#“why did Disney get the Little Mermaid story so wrong

[kay-enemy]

What did Jason Todd miss while dead?

If Jason died in 1988 and was dead/catatonic/training as an assassin for 3 years, he might have missed such cultural touchstones as:

the sequels to Terminator and Back to the Future (1991 and 1989)

Disney's Little Mermaid (1989)

the very first nintendo gameboy (while this one was before my time, my sister had the color and I had the advance, you young'uns are spoiled with your backlit displays)

If he came back in 2005 and missed the 3-ish years before, he might have missed:

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) (was this the source or a symptom of the pirate craze?)

The fast and furious sequel(s)

Rosie O'Donnell comes out

The Osbournes reality TV

low rise jeans, according to Buzzfeed (look I lived through the early 00s, I'm biased)

If he came back recently (not my jam but look, we gotta resolve the fanfic timelines somehow) he would have missed....covid.

[shiny-jr]

Loved all your info about Empyrean with my last ask and left comments/reblog to it, and so sorry to spam your asks especially when you’re still working on this idea, but I’m just curious and want to hear whatever ramblings you’d like to share!

You mentioned Heartslabyul being inspired by Europe with a dash of volcanos via borders and I’m sure there’s going to be lots of references to the regions of origin for the fairytales/Disney movies for each. But are there other places of the world you’re drawing inspiration from, whether in real life or from Genshin too?

You’ve given teasers about Leona and Idia, along with the original premise post for a few of the other archons, are there any other backstories you’ve been developing for the archons or even the other characters?

Again, sorry to spam your asks but the more I look into Genshin, the more I’m excited by Empyrean and wishing you all the best in writing~!

So if y'all recall, my biggest qualm with Genshin Impact was the amalgamation of cultures and cultures as costume. I am NOT trying to do that here. However, here's the problem when it comes to implementing the twst x genshin au: a majority of the stories are based in Europe or have European origins. So that means that most of the world, if we go by that logic, would be European, which doesn't sit right with me.

So for story's sake, I think I'll imply in the story that the seven nations are the ones of the known world, and the most recognized due to their archon's power. I've considered maybe changing the setting of a nation, but that doesn't exactly sit right with me either. So that's why I stated here and like I said, it will be implied in the story, that there is another part of the world not even really known. That being said, I probably won't lean too heavily into the cultural aspect of the story. However, there will be mentions here and there. Keep in mind though, I belong to none of these cultures, so I'll try to research to the best of my ability but it's also why, like I just said, I don't want to heavily into the cultural aspect of the story, because by no means do I want to get something wrong and offend anyone.

Here's my thought process for the inspiration of each. Keep in mind, this is still very much a work in progress.

Heartslabyul: British Isles

If you thought this was gonna be any other place, then what the hell are you thinking? Riddle definitely has a British accent. The tea, the tarts, all that stuff? Very British, if you ask me. Of course there's the fact that the original author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is from Britain.

Savanaclaw: East Africa

After bit of research, I found several things. Such as the fact that many of the names from The Lion King movie are based off the Swahili language. Zulu is apparently also spoken in the opening song, The Circle of Life. Additionally, the Pride Lands are said to be set in either Tanzania or Kenya.

Octavinelle: Scandinavia(?)

I know a lot of people like to debate where The Little Mermaid takes place, but I'm basing this on the origins of the author, as he is Danish. Also, if you recall, I believe there's in game dialogue where one of the Octavinelle characters mentions how ice often makes it difficult for them to return home, thus suggesting that their homeland is very cold. Originally I did want to add a tropical location, but this complicates things.

Scarabia: Arabian Peninsula(?)

Yes, yes, there's the fact that the movie of Aladdin takes inspiration from Indian and other Southeast Asian cultures, but from what I've seen, the story seems to mainly derive from Arabic cultures. Aside for the fact that the story of Aladdin is said to come from the Islamic Golden Age and is from a collection of Middle Eastern folktales. If you research names like Kalim or Jamil, they do have Arabic origins.

Pomefiore: Central/Eastern Europe(?)

We all know the Brothers Grimm, yes? Authors of many fairytales, one of which being Snow White. Well, they're German. And, I mean, the archon is going to be Vil SCHOENHEIT, if that's not German sounding last name, then I dunno what is. Why did I include Eastern Europe? Because I personally HC a lot of the characters with accents and the accent I imagine Epel with is some type of Slavic. God, I love creative freedom.

