The Little Mermaid Discussion

[BATBfan1]

The whole Part Of Your World (Reprise) where Ariel sings gives me chills.

[Ting Ting]

Yes, the entire "Part of Your World" sequence is great. But there was just something about the waves splashing around her and her will to achieve her dream. It was very inspiring and made me smile.

[totallyminnie86]

best part of the movie.

[BATBfan1]

When Ariel sings in the Sun it is very romantic and she looks very pretty in that scene as well.
That gives me chills.

[BeautifulLittleLady]

A true Disney Classic in every sense of the word. There is not one bad aspect of this movie as far as I'm concerned and it revived the public and made them and the critics believe again in the magic of disney and its ability to create a wonderful family film. I remember as a child my friends and I being fascinated with all the films of the era and I can only hope I have the ability to share in the magic of new quality Disney films with my children.

[crunkcourt]

I absolutely adore this movie. I am hoping to have a few bars from Kiss the Girl play at my wedding before the kiss between me and my future husband; but we'll see if I can get people to agree to that.

[beckalovesariel]

this is my fav movie in the entire world of movies!
the special edition(aussie) and platinum edition(us) already
have there place on my TLM shelf! with or without giftset...
this was the first movie i ever saw at the movies so i guess
thats why its so special to me!
but also i just love everything about it!
from the animation, to the characters, to the music!
this movie just rocks!

[Matty]

Yes, the entire "Part of Your World" sequence is great. But there was just something about the waves splashing around her and her will to achieve her dream. It was very inspiring and made me smile.

Ah, yes! Same here. TLM was the first movie I ever saw in the theater, and I don't think my passion for it has ever faded. That is one of my most favorite scenes in the whole movie.... when I was little, I used to halfway lean on a footstool and thrust myself up just like her and pretend the waves were going up around me, and I'd sing at the top of my lungs... heheh, in the only way a little kid can

[Disney Duster]

Okay, a lot of people talk about how it's a problem that Ariel gives up everything for Eric when she doesn't know him enough to really be in love with him (even though I'd like to think she is really in love, or in the beginning stage).

Well, what if Ursula knows this, and that's why she says Ariel can't just get any kiss, it must be the kiss of True Love, all emphasized? So when Ariel actually spends time with Eric, she does get to know what he's like and really fall in love with him!

And was Ursula thinking that Ariel didn't really love him, or that Eric didn't really love her, or maybe Eric was just in love with her voice?

Sometimes in real life people think they love someone, but they really love something they have or some talent or something that's not them. It's hard to tell exactly what is a person, because isn't what you can do, even just sing well, part of who you are? Wouldn't you also want to be with someone who loves what you love, if you both like singing? Not that Eric sings, this is a more general question.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

Perhaps Ursula set the deal up so that either way she would win.

For example, Scenario 1:

Eric is in love with Ariel, but needs a little bit of time to realize it enough to make the first kiss a True Loves kiss. Therefore Ursula set a time limit of three days, which would be long enough for her to win his heart, but since Ursula has Flotsam and Jetsam she could interfere. Almost like a cat playing with a mouse, it lets the mouse think it's getting away but snatches it's freedom away just to do that over and over until it tires of it and eats it. Same thing, Ursula would let Ariel get closer and closer to Eric, but then interfere and ruin the moment, snatching away the perfect moment. Yes, I realize it's a rather poor comparison but it's all I have to work with right now.

Moving on, Scenario 2:

Eric doesn't love Ariel, he just loves her voice. Well, Ariels basically screwed in this scenario since she only has three days to get him to love her as a whole, not just for one feature. Plus Ursula has the whole "not in love" thing going for her, because even if Ariel kissed Eric before the three days are up, he'd have to be in love with her as well to make it "True Loves" kiss, not just "screw it we're kissing" moment.

So all in all, I think Ursula had her bases covered. Flotsam and Jetsam could screw things up and if necessary Ursula would be able to interfere personally, as seen in her Vanessa form. She succeded regardless, so I don't think it mattered too much in the end, but I guess that's beside the point since it's a "What If" not a "What Actually Happens"

Ariel gave up a lot for Eric based off of a "love at first sight" feeling. Perhaps for her, it is actually love, but then again it could have just been the early stages, and those three days on land only strengthened that love when she see's that he enjoys being around her as well. I think those three days made things worse for Ursula, because like I said, if it was only a basic crush spending those days on land with him only made the feeling more stronger for both Ariel and Eric.

