I Watched The Little Mermaid For the First Time

I have officially watched The Little Mermaid for the first time in my life.

*cue the gasps and confused looks* 

Yep, up until now, I’d never actually watched The Little Mermaid. I have listened to the soundtrack repeatedly (thank you, Disney Pandora), and I’ve even watched The Little Mermaid II, but that was it. I never actually watched The Little Mermaid (the original) until now. 

And guys, The Little Mermaid is awesome. Even though I am way out of the age range and prime audience for the movie, I had a blast watching it. I can guarantee you that if I had watched it when I was younger, I would have been a mermaid obsessed little child and Ariel would have made it into my Disney fanfiction. 

The visuals, the music, the characters…it’s all so amazing. And here at Precarious Book Stacks, what do we do with amazing stories?

We write a long blog post dissecting their amazing-ness (otherwise known as glorified fangirling,) of course. 

So without further ado… Here’s what makes The Little Mermaid an amazing movie and why you should rewatch it, even when you’re old.

Solid Character Development

Starting with the protagonist, Ariel… her entire character is so well done. There’s a lot we can learn about creating characters from her. To make sure your memory is refreshed, let me summarize the basic plot. 

Ariel is a mermaid who lives with her loving father and many sisters in her ocean home. She dreams of getting to know the people on land. Eventually, though, she gets upset and decides to become a human with the help of Ursula, who is more than happy to help her in attempts to gain power. She trades her voice for a pair of legs, and as long as she can fall in love with someone in three days, she won’t become one of Urula’s raisin-people. 

Okay, let’s dissect this a little bit. There are a few things that a main character needs to make a story really solid and impactful: 

1. A strong desire / want. 

Ariel wants to satisfy her curiosity about humans, and later on in the story, kiss Prince Eric so she doesn’t become a raisin. This desire propels the story forward. 

2. Stakes. 

If Ariel doesn’t fulfill her contract to Ursula, she will live neither with her loving family nor with the interesting humans, but as a poor shriveled up plant thing. Ariel is at risk for losing her freedom. This makes the decisions that Ariel makes matter because of what she could lose if she makes the wrong choice.

3. They need to be relatable. 

Even though Ariel is a mermaid who lives in the ocean, the viewers are able to relate with her curiosity and desire for adventure. This is the key to connecting readers with the characters in their story – they don’t need to be relatable externally, but internally, in their personality, they need to resonate with the readers. 

In barely an hour and a half, the movie shows all of these things about Ariel. It’s a great example of clear and concise storytelling and character crafting. 

The Lifelike Side Characters 

Here’s another tip that can be gleaned from The Little Mermaid: make all of your side characters unique and interesting.

In the movie, there isn’t a single side character who seems normal or cliche. Sebastien just wants to conduct his sea-orchestra but gets stuck babysitting. Flounder is a bit, well, floundering. Prince Eric is heroic and princely while still being genuine…. The list goes on. 

These side characters don’t have a lot of screen time, but with their unique personality, the little time they have sticks in the viewer’s mind. 

The Music 

This movie wouldn’t be such a masterpiece without the music. Yes, I know we’re writers and not musicians, but the musical aspect of storytelling really makes The Little Mermaid shine.

The music shows us Ariel’s world, her goals as a character, the motivations of other characters, and it helps show what’s happening in a clear and concise way. 

Heck, I was able to go through my entire childhood without watching The Little Mermaid, but I still knew the basic plot because of the soundtrack. 

(Although I will say that there was one song that I had never heard before, and it quickly became my new favorite Disney song. /Les poissons, les poissons/ How I love les poissons/ Hee hee hee, haw haw haw/ …Then I stuff you with bread / It don’t hurt, ’cause you’re dead /And you’re certainly lucky, you are / – just go listen to this masterpiece for yourself) 

All of the songs serve a purpose, too. The opening song with Ariel’s sisters shows some background about Ariel and her slightly aloof/curious personality. Part of Your World shows what Ariel wants from life. Poor Unfortunate Soul showcases the main villain and the stakes Ariel must deal with. Kiss The Girl shows Ariel trying to complete her goal and learn more about the human world. 

I could go on. Every single one of these songs serves the story by either introducing characters or moving the plot. It’s so much better than *cough* *cough* certain remakes *cough* that one ridiculous song from the new Aladdin. *cough* 

So here’s a quick recap of what we can learn from The Little Mermaid: 

• Make sure your character is strongly crafted with a desire that drives the story, stakes that help invest the readers, and internal conflict to tug at their heartstrings. 
• To add more uniqueness and life to your story, create one-of-a-kind side characters. 
• If you happen to write a musical, make sure every song serves a purpose. 
• If you wish to avoid becoming a raisin, don’t sign a contract with Ursula. 

And if you haven’t yet, go watch The Little Mermaid. It’s a wonderful movie, no matter your age.

Thank you for reading this! What other storytelling tips have you learned from The Little Mermaid? Do you have a favorite character? Or a favorite song? 

Have a great rest of your day!

-Hannah