Ignihyde: Greece

This one isn't even a debate. I don't gotta say why.

Diasomnia: Western Europe(?)

It is said that one of the earliest records of Sleeping Beauty was in a French book. If we look at some of the inspiration from the movie, it's said to take place in a French medieval kingdom. So yeah, it just made sense in my mind.

[alchamy34]

JiMel - That time Disney fans created a ship years before Jelsa

Yup, young fans would be surprised that older generations did exactly what was done about Elsa who had no known canonical love interest.

Tbh, I don't ship Jelsa as I am one of the individuals who see the snow queen as a lesbian icon. Shipping her with Jack isn't bad but Elsa being a lesbian makes way more sense to me.

Okay now back to JiMel or Jelody.

It is quite understandable. Despite the differences in timelines and genres such as Sci Fi on Treasure Planet and Fantasy on the little mermaid trilogy, I think it was genius for fans to make this fanon ship noticeable.

I only watched Treasure Planet once but I still remember parts of the plot, though I may have to rewatch the entire movie so I'll know what I'm doing when writing the fanfic.

So first I am going to try a Melody standalone story THEN create a pairing with Jim.

These two are a bit similar. Adventurers, rebellious.

Melody is the only character who is canonically born as the daughter of a Disney Princess. Before you correct me about the Descendants movies, that is a Disney channel content totally not connected to the actual Disney Princess lore. Like the Malificent movie and movie sequel proved that.

Now I like the JiMel ship as it's like a classic teen story between troublemaker and charming misunderstood girl.

I like the idea of Jim being a sailor, twenty something year old and melody who is slightly younger but still above 18. Especially when Melody chose to be a mermaid for the rest of her life. Some people wrote some fanfics where Jim is a pirate.

There is also the idea where in a modern AU, Jim and Melody have y2k teen romance. That's so cute, quirky but I'm sure there is still adventure and things like solar surfers and jamaican accent crabs are still in the story. Nobody wants a Little Mermaid movie without the iconic Sebastian, don't argue because you're also struggling to imagine the franchise without him.

I know some Disney fans prefer Jim x Ariel. Not saying its wrong but those people forget how much Ariel loves Eric. If not then Ariel wouldn't have made a deal with Ursula and there would be no movie. So if the Disney Princess already had a love interest in the first movie and married leading to a child in the sequel...yeah the controversy gets more messy than it is.

I think this ship deserves more attention. Especially when its May cuz you already know why.

[outsidethebeautybox]

How It Started: Part 1: The Fan Art

A little less than a year ago I started working on a webcomic with an aspiring comic creator from the Philippines.

I’d already released several chapters of my serialized web novel “Damsel in the Red Dress” at that time, and as we worked together on our comic project, this artist was reading my novel. 

For those who don’t know (which is probably everyone) my novel is about a Mexican-Navajo painter from Baltimore, Maryland. 

She’s a short, brown-skinned, Hispanic queen just like me, and one of the things that I love so much about this novel is how it gives me an opportunity to represent a different kind of beauty. My female lead is a heroine who (beautifully) lives outside the “beauty box” of cultural norms and beauty standards.

But, unfortunately, some people don’t care about representation as much as I do.

I’d been working with this artist for a few weeks when she decided that she wanted to do a ‘fanart’ of my novel’s heroine. I was both flattered and elated, and readily approved the idea. 

The artist asked me for a description of the character (so she wouldn’t have to go back through the whole book and piece the description together herself.) 

The summary I sent her was brief, but crystal clear in terms of color: The character had black hair and cinnamon brown skin.

So imagine my bafflement when, a few days later, the artist posted her “fanart” on Instagram and claimed that it was a drawing of my character.

The drawing she posted had the complexion of a Disney princess. I don’t mean Moana, Tiana or the new version of “The Little Mermaid.” She was Cinderella, Aurora, Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” white, and that baffled me and made my heart sink.

To be fair, the artist made two versions of the fan art. One of the versions had the cinnamon brown complexion I had described, and the other was fair skinned. 

