Little mermaid cartoon movie movie#

When Walt Disney died suddenly in 1966, his company was left aimless. And without the profits from those films, Disney would not have had the capital to build new parks and resorts, invest in new media ventures, or expand its urban planning program, let alone gobble up Pixar, Marvel, Fox, the Star Wars universe, National Geographic, ESPN, A&E and Hulu-moves entirely unthinkable back in the 1980s, when the corporation was in its darkest hour. Without the brave storytellers and desperate animators of The Little Mermaid, moviegoers would have missed out on the new classics of Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994).

Little mermaid cartoon movie movie#

Moreover, the movie not only saved the company from almost certain death, but allowed Disney to become the international corporate juggernaut we know today.

Clearly, The Little Mermaid becomes a completely different story when taken at face value.The character of Ursula, a sea witch who gives Ariel her legs, is based on the drag performer Divine.ДЄllstar Picture Library / Alamy Stock PhotoДЄ drag show? Gay rights? Body image issues? Hardly the stuff of Disney animation, but 30 years ago, DisneyвЂ™s The Little Mermaid tackled these topics and made a courageous statement about identity in Reagan-era America.

Her voice, an apparent redeeming and differentiable quality, is quickly given up for the thing she doesnвЂ™t yet have- a man. Additionally, in order to be accepted by Prince Eric and his community Ariel must change her appearance and give up what makes her who she is. Ariel simply transitions from one form of patriarch to another. This sends the message that the only way girls will be able to gain independence from their family is by entering into a marriage with a man. Ariel spends very little time not under the watch of a man, whether that be her father or the Prince. The animated film simply becomes a story about a teenage mermaid desperate to escape the reigns of her father only to immediately trap herself into the reigns of a marriage. Without knowing the meaning behind the original story of The Little Mermaid the animation loses meaning and resonance. Did they know the metaphorical value of the animation they were producing? Anderson purposefully wrote his story discreetly, for he had to stay silent as Ariel did. It is still unclear whether or not Disney was aware of the context surrounding Hans Christian AndersonвЂ™s story. Ariel represents the gay communityвЂ™s struggle to stray from their societyвЂ™s expectations and their want for a voice and acceptance. Ariel, the main protagonist, is forced to live her life on land in silence, keeping her from expressing her feelings, similar to the many relationships people were forced to keep private from the public. The Little Mermaid is a story about a forbidden love, representing homosexual relationships during 19th century Europe. It has been concluded that this is reflected in AndersonвЂ™s writing who had personally struggled with his sexuality throughout his lifetime. Europe, at the time, was experiencing a period of gay activism however, these romances were still not widely accepted by the public resulting in many romances being thrusted into the shadows out of the public eye. The story was not revisited until the idea was pitched again the 1980s.Дisney based the film on the European short story written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1836. Despite being released in 1989, the film originally began production as a short during the 1930s but was interrupted by the United StatesвЂ™ involvement in WWII. She finds this freedom as well as true love on land, away from her life in the sea. The film is about a young mermaid who desperately wants to be freed from her overbearing father. When Disney released The Little Mermaid the reception regarding the main protagonist, Ariel, was much more positive than in the past due to her drive and want for independence. In previous films, princesses Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora were all criticized for their lack of character and purpose. DisneyвЂ™s approach to the development of the main protagonist differed from that in films prior.

On NovemDisney released itвЂ™s first Disney Princess movie in thirty years, sparking a Disney Renaissance.