[Disney Duster]

I can only say...I think you're very right and couldn't agree more. The cat playing with a mouse thing actually made me understand it better, good job!

But Ariel never would have taken the deal if she didn't have enough time, so Ursula had to make it seem like she could get him.

Eric looks like he might give up on the voice and go for Ariel, the Vanessa casts the spell that makes him emotionless and willng to marry her. Then the voice returns to Ariel and the spell breaks and he gets emotional again and goes to kiss her. Of course he's definately going to go with her now that he's had a great time with her and she has a great voice and she saved him. It just works out for him, it's hard to know what he would've done if he didn't have everything worked out. Like how everything works out for Aurora!

I thought Eric wanted to be with the mystery girl not because of her voice but because she saved him. I mean, if someone saved you, you would feel like they love you and you loved them, right?

I mean it could happen, don't just fall in love with just anyone "saves" you in real life!

[Aladdin from Agrabah]

...but I guess that's beside the point since it's a "What If" not a "What Actually Happens"

"What if".... "WHAT IF"????????????
Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?
What if there was a movie like Cinderella III? What if Eric actually kissed Ariel in the boat and Flotsam&Jetsam just didn't manage to ruin the whole thing? Would Ariel stay mute but human and with Eric forever? Would Ursula accept it and give up or try to interfere in another way? Would King Triton ever know what happened to his daughter? And if he ever found out what would he do? And what would be the reactions in Eric's kingdom about their new mute princess? Would Eric ever find out that she actually was a mermaid?

Ok this is a little off topic, but now I understand why Cinderella III was a good sequel. Because the whole "What if" thing is just awesome! And, IMHO, it could work perfectly for Ariel too. Not another turn-back-time story. Maybe just having Ariel sleeping in Eric's castle and dreaming about all this, the night before she found out that Eric was going to marry Vanessa. She actually could have a dream like this considering that when Scuttle woke her up and told her about the wedding, she was so happy like she was sure that he was in love with her, loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Like she had a dream about their future together. A movie based on a dream, just like Alice in Wonderland.

[UmbrellaFish]

I've metioned this at LAF

But do we know Ariel would have stayed mute. Here's a line from "Kiss the Girl"

She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl

People say that Sebastian was just trying to get Eric to kiss Ariel, and that it wasn't literal, but most lines in the other songs were literal. So, is it possible she would have gotten her voice back?And characters usually seem to known more than the audience. (or less, sometimes)

Although, a TLM 3: Twist in Time-type movie would be great. That's the best Ariel, not the old Ariel, or the fifteen year old Ariel, but the 16 year old Ariel in the movie.

[PeterPanfan]

Esentially, if it wasn't for Ursula's evilness, Ariel couldn't be with Eric. She wouldn't be human, and she would suffer having to watch Eric fade away with some other woman as Ariel remains there, "legless."

Maybe unless Triton had the power to change Ariel into a human, which he probably could do. But I doubt he would, considering how protective he is of his daughters, Ariel especially.

But maybe that goes to show Ursula wasn't that smart. Maybe she did know, that if the plan didn't work the way she wanted it to, she would lose everything she aquired. But maybe she just took that risk and went for it, which proves how much she wants to be beautiful. Anyone that looked like her would want to be beautiful, but thats beside the point..

[Aladdin from Agrabah]

I've metioned this at LAF

But do we know Ariel would have stayed mute. Here's a line from "Kiss the Girl"

She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl

People say that Sebastian was just trying to get Eric to kiss Ariel, and that it wasn't literal, but most lines in the other songs were literal. So, is it possible she would have gotten her voice back?And characters usually seem to known more than the audience. (or less, sometimes)

I don't know what Sebastian or the lyricist (who knew that in the end of the movie Ariel would get her voice back, obviously) said, but this is a contract between Ariel and Ursula, and Ursula didn't say anything about Ariel gaining her voice back. She just said that if Eric kissed her she would "stay a human permanently" and if not, Ariel would be hers. The voice would be Ursula's as this is how Ariel pays Ursula for her "service". No reason for giving back her voice.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

I think unless the contract specifically mentioned her voice outside of "It's your method of payment" then it would generally be returned to her.

