The Little Mermaid

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Cartoon

The Little Mermaid, 1989

The Plot

ing Triton’s daughter, Ariel, is tired of being a mermaid/princess. She wants desperately to live among the humans, and walk on two legs. When her father refuses her request, she defies him and relies on Ursula (the Sea Witch) to help make her dream come true.

Starring

Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll, Jason Marin, and more.

Review

Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid is based off Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale. Many versions of The Little Mermaid have appeared in print and video since Hans first told the fascinating story of the Little Mermaid who dreamt of becoming human, but none have captured the heart of viewers more than Disney’s version.

Ariel is the princess of King Triton and appears to have everything a little girl, err mermaid, could ever wish for: a doting father; a safe, secure home; treasured friends; material items; and an overall good life. But no matter how much she has, the grass always appears greener on the other side. She wants what the humans have.

Then one day, she meets Prince Eric—whom she saves from drowning—and her heart is lost forever. She’ll do anything to spend eternity with Prince Eric, including a bargain with the devil—in this case, the Sea Witch Ursula.

In time Ariel’s selfish desires put her family in harms way, and nearly costs her the love of her life—Prince Eric. In the end, the kingdom is saved, Ariel’s family is safe, and King Triton discovers that true love transcends all differences causing him to let his daughter go to live with the humans.

The Little Mermaid is a beautiful story with a much happier ending than Hans Christian Andersen’s original story—which means your children will go to bed with good thoughts! If you’re looking for a fun, fill good cartoon to watch with your children, you can’t go wrong with The Little Mermaid, by Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

To be quite honest, I could play Sebastian’s (the signing crab) songs over and over again! In fact, when The Little Mermaid first came out, we purchased the Sing-a-longs and listened to all the songs in this video over and over again.

Your Task

Watch The Little Mermaid together, then bundle up the kids and head on down to your local ice cream parlor. Order a single scoop of ice cream, pull up a few chairs, and then just start giggling. Don’t try to make a funny face or tell a joke. Just start laughing—laughter is so contagious that before you know it, the entire family will be giggling right along with you.

Once your family has loosened up, look at your kids and say something like, “You know, The Little Mermaid was a really good film. But Ariel had to learn a really tough lesson. Do you know what she learned?”

If they say, “I don’t know.” Say, “Well, Ariel learned that sometimes wanting something so badly that you’ll do anything to get it can really hurt the ones you love.”

Then ask your kids, “Was there ever a time when you really wanted something? When you wanted something so much that you even thought of doing something bad or sneaky to get it?” Let your kids answer, but don’t judge their actions or their words. Just listen. Use this as a moment to allow your children to open up and trust you. Praise the good, and offer insight for the bad decisions without judging or condemning.