Disney Renaissance Month - The Little Mermaid (1989)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and now that we've discussed the timeline of events that led to the Disney Renaissance, it's time to get to the actual movies from the Disney Renaissance. So, without further Ado, let's get into the meat of Disney Renaissance Month and take a look at the movie that kicked off the Disney Renaissance: 1989's The Little Mermaid. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, this animated feature film features a voice cast that includes Kenneth Mars, Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett, Edie McClurg, Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, and Jodi Benson. 

          The movie actually opens with a ship sailing the ocean and heading to a kingdom on a tropical island, wherein Prince Eric is set to begin taking up residence. Eric becomes fascinated when some of the sailors, who are pulling up their fishing nets, begin spinning tales of King Triton and the merpeople, all of whom live in a hidden kingdom deep under the sea. One of the fish the sailors caught gets away, and we follow it around until we see some of the merpeople gathering in the undersea kingdom of Atlantica, where a massive concert is to be held in King Triton's honor. 

         The concert, composed and conducted by a crab named Sebastian, features King Triton's daughters: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina. Unfortunately, Triton's youngest daughter, Ariel, is not at the concert, much to her father's chagrin. Actually, Ariel is off exploring shipwrecks with her best friend Flounder. And after the two barely escape and attack by a shark named Glut, Ariel and Flounder head to the surface to get their friend, Scuttle, to identify a couple of trinkets she found in the wrecks. First, he identifies a fork as a dinglehopper, which he claims is for humans to straighten out their hair, and then he identifies a tobacco pipe as a snarfblat, and claims it as a musical instrument, reminding Ariel of the concert coming up. 

         Ariel returns home quickly, where she gets thoroughly scolded by her father, who fears for her safety and this wants her not to go to the surface where she could be caught by fishermen. Upset, Ariel swims off to her hidden grotto, where she sings of her heart's desire to be a part of the human world. Speaking of which, Ariel sees a commotion up on the ocean's surface, and she goes to check it out. It turns out that Prince Eric is celebrating his birthday on board the ship, and he is gifted a stone statue of himself by his steward, Grimsby. A storm kicks up, and the ship is thoroughly destroyed, with the sailors and Grimsby getting to safety on a lifeboat, but Eric nearly drowns saving his dog, Max. Ariel saves his life and gets him safely to shore. And, it's love at first sight, as Ariel now is more infatuated with life on land than before, but this time it's less for curiosity and more for her infatuation with Eric. 

       Back under the sea, Eric is all Ariel can think about. However, when her sisters mention to Triton that Ariel is in love, he assumes it's with a merman. Ariel, meanwhile, plans to get Eric's attention, but Sebastian tries to influence her about the joys of life under the sea. Flounder pulls her away, and she follows him to her grotto, where the statue of Eric is situated. Triton, who had summoned Sebastian in regards to Ariel, arrives to see what's going on, continuing to speak of his own prejudice against humans. It's when Ariel confesses her love for Eric that Triton loses his temper and destroys all of the trinkets in her collection, and finally shattering the Eric statue, leaving Ariel in heartbroken tears. 

        All this time, Ariel had been observed by the sea witch Ursula and her two eel henchmen Flotsam and Jetsam. It's after the incident with Triton that Flotsam and Jetsam suggest to Ariel to seek the aid of Ursula, who can make her dreams come true. Traveling to Ursula's grotto, Ariel meets the Cecaelia sorceress, who suggests Ariel become human, and offers to make a potion that will make Ariel human. In exchange for her voice, making her unable to speak or sing, Ariel will be able to walk on human legs for three days, and she will have to get Prince Eric to fall for her and share true love's kiss before sunset on the third day. If she succeeds, Ariel will be human forever, but if she fails, she'll be a mermaid once again and will be Ursula's property. After contemplating, Ariel signs Ursula's contract, her voice is sucked into a snail shell, and she is given legs. Flounder helps Ariel reach the surface, and she has to learn to walk. 