However (now I'm going to contradict myself, I do that a lot now) since it is payment to Ursula for her services, it probably wouldn't return to her after/if she kissed him. I mean, I don't walk into a store 3 days later and ask for my money back after I bought what I wanted right? Since Ariel paid for the legs with her voice, she would most likely remain mute afterwards, unless she ran to her Dad for help on that matter. Could you imagine Little Mermaid 2 with a mute Ariel?

And........I just realized Aladdin from Agrabah pointed that out already, so instead consider above paragraph to support what he said

Peterpanfan: Triton does have the power to turn her human, as seen in the end of the movie when she's sitting on the rock and he talks to Sebastien, he waves the trident and she has legs again. At least that's how I remember the whole scene. It's not a matter of if he can, more of does he want to.

Thanks Disney Duster, for responding I'm glad the cat and mouse comparison helped, after I typed it I thought it sounded like I was crazy or something but I was remembering that whole Scar with a mouse scene at the time.

Ariel would have been more hesitant I think if there was less than three days, and as you said Ursula making it seem like she could get him just adds to the whole Cat and Mouse game.

Honestly I can't comment about what you've said concerning the two paragraphs about Eric, perhaps after a viewing of those scenes again would be better. So I'll be back with more on those later. Looks like I'm watching Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty now

[Lazario]

This is a true modern Disney classic (unlike a certain pair of 1989-1995 era films which will remain nameless).

And that's pretty much all I have to say. I think I've already raved enough about the "Poor Unfortunate Souls" scene on other threads. But, Ariel is a good, solid lead heroine. Ursula is one of Disney's greatest villains.

There's a lot to love about this one.

[Disney's Divinity]

^

Somehow I'm surprised. Or maybe I've just been out a while.

It's interesting, I never thought about the fact that Ursula could have kept Ariel's voice if she so desired.

People say that Sebastian was just trying to get Eric to kiss Ariel, and that it wasn't literal, but most lines in the other songs were literal. So, is it possible she would have gotten her voice back?And characters usually seem to known more than the audience. (or less, sometimes)

I don't know what Sebastian or the lyricist (who knew that in the end of the movie Ariel would get her voice back, obviously) said, but this is a contract between Ariel and Ursula, and Ursula didn't say anything about Ariel gaining her voice back.

I agree: Sebastian was most likely relying on the kiss to save his hide and didn't think about the fact that maybe Eric wasn't ready yet or that Ariel would end up losing her voice forever as a consequence.

[Disney Duster]

But maybe that goes to show Ursula wasn't that smart. Maybe she did know, that if the plan didn't work the way she wanted it to, she would lose everything she aquired. But maybe she just took that risk and went for it, which proves how much she wants to be beautiful. Anyone that looked like her would want to be beautiful, but thats beside the point..

Woah woah, where did beauty come from? And can you further explain how Ursula would "lose everything"? If Ariel won the prince, she may have been able to entice Ariel with yet another deal to get her voice back, or even make a deal with Triton to get his daughter back (yup, make her a mermaid again against her will, or something!). Ursula may have had a win win situtation. If she lost the deal she only lost one opportunity, but that opportunity could turn into more opportunities.

Okay, maybe it wouldn't make sense for Triton to trade his power to have his daughter back if Ursula went on destroying his kingdom, but if she promised not to hurt any of his family, and the contract was binding and unbreakable... Ursula could make Triton think that Ariel was in danger on land, or something.

And didn't you know that part of Ursula's character is that she loves herself as she is? She finds herself beautiful as a big woman. Disney's said that a number of times in things I've found about her, or close to it, not exactly like that.

The fact that she turns into Vanessa, who's skinny with long hair and regarded by majority as more beautiful, is interesting to say the least. She looks to be sexier than Ariel, which makes sense since Ariel's more innocent and Ursula's going to use looks more than personality to make her plan work fast. But it shows that Ursula had the power to do this all along, and yet she preferred to stay herself. She even considered herself starving while she looked very well-fed.

Some pictures have portrayed Ursula as skinnier before she was banished from the palace. But there's no official look at how she was before she became exiled. I bet she was always pretty big if not bigger based on what she's said and done in the movie, though.

[Ariel'sprince]

Some pictures have portrayed Ursula as skinnier before she was banished from the palace. But there's no official look at how she was before she became exiled. I bet she was always pretty big if not bigger based on what she's said and done in the movie, though.

You mean this one?:

I don't know who looks werider-Triton or Ursula .