He's 35 and shockingly hadn't seen the film until two months ago. Anyway he didn't really watch it the first time, he skipped many parts and missed out on most of the action (weird, I know).

So last night we watched about midway through the film (he did point out that he knew Part of your World and Under the Sea) and he still insisted Ariel is an annoying brat and that there are too many songs. He liked Ursula though. He never even mentioned plot holes or stuff life that. Maybe it's because he's not really into movies in general and animation in particular (though he liked "Frozen"). I was just so sure he's gonna like it because Ariel has such gay appeal to her and of course the film is beautiful to look at in HD. Oh well :|
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by DC Fan »

To give another case to my friend... He didn´t particularly love Beauty and the Beast, although he found it better than TLM.

Funny you bring Ariel´s personality since he didn´t have a problem with her. In fact, he thought she was cute.

Still,I believe he wants to blame the movie for the love at first sight when THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO DO SINCE THE ORIGINAL STORY IS LIKE THAT. Heck, Disney al least gave Ariel the fascination with the human world. That´s something!

I just don´t get why someone can´t just sit and enjoy movies like these for what they are. Unless you find deep problems with the movie like Chicken Little, Home on the Range (or in my case Frozen) that are really noticeable then don´t bother.
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by DisneyJedi »

So... Apparently, this friend of yours hates The Little Mermaid (the first Disney movie where the heroine is proactive instead of sitting on her ass, waiting to be rescued) but he likes the walt era princess movies where the princesses are even less proactive?

Something tells me this friend is a bit of a hypocrite. :|
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Re: My friend that dislikes The Little Mermaid

Post by Elladorine »

Disney's Divinity wrote:
bruno_wbt wrote:I just hate people who dislike The Little Mermaid... I'm sorry, but I can't help it...
:lol:
I have met some very nice people who hate The Little Mermaid, but I'll admit I can't date anyone who does.
While my husband loves most things Disney, he actually dislikes TLM. One of my friends told me that would be a deal-breaker for her. :lol:
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