          Eric spots Ariel, but as she is voiceless, she can't tell him her name. Taking pity, however, Eric takes her to the palace, where she is bathed, dressed, and given food and a bed. Ariel and Eric then spend the next day together, seeing the kingdom, and enjoying the scenery of a nearby lagoon, and it's here where they almost kiss, only to be foiled by Flotsam and Jetsam. Ursula, realizing how close Ariel is to becoming human, uses a potion to take human form herself, and uses Ariel's voice to fool Eric. Ursula, whose human form is called Vanessa, hypnotizes Eric into marrying her, and it's all part of her plan to claim Ariel as her property. Luckily, Scuttle, Flounder, and other creatures of the sea and sky stall the wedding, shatter the shell with Ariel's voice in it, restoring it back to Ariel. But, too late, as the sun has set, and Ariel's tail is restored. Ursula, shedding her human look, takes Ariel and jumps into the sea. Sebastian and Triton arrive to rescue Ariel from Ursula, but the contract is binding. Triton, seeing no other choice, replaces Ariel's name with his own, sparing her and making himself a polyp, allowing Ursula to claim her prize: the trident. 

           Eric arrives to save Ariel, who saves him from Ursula and causing her to destroy Flotsam and Jetsam. A massive battle ensues, and Eric drives a ship into Ursula, piercing her heart and killing her. This also restores all those who Ursula turned into polyps into merfolk once again, including Triton who reclaim his crown and trident. Back on the surface, Triton observes as Ariel looks longing at Eric from a distance. Realizing how much she loves Eric, Triton uses the power of the trident to make her human. No strings attached. Ariel and Eric happily reunite, and the two later set off and get married, with Ariel saying goodbye to her father and sisters. 

         Okay, so there's been some amount of backlash in recent years regarding The Little Mermaid, and more specifically the reason Ariel ends up becoming human. Okay, as I explained in my summary of the plot, Ursula suggested the idea of Ariel becoming human to spend time with Eric, not that Ariel sought to become human. That's something people tend to get incorrect. Another thing is that Eric caused her infatuation with the human world. Wrong! Ariel was always infatuated with the human world, saving Eric and falling in love with him just pushed it even further. 

           However, one thing that most everyone agrees to be the strongest part of the movie is the music. Composer Alan Menken did an excellent job with the score, and he and his songwriting partner at the time, Howard Ashman, wrote quite honestly some of the best Disney songs since the ones written by the Sherman Brothers. "Part of Your World," "Poor Unfortunate Souls," "Under the Sea," and so forth are just as iconic as classic songs like "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Once Upon a Dream." 

         The voice cast is also iconic. Jodi Benson is legendary as Ariel, and I'm glad I actually got the chance to meet her in person, as she is a truly amazing individual. Pat Carroll is gleefully over the top as Ursula the Sea Witch, and Kenneth Mars is entertaining as the stern but loving King Triton. Samuel E. Wright is hilarious as Sebastian, and Buddy Hackett made me laugh my ass off as Scuttle. Lastly, I want to mention Ben Wright, who provided the voice of Grimsby. The Little Mermaid would be his final film, as he tragically passed away months before the film's theatrical release. 

         Ultimately, The Little Mermaid may not be perfect, but it was a return to form for Disney Animation, with the smooth lines, vibrant animation, and catchy songs. It did, truthfully, set the overall pace for the Disney Renaissance. So, I'm giving The Little Mermaid a rating of 4.65/5. Seriously, I'd say to watch it, but you probably already have. 

        Now, obviously we have Disney getting ready to release their big budget live-action remake of this movie in May of this year. And, while I've noticed a lot of people showing tons of backlash over the casting of singer Halle Bailey as Ariel, I personally can't wait to see her. And plus, I'm excited because Javier Bardem is playing King Triton, which is pretty kickass. 

       Well guys, I think that will do it for me today. But don't worry, as Disney Renaissance Month continues tomorrow with The Rescuers Down Under.