I don’t mind people “reimagining” characters. The problem is, the fair-skinned version is the one that was put on the first slide. The brown-skinned version, the accurate version, ‘won’ second place, and the light-skinned version hadn’t been labeled an ‘AU’ or ‘Reimagining'.’

When I asked the artist why she did this she just said that she liked the light-skinned version better.

Sadly, brown and black girls have been swallowing similar sentiments for time out of mind, and honestly, it makes me so mad I could spit.

Maybe, after all this time, I should be over being bothered by this. 

Maybe, but I’m not, so that brings us here.

First of all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having fair skin or making fair skinned characters. Fair skin is every bit as beautiful as dark skin. But my character is not fair-skinned, and people of all complexions deserve to be represented in the media.

In my opinion, it is absolutely unacceptable to light-wash or bleach anyone’s skin, even if that “someone” is just a character.

In my opinion, media is one of the most influential things in the world. Even when we don’t care about politics or the news, we watch television, we read comics and we watch commercials (whether we like it or not.) Media, especially fiction, has the power to influence our thoughts and cultural ideals, and that’s why it’s so important that we use it to promote equity and love.

Hence, this blog “Outside the Beauty Box.”

This is a place where we can learn about and discuss the realities of colorism, light-washing, skinny-washing and all other toxic beauty standards promoted through the media. 

BUT, it’s also a place where we can encourage each other, promoting self love and diversity-positivity.

This is a place to learn about art, music, stories, (and more) that people are using to promote this message that I am so ravenously passionate about: 

“The bodies we were born with are BEAUTIFUL.”

There is no surgery, injection, device, accessory, or beauty product on planet earth that could make you more wonderful or loveable than you are right now.

So let’s get to sharing the love shall we?

Let’s start with an introduction! Leave a comment and tell me what country you’re from. What are beauty standards like on your part of the globe?

I’m also planning to do some interview type essays/articles on this blog, so if you have a story you would like to share about your beauty experience feel free to DM me and I’ll interview you. 

People from anywhere in the world are welcome (and encouraged) to share their stories. This is a home for everyone of every color (except green.)

Whether you’re detailing the reality of toxic beauty standards in your country or explaining how you came to love the skin you're in, both stories are equally needed outside the beauty box.

Come sit with us. We see the world through rainbow tinted glasses. 

For now, have a lovely day, beautiful people!

[bee-cried]

In Bliss's defense

Sit down, and look at the pretty water. We need to have a talk.

Anyone of the PPG fandom, who cares, the hate around Bliss is overrated and leaves a more hurtful message than people realize.

And I was a part of that crowd at some point, but I was wrong, and im calling myself out.

People virtue signaling hate around her always somewhat rubbed me the wrong way, especially when the rant boiled down to "She's pandering to black people!" Erhm, she's dark skinned, so any darker skinned person of any race can identify with her, and in that case...

"so what if she's here for pandering?"

For a decade, the ppg has pandered to white people. There are no diverse people of color from the cast. Also, whenever this topic of "inclusivity in media" comes up, there's this crowd that runs up with their shields wailing, "but kids or 'x crowd' shouldn't care about race! Or the way main character's look! It should be about the message."

And then the 2023 Live Action Little Mermaid came along, and society really showed their true colors.

There were people, who spoke different languages, in the depths of the comments, reprimanding the idea of Halle Bailey playing Ariel. Black people were posting these reaction videos condemning Disney for changing the race of such a "beloved classic" and white people working together to make A.I renditions of "what should have been."

And that is such a traumatic experience that gets gaslit into "if it doesn't matter what Ariels race is, why change her race?"

That question was asked so many times, ironically.

So, Bliss is what happens, when people who are honest about imagery realize their is a lack of a common worldly reality in a popular media. Why not have a dark skinned Powerpuff girl, when younger Dark-skinned girls and boys will definitely watch the show?

Representation, seriously, does matter. And children of color shouldn't be denied pandering just because, we as a society, have our grandstand hang-ups over 'what is pandering, what is not'.

Sure there wasn't an original 4th Powerpuff girl, but it's not like she ruins the pre existing story. She's another character introduced with her own narrative. And I can respect that the creators of the 2016 reboot noticed the importance of showing that literally ANYONE can be a Powerpuff Girl, without chickening out and creating another non poc design and minority coding them.

