The Little Mermaid - Inspiration

[Gavin]

Well I am a 20 year old male and I am aware that the vast majority of the older generation may have not have been immersed in 'The Little Mermaid' but we were all kids once, and this thread is more about how fairytales have affected us as people. Both consciously and subconsciously.

Em...well....nyess. I watched 'The Little Mermaid' last night and had fun in doing so. Since I basically knew every single word before I rewatched it I concentrated solely on the storyline and imagery. I hadn't watched the film in over 10 years, so the new DVD release was the perfect opportunity to remenisce upon the past - and leave a gorge in my wallet £15 deep.

There were a number of things I noticed this time which resulted in the train of thought which has inspired this post.

1. I felt that Ariel's longing to be part of this wonderful world where all of her dreams come true, had so many parallels with my own life - albeit with the usage of Disney's artistic liscence. I too feel that there is a much better world and I am so close to it that I just have to leap out of water and touch it.

I am sure many people feel like this.

2. I also could identify myself with the reprimanding of Ariel at the mere suggestion of her going to this new world of hope. In my case it is both internal and external resistance that causes me bother.

3. Eventually she has had enough and does whatever it takes to fulfil her dreams. This means striking a deal with the SeaWitch Ursula. Although I don't want to achieve my dreams through unsavory or immoral means, I can identify with her in the way she boldy took action to aide the persuit of escape.

4. Not everything goes right for Ariel on land, but in the end everything turns out alright. I am not religious, but I believe that if you keep focused on all the good things that you want you have to consciously use you brain and 'response ability' to empower these good habits, and place all negative thoughts below these. After all, I am the only one who can create negative thoughts for myself.

I can receive negatives, but only if I choose to accept them, do they become negative for me. Aha! It's all subjective.

Well, anywho, I was flicking through the extra features and I came across a feature about the life of Hans Christian Anderson, who wrote the little mermaid (well, the original). Turns out that the story is based upon HC Andersons life and his experiences.

So maybe it's not such a crazy idea that I can draw inspiration from the Little Mermaid.

One other sub-topic... You know the way kids watch films over and over and over? Last night, I just realised the vast amount of imagery that, having immersed myself in for years when I was younger I still use today!
-Whenever I think of beauty, I still see the little mermaid's face
-Whenever I think of authority - I see Triton (Ariel's father with his fork-thing)
-Whenever I think of a beautiful singing voice - I see it as a light blue glow - like it was coming out of Ariel.
-Whenever I think of the perfect kiss, it is always the final scene in the film

These are not just vague relationships, the images in my head are crystal clear! I must have been using them subconsciously since I was a child.

Anyone else see parallels or draw inspiration from Disney?

[Lotus]

Disney kinda irratates me... Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid is a heart-breaking story of personal sacrifice for love. Disney screwed it up so that it would have a "happy ending," which ruins the original intent of the story.

~~~

On the other fin...

Of all the films that Disney has made, "Little Mermaid" is still my favorite. It seems like an allegory for "acension" in general; you have to be very brave and possibly give up who you are (in Ariel, her voice represents how her world defines her) in order to ascend to a new level.

I have a love-hate relationship with Disney.

[Michael Chui]

There are parallels to Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" that you might take a look at. Imperfect, but present.