Hello and welcome back! So, if you’re still out here saying The Little Mermaid is just “Ariel gave up her voice for a man,” then you clearly haven’t watched it in a while. She gave up her voice to explore a world she was obsessed with. Eric, was just a bonus. Ariel was always gonna go to the surface, he just sped up the timeline.
Ariel was one of my favorite Disney princesses growing up. I even had the Mattel doll with the pearl necklace and everything. So, I figured, why not rewatch it and do a nostalgic review? So with that being said lets dive into this.
We don’t even meet Ariel until six minutes in, and she’s already out there adventuring with Flounder, who by the way is an anxious icon. He’s a scaredy fish with a heart of gold and I love him for it. Ariel, meanwhile, is out here treating the ocean like her personal playground, just like I used to, I mean I definitely snuck into places I shouldn’t have been. Anyone else?
When she finds that fork? She has no idea what it is, but she’s thrilled. Pure golden retriever energy. Then a shark shows up, and Ariel, instead of fleeing like Flounder, goes back for her bag. Girl. Ma’am. That's a shark, not a unicorn.
Poor Flounder gets stomped on by Scuttle, who might be the world’s worst anthropologist. He confidently explains that the fork is a “dinglehopper,” and Ariel just eats it up. Then she realizes she missed the big concert which is unfortunately relatable. I’ve missed things many times because I got distracted by a cool rock.
Ursula enters, giving fabulous sea witch energy. Then we flash to King Triton throwing a tantrum and giving the classic line “as long as you live under my ocean, you'll live by my rules”. That line always drove me nuts as a kid. Like, mister, king, sir, try “communication” next time.
Sebastian gets voluntold to babysit Ariel, but shes already distracted by a passing ship. Enter Prince Eric, and his adorable dog Max. Ariel’s like, ‘Who’s this?, and I get it. He’s charming, dog loving, and not afraid to risk his life for Max during a literal explosion. That's definitely boyfriend material.
Eric ends up getting thrown overboard and knocked unconscious and Ariel saves him, sings to him, then vanishes like a siren ninja. And boom, Ursula’s got her next victim. Ariel’s all puppydog eyed and Sebastian’s having a panic attack, and Triton is oblivious until Andrina spells it out for him.
Then Sebastian sings Under the Sea in a desperate attempt to distract her. Cute, but Ariel’s like, “I want human stuff, not a concert.” Flounder tries to cheer her up with a statue of Eric, but Triton shows up and smashes everything in a fit of overprotective rage. That’s exactly how you drive a girl or mermaid straight into a villain’s tentacles.
Then enters Flotsam and Jetsam, Disney’s creepiest eels, offering Ariel the deal of a lifetime. She says no... until they kick the face of the statue to her and that was somehow highly effective. She signs the contract with Ursula, loses her voice, and poof, legs!
Thankfully, Flounder and Sebastian were able haul her to shore, where Eric immediately feels like shes familiar somehow and Max is obviously obsessed with her too, so that’s a win. And of course Scuttle shows up, completely unaware Ariel has legs. I swear he lives in a completely different movie.
Ariel gets taken back to the castle and gets the royal treatment, which is where she slips into that iconic pink dress and hilariously tries to brush her hair with a fork. Meanwhile, Sebastian is living a Tom & Jerry nightmare in the kitchen.
Then comes the boat scene. Kiss the Girl starts playing, and Ariel’s so down. Yeah, she couldn’t talk, but she was absolutely leaning in. Ariel was anything but subtle but before their lips can meet, BOOM, eel attack!
Ursula takes things to a whole new level by transforming herself into a stunning brunette named Vanessa, using her magic to bewitch Prince Eric into marrying her. Ariel is heartbroken. Luckily, Scuttle puts the pieces together and calls in a ragtag team of animal sidekicks for an all-out brawl that feels straight out of Avengers: Infinity War. Mayhem erupts—Max even bites Ursula, what a good boy!. Ariel’s voice escapes from the enchanted necklace, snapping Eric out of his trance. Then just as the two are about to seal their love with a kiss, Ariel turns back into a mermaid and Ursula drags her away. They were seconds too late.
Then the climax goes full-on Pirates of the Caribbean. Triton sacrifices himself to save Ariel, Ursula goes full kaiju. We’ve got whirlpools, lightning, giant tentacles And then as if thats not enough Eric literally impales Ursula with a ship. This is a kid's movie, I repeat, this is a kid’s movie. Modern disney could never.
In the end, Triton sees how much Ariel loves Eric and turns her human for good. It’s a beautiful act of love and growth and a rare case of a Disney dad finally learning how to chill and not like ‘chill in a coffin’—actual emotional growth.
In the end they get their happily ever after, complete with sparkles, sea-side romance, and wedding cake. And well if you enjoyed this review, don’t forget to leave a like down below, share, and subscribe! And of course make sure to subscribe to my amazing husbands channel, Cosas Para Tener! Its a Spanish speaking channel that does gaming how-tos, reviews, and more. Links will be down in the description below! Thanks for watching. Stay magical and remember to never sign a contract with a sea witch. See you next time! Bye!