Like, there is an official dark skinned Powerpuff girl. A CANON DARKSKINNED POWERPUFF GIRL. THAT IS AWESOME.

So good job 2016 reboot. You did something right.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

My thoughts on the new upcoming movie "Migration"

It feels wrong to get so hyped up over a movie before it comes out, but I'm literally obsessed with to find more info on this new movie "Migration" from Illumination. After they made that new Super Mario movie and did well, but Disney failed with StrangeWorld and the live action Little Mermaid, I'm glad smaller companies like Illumination and DreamWorks are becoming more popular. According to my bestie, who's a huge Illumination fan, Illumination made more than Disney! Honestly, I'm glad! The smaller companies need a chance to shine now, and Disney is overrated. Yet, I'm afraid to get too hyped over a movie I haven't seen yet because I was excited to see Wolfwalkers, until I watched it and got offended. Same with Zootopia when it came out, hated that too. I really hope Migration turns out to be everything I want it to be!

The main reason why I think Migration looks so amazing, I see ducks and that's a huge plus for me, since ducks are my favorite bird. Also, the setting makes me feel nostalgic in a way. It looks like Duck Duck Goose, a little bit, but it looks like it takes place in the U.S and I grew up in the north eastern part of the U.S. Duck Duck Goose had a different setting, but still looked incredibly beautiful. I'm honestly a huge fan of Duck Duck Goose and I'm glad to see a movie with similar designs and that focuses on the animals, barely showing humans. However, I'm glad that it doesn't feel like a rip off of Duck Duck Goose, because it has a completely different story. Migration is apparently about a family of ducks trying to migrate somewhere warm while avoiding predators, while Duck Duck Goose has a story about a carefree goose adopting two ducklings and learning to become more mature. I think I'm still going to have a special place in my heart for Duck Duck Goose, but Migration looks like it's right up my alley!

Trolls 3 also excites me as well, I'll talk more about that next time I make a post like this. I also keep my word when I say that Disney's overrated. For a while I was like "Oh I'm starting to like Disney" after seeing Encanto and Luca, but that didn't last very long because they went back to making pointless stuff. They're crapping one live action remake after another, of stuff that's not even old enough to be remade, but honestly Elemental and Wish don't look that good either. (Wish looks fine, but the animation is throwing me off). Elemental looks as bad as Strangeworld tbh. Us DreamWorks fans, tho... we're swimming in it! Chicken Run 2, Trolls 3, and Kung Fu Panda 4!? That's the best news ever, because those are my favorite DreamWorks movies (Chicken Run, Trolls, Croods 2 New Age, Kung Fu Panda, and Home are my favs)

Anyway, tell me what YOU think! Do you agree or disagree? I wanna hear others' ideas too.

[average-guy-reviews]

The Little Mermaid (2023)

"The youngest of King Triton's daughters, Ariel, is a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land."

While I do enjoy a good Disney film, and I do regularly use their streaming service, I am far from a huge Disney fan. I find theirs, and others, needs for constant remakes or reboots irritating. Yet something about this one intrigued me from the get go. I can't remember when I last watch the animated version, and it's been well over 30 years since I read the original story. Yet here I was, happily sat front row for the Mouse's newest 'life-action' offering.

Up to this point, the live action remakes/reboots from the company have been spotty. Other than Cruella (and even that was close), I haven't enjoyed the remakes. I have just found them poorly made, badly written, or just NOT live action, Lion King I'm looking at you here....it was just differently animated. It wasn't 'live-action'. With this film though the House of Mouse may have bucked the trend.

With four perfectly cast actors in the main roles of Ariel, Triton, Eric, and Ursula, they have given us a live action adaptation that pays homage to the original yet feels fresh at the same time. It isn't a full shot for shot remake but when it was it was delightful and spoke perfectly to my inner child. The scene on the rock with the wave crashing behind Ariel legitimately had me giddily clapping my hands. Throughout the film there were several moments that sent a ripple of laughter through the audience, and at the end a good portion of the viewers were clapping. It is an entrancing movie that will reignite a sense of childlike wonder in your head, even if only while in the cinema.

Halle Bailey, as Ariel, was exquisite. Her voice is so beautiful, and the changes made to some of the songs she sang were smooth and fitted the film perfectly. Her Ariel was a strong yet naive young woman, and she was fabulous in a role that is so iconic to so many people. I really enjoyed her performance, and I look forward to whatever she does next.

