That's a good summary of my view of The Little Mermaid. Along with Beauty and the Beast, it represents the best that animation has ever offered, in my opinion, because it slips a real message past the Disney urge for cliches and happy endings. And the message is more profound than the similar one in Beauty and the Beast: Belle feels out of place in the little provincial town, but is comfortable throughout with her own identity, with who and what she is. Ariel suffers very much like someone who is transgendered; her own body does not fit her desired conception of herself, and even those who love her most cannot understand why she feels as she does. In fact, she doesn't understand it herself. But she does feel, and she displays the courage to act on these feelings, making a sacrifice of a basic part of herself to become what she deep down believes that she is.
That's what makes The Little Mermaid a masterpiece. Eric, the "hero", is entirely secondary, and the story really revolves around Ariel's self-determination. It also shows how those who honestly love her learn to love who she is, fins or no. Where Beauty and the Beast is a story of loving despite appearances, The Little Mermaid is deeper, I believe, because it is about discovering who you are, having the courage to face that person, and it is about loving despite both appearances and that which is deeper.
And all that with all the usual and very nice Disney music and fun. I think the pity of it is that a lot of people criticized the film because of the love story (my sister-in-law and I had this debate some years ago), seeing Ariel as representing only the cliched girl who is obsessed with falling in love to the point of not doing anything else. The reality is that she is doing something very profound, and the love story is really not that important.
I note that Howard Ashman was gay, and I've often wondered if The Little Mermaid might reflect some part of his life and the way that any of those who are different have to hide in our rather repressed society. Did he have a cave of treasures?
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That's what makes The Little Mermaid a masterpiece. Eric, the "hero", is entirely secondary, and the story really revolves around Ariel's self-determination. It also shows how those who honestly love her learn to love who she is, fins or no. Where Beauty and the Beast is a story of loving despite appearances, The Little Mermaid is deeper, I believe, because it is about discovering who you are, having the courage to face that person, and it is about loving despite both appearances and that which is deeper.
And all that with all the usual and very nice Disney music and fun. I think the pity of it is that a lot of people criticized the film because of the love story (my sister-in-law and I had this debate some years ago), seeing Ariel as representing only the cliched girl who is obsessed with falling in love to the point of not doing anything else. The reality is that she is doing something very profound, and the love story is really not that important.
I note that Howard Ashman was gay, and I've often wondered if The Little Mermaid might reflect some part of his life and the way that any of those who are different have to hide in our rather repressed society. Did he have a cave of treasures?