The Little Mermaid (1989)

In 1989 directors Ron Clements and John Musker joined forces to create the cinematic masterpiece that is “The Little Mermaid”. The film “The Little Mermaid” is the story based off the fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1836. In the first part of the film we are introduced to several key characters who serve meaningful roles throughout the film. Ariel, the actual mermaid herself is a teenage girl who wants to escape her underwater life and be a real human. The ballad “Part of Your World” gives viewers a good summarization of what she wants to be a part of. We also meet Ariel’s friends Flounder, a fish and Sebastian, a sea crab. We are introduced to King Triton, Ariel’s father who warns her to stay away from contact with the humans. In the shadows of the sea lives Ursula, an evil sea witch who watches Ariel and sees her as a way to take revenge on King Triton and rule the sea. We also meet Eric, a sea man from the world above who ends up being Ariel’s romantic interest throughout the film. Through the story of Ariel and Eric we see a predicament commonly found in modern society, a fathers trouble with letting his daughter grow up and fall in love with another man. Ursula grants Ariel the exchange of human legs for her voice and Ariel is given human legs. The film takes us on a journey from way under the sea to the land world in which we live in, with constant twists and turns but as always a classic Disney happy ending. This film was the revival of the musical format of Disney films with classic hits like “Under the Sea”, “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl”. The music in this film is phenomenal, and never misses a note. “The Little Mermaid” shows little to no evidence of the time period in which it was released; this may be due to the fact that the film is an animated film. I would recommend this film to any lover of Disney films, or any young child. I will also give recommendation to any adult who wants to go into a film with an open mind. I went into this film feeling this way and thoroughly enjoyed the entire film.