Now I need to be honest here....when I first heard that Melissa Mccarthy was going to be in this film as Ursula, I was disappointed. I don't like her. I genuinely cannot think of a film of hers that I have sat through and enjoyed. She'll never read this, but I'd like to apologise to her now. I was wrong. You were perfectly cast as the vile sea witch, and I don't say that to be mean or sarcastic. She brought out the malevolence of one of the most putrid Disney villains in a perfect way that I just did not expect. She was brilliant, and her version of Poor Unfortunate Souls was perfectly pitched to highlight the two-faced vindictive nature of the character while still trying hard to elicit a little sympathy. It didn't work Melissa you were horrible. Thank you.

Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, could have been played by Harry Styles, and I have to thank the casting director for NOT doing that. Hauer-King's Prince is a man of the people that is loved and respected, as well as a man out of place looking for his own direction. It was a delightful performance and easily the most believable of the main four. As for King Triton? The big fish of the seas, the king of the underwater folks, and a tough grumpy fella with a little nugget of gold in his heart? I honestly cannot think of anyone else that would have fit it as well as Javier Bardem. Bravo, sir....

But it's not all seashells and shiny rocks. Some of the CGI was lacking, in design as well as quality.....to me at least. I totally understand why Flounder and Sebastian couldn't look like they did in the animation. They were going for a more realistic vibe, and that's great, but the artistic choices for these characters were not well made. I definitely think they could have put more effort, or thought, into them. The worst CGI 'culprit' for me was Ursula in her giant final form. It just didn't look good and, while it didn't pull me out of the story, it certainly didn't add any more depth to the big climactic scene.

Overall, this is a really solid release from Disney and, again for me, easily the best live action adaptation of an animated classic. It has its issues, but it's a decent movie that I genuinely found myself enjoying immensely. It's getting a solid 7/10 with a recommendation to everyone to give it a go. Hopefully Disney have turned a corner with these adaptations, but let's see what they do with the angry blue alien...

[princessrainbowpastel]

✨🎶💕💔🏳️‍🌈💢

AAAA THANKS HON!!!!

Disney’s Hercules/Hercules the Animated Series is my current obsession so yeah lol

✨ what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?

Well honestly I got drawn in from the villain of the movie: Hades (that’s literally how I get drawn into basically all my fandoms lmao I have an f/o in it and now I’m obsessed lol). But I love the twist they did for the Greek lore of Disney’s Hercules! It’s really interesting and I think Greek mythology is really cool and interesting too! I’m not a huge Greek mythology buff, but the movie as well as the series (and some anons on my Disney blog lmao) have taught me a lot of neat Greek mythology stories and fun facts!

🎶 if your hyperfixation has songs/an ost, what is your favorite song from it?

Lol well I have 3 favorite songs from the movie: The Gospel Truth II (because it’s pretty much Hades’ villain song since he doesn’t sing in the movie lmao), Zero to Hero (a bop and the video that made me fall in love with Hades/made me obsessed with the movie and series lol), and I Won’t Say I’m in Love (a certified banger)

💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

…HADES 💙❤️‍🔥 he’s just this weird mix of ugly and handsome and I love that lmao, that seems to be my type lol. Also I just love that he’s different from other classic Disney villains and from what you’d expect him to be like. He’s not some dark and menacing villain that’s all serious and out for revenge, he’s this super laid back, sleazy, fast talking, schmoozing used car salesman of a god lmao. I also love that he has a secret soft side! It’s very rare to see in the show and even the movie (if you squint lol), but it’s nice and it shows that he really isn’t as cruel and heartless as he seems. ❤️

💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.

Oh jeez, that’s a hard one lol. Honestly, I love all the characters in the movie and the series spin off, so there aren’t a lot that I don’t like. I’d say maybe Zeus? I wish he were more considerate of his brother’s feelings and weren’t so naive about the fact that he’s unhappy with his role as a god and that the other gods don’t like him and don’t treat him with the same respect he gets (probably because Hades has done shady stuff in the past but still lol).

🏳‍🌈 do you have any headcanons (lgbt, race, neuro, etc) that are important to you?

