La Petite Sirène

It was only while watching this classic animated film that I realized there was another red-haired rebel before Brave, who wanted a bit more out of life than what she was destined for. Though flawless animation-wise, that’s where the Pixar film loses a few more points for me. The Little Mermaid might not stand out as much for its story these days, but the songs are still absolutely amazing and the Oscars for this category are fully deserved. (25/11/2013)

The 28th Disney Feature Film It took a full 30 years for a princess to take the Disney throne again. After Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, it was now time for Ariel, the daughter of King Triton of Atlantica. Her story, written by Hans Christian Andersen, was fleshed out with a positive ending and developed into an enjoyable franchise, but that's all for the best. Firstly, the series built on this film and consistently described Ariel's coming of age, in the second film she became a mother, and the third film looped all of these storylines. Perhaps only Erik could have been more active, and the same goes for Triton and Ursula, and less so Gappa. However, the trio of the fish, the seagull, and the crab are absolutely classy. The great songs tower high above the Disney standard, and the series, which pioneered bringing stories from the big screen to our homes in its day, is also excellent. (04/03/2011)

Much better than Aquaman. A fairy-tale classic about how a sixteen-year-old who wants beautiful legs and to land herself a rich prince. Menken’s amazing music will touch your heart. The battle in the climax will remind you of all that Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 stole from other films. P.S.: The crab in the kitchen is a horror scene of genius which must have put hundreds of kids off eating seafood. Fish are friends, not food. (23/12/2018)

The Little Mermaid does not have much to surprise in terms of story, but it does offer a few lessons that the viewer will take away in older age; the blending of boundaries between two different worlds (here human and marine) or a reasonable and healthy relationship between parents and children. In this case, the film doesn’t rely so much on humour, although it does have a few genuinely funny moments (Sebastian and the cook or the goofy seagull) and musical numbers to lighten the atmosphere, but it’s built on a dramatic-romantic story of two seemingly very different beings who were not entirely happy at first. Of the characters, I was most intrigued by the diabolical Ursula, who made for a very suspenseful and frightening conclusion. A weaker four stars! (09/09/2020)