Heck yeah I do!!! I headcanon Hades as pansexual just because he seems like the type to be into anybody lol, I also headcanon both Hercules and Meg as bisexual because they both give me strong bi couple vibes lmaooo

💢 what do you NOT like about your hyperfixation? is there something you would want to change about it?

The movie? Well, I’d certainly give Hades his beautiful little flowery spring goddess wife. He deserves it, this dude has been through so much with his crazy father and his stuck up brothers lmao. But other than that the movie was flawless! As for the series….I’d change the entire plot. It’s supposed to take place before the movie like a prequel series (like the Little Mermaid animated series), but the thing is: THE ENTIRE SHOW ISN’T CANON TO THE MOVIE. Idk why but it bugs me so much lmao. Like don’t get me wrong I LOVE the show, but it’s pretty much an AU. Like Hades is the main villain of the series and Hercules is supposed to be in highschool training to be a hero (pretty much the series is supposed to take place during the whole One Last Hope montage), but Hades doesn’t even realize Hercules is still alive until Meg runs into him in the forest when he’s 18. Herc is like 16 in the show and constantly runs into Hades and the other gods. Tbh I don’t think Hercules even realized who his parents were until he was like 17 because I figured he had graduated by then and went to travel and find his “true self” and all that. But yeah, anyways lol sorry I always end up ranting about the canon divergence of the show 😂

[serenaivy]

Dark disney

Do you remember as young kids watching Disney movies? Well I know I do when I was around 6 years old I was obsessed with Little mermaid and by the time I was 13 I read a book called The grims fairy tale original stories and I remember automatically skipping through all the chapters just to get to The Little mermaid.. only to find out she fell in love with someone she could never have quite like most women do in reality and then she saved him from drowning and then she went back home like nothing happened and so she got the genius idea to ask a "sea witch with good intentions"for help but to see which didn't help her she signed her death warrant.. we all know how Ursula to see which made Ariel a contract to get his love in 3 days but Ursula already knew he was in love and getting married so why did Ursula do it? She didn't help Ariel to help herself she helped Ariel so she can manipulate her and when her sisters Ariel sisters. With the knife and their hair cut off because they cut their hair off to save her they expected her to stab him and kill him and let his blood drip down her legs so she could become a mermaid again? Why well it's not that they missed her or anything it's the fact that they expected her to become a cold-blooded killer to save her life but she didn't want to and so in her last final moments of breath she sewed her legs together and jumped into the ocean before turning to seafoam.....

Do any of you remember pocahontas? The cartoon movie Pocahontas? I think it was first made in 1995? But I remember growing up watching Pocahontas I was a great fan of Disney movies so I watched Pocahontas and I got sad when I realized her dad didn't let her be with the one she loved me being a 9-year-old little girl had no idea what I was talking about and that was the first time I watched it Pocahontas and I remember watching John Smith get shot and I cried for 2 minutes straight because"he shouldn't have died it's not fair"only to find out that later when in middle school learning that during our historical chapter on the Powhatan tribe that he should have died but he didn't Pocahontas at the time when she met John Smith was 14 John Smith what's 34 now do the math that's a 20 year age Gap at that point if Disney were to make a real version of the Pocahontas story a police officer or a historical figure study would show that in all the findings of her diary her journal the time when she was born everything she was 14 when she met him and 14 when they you know did the deed but you don't see people making john out to be the villain do you? Why because as a historical white male figure they don't see it men or white people don't see pass the love story they don't see past the grooming they don't see past the predator they don't see past that why cuz it's a historical white male who helped shape history but you know what it's still not okay it's child grooming for one for two it could be considered statutory r@pe and molestation of a child but no it's not shown the way it actually was but you know Disney Waters it down and makes it look like everything's okay don't get me wrong I love Disney movies but the dark harsh reality behind the Disney movies is way worse than Disney chalks it up to be

Do any of you remember watching Cinderella? Do you know Cinderella was 13? Her princess 25 that's a 12 year age Gap and in the Cinderella movie Disney tries to water it down but in reality her stepmother and stepsisters treated her like a living maid she was a child that's child labor she never volunteered to do it she was forced to and in the movie we see Cinderella stepsisters rip off her dress and tear off her pearls but in reality? In reality they did a lot more they beat her until she was bleeding but it's okay she loves them it's okay Disney didn't mention that when her stepsisters found out that she put the willow tree branch above her father's grave and her mother's grave and it grew into a beautiful big tree the stepsisters cut it down and said it made their garden look ugly so there was no use for it.... How did the prince who danced with her the whole night not remember her face? He danced with her the whole night shouldn't he not remember her face? People say oh well her dress must have been so revealing well it's not the fact that I'm not saying her dress wasn't really.. there were no masks involved he said he stared into her beautiful blue eyes the whole night? And if you stared at her eyes the whole night you would remember the eyes and the face that came with it people say well what if she was wearing such revealing dress that he couldn't take her eyes off of her well that's a little weird that you remember the dress if you remember the dress then he'd remember her body shape any scars or bruises along her body he'd be able to identify her without a damn shoe but he used the damn shoe because he's absolutely stupid and in the original Cinderella story her sisters cut off their toes and their heels to be able to fit the shoe my question is out of an entire Kingdom filled with over 200 women they couldn't find one girl that fit the shoe? Reality check guys statistically shown the size of her foot was a seven and a half and what do I know at least 12 women not related to me who have the same shoe sizes me 12 I can compare my foot to 12 other women's foot sizes right now and they'd have a size seven and a half and nobody in her kingdom out of 200 plus women had the same shoe size? Was it the fact that he couldn't remember her face or was it the fact that he had a foot fetish?

Sleeping beauty also known as Aurora also known as the cursed princess we all know maleficent curse sleeping beauty maleficent didn't curse sleeping beauty per se she essentially saved her because if sleeping beauty Aurora had turned 16 without that curse she would be forced into an arranged marriage a child marriage with someone around 28 years old and that 28 year old that she was supposed to be arranged to be married to turned out to be the one who"broke her curse with true loves kiss"see my thing was she didn't die she wasn't in a coma she was sleeping the curse originally was to keep her asleep until she was 18 years old which would only be 2 years give or take to give her the opportunity to choose who she wanted to marry to be free basically but her parents made everyone think she was the bad guy they made everyone think maleficent was the bad guy for trying to save a child from the inevitable maleficent was a hero but we see the books and fairy tales The originals and we see that maleficent and Aurora's father were once lovers as teenagers they were once lovers until adult hood but then he got the okay from the King the present King at the time to kill her and then he'd become king so instead of killing her like the monsters man he was he clipped off her wings and left her there bleeding out for the forest nymphs to find and so when the prince woke Aurora in reality after Aurora had turned 18 she had the prince beheaded not because she didn't want to marry him but because he kissed a sleeping woman that's called somnephilia otherwise known as"the sleeping beauty syndrome"which is why Disney called the movie sleeping beauty

The way Disney and everyone Waters down the Cold Truth is unrealistic because at one point or another these little girls or little boys watching these movies are going to grow up and when they grow up they're going to see that everything is fake people are fake stories are fake reality is fake most times what you see on a screen isn't always true and what you see in real life isn't always what it seems so really is it the fact that people are insecure? Or is it the fact that they think nobody will accept them in their reality? Disney makes everything seem okay when we were younger we looked up to the love that Pocahontas has with John Smith now as adults we feel sick to the stomach, when we were younger we left the fact that Ariel overcame everything her love for him and found the strength to get him back now that we're adults we realize the harsh truth of our world sometimes even in perfect circumstances nothing turns out the way you want it to, seen the Cinderella movies as kids and see how throughout the years Anastasia changed and became a good person and then got her heart broken she was never a bad person she was always against hurting Cinderella which is why she only ever took the pearls off her neck and after ripping the pearls off her neck the next morning Anastasia so the necklace back together and then put it on Cinderella's nightstand but everyone thought that since Anastasia had still not stopped anything that she was the bad person if you remember her age compared to everyone else in the household Anastasia was 11 drizella was 17 lady Tremaine was 48 Cinderella was 13 Anastasia being the youngest and the least experienced and the More meek shy type never stood up to them because she saw the way they treated Cinderella for standing up for herself and she realized if she stood up for herself or Cinderella it would make both of their lives worse, and Aurora sleeping beauty as they call her was 16 years old hi Prince was 28 and people wonder after reading the fairy tale the original fairy tale why she killed him if they were in love beforehand and I tell people I know that I've read it I say well think about it she was a 16 year old girl unconscious and was woken up by a stranger kissing her that stranger things 28 years old a full grown adult male who she had no idea who the hell he was and people get mad when I tell them she killed him for right reasons she had him beheaded for only the right reasons they ask oh so what justifies killing a man out of Cold blood.. nothing justifies killing anyone nothing justifies it.. but are reasons to justify why the person thought it was okay beheading someone is wrong okay but the reason she did it for was not think about it she was unconscious thinking she was dead passed out only for a mysterious man to climb through her window no idea who she was just saw a sleeping 16 year old and decided to kiss her and it wasn't just kiss her when she awoke he was breathing on her he wasn't kissing her it wasn't just kissing there was a lot that happened in that bedroom that wasn't kissing while she was unconscious hence the name"sleeping beauty"because Disney is implying she was sleeping when it all happened! Sleeping a 16-year-old child sleeping! And somehow he thought that was hot a complete stranger he never met before sleeping!

My point is shit in real life is in all it's chalked up to be

[anexthetxc]

I saw the live action snow white so you don't have to! I'd say spoilers ahead, but it's an adaptation of a movie that came out in 1937, so...

overall, 6.5/10

I'm a Disney purist. Whenever a movie gets adapted, I want it as close to the original as possible. I don't want a "new version" of a beloved classic. I don't want a badly written "girl boss" bc honestly if I could sleep through the fight of a movie and get woken up when we won by a handsome prince, I'd do it too!

I hated the maleficient movies. Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie of all time -- I didn't want that new story. I wanted the original made. Live action Cinderella? Perfect. Idk why that movie slapped so hard, but it slapped. The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast...meh. They dragged on too long for me and I felt like they missed the point of the originals or the singing just wasn't for me.

And with the controversy with Snow White, I wanted to give it a fair shot so I went in with an open mind.

I feared it would try to be too "basic girl boss who doesn't need a man" which is such an overrused plot and when the main actress essentially "insulted" (to some) the original Snow White, I was worried they wouldn't stay true to the original. I don't think there's anything wrong with women falling in love -- I think love is a beautiful thing, and sometimes poorly written female characters hate love or are badly written to "one up" their male counterpart just to say she's a badass.

But I was pleasantly surprised they didn't! I adored that they kept her waking up with a true love's kiss. Snow White's character was written honorably to the original character; she's humble, kind, ready to take responsibility, and the main actress does well to show that gentle nature Snow White originally had.

She has decent enough chemistry with her male counterpart. I wish they'd kept the Prince because there's something so wonderfully charming about a classic princess and prince falling in love, but...can't all be winners. Wasn't much time to develop, but more than I can say for some other movies.

The movie really did make Dopey an adorable, loveable character and he has a great mini side story with Snow White that was actually quite sweet.

The costume design was great! I know a lot of people had issues with the actress' look, however I found it nice they stuck with the original. And it was (mostly) historically accurate, which I appreciate,

Music? Meh. They kept some original songs which I thought were nice, however they added too many songs that felt forced and out of place. A lot of the dance sequences ended in awkward fashion that it may as well have been a freeze frame. Evil Queen...honestly? Did not need any musical numbers and there were too many for my taste.

I think the movie was too long. It could've been a perfect 80 minutes and I would have been satisfied.

Movie was also too corny, but I'm going to play it as them wanting to cater to the kids, so I guess I appreciate that more, but as a personal preference, writing was a bit cheap. Again, it was mostly accurate to the original, so...I had to remind myself at times like "this was how it was 80 years ago get over it".

I love that they kept the animal aspect in the film. I was happy with Snow White interacting with them!

The seven dwarves CGI was terrifying at first. It grew better as the film went on, but like...beginning jump scare.

They also did the forest scene justice, which I was happy they kept in.

Overall, it was cute. Better than most live action princess films, actually. I feel bad for the movie because there's this stigma with the actress bashing the original, but after watching it...I really don't see where she might have gotten that idea from. She's allows herself to feel love with her romantic interest, they work well together, and she's still her own person and leader with a gentle heart without being a pushover or feel the need to "prove herself".

There's really no ulterior motive to this movie. There were a lot of little kids in my screening, and they seemed to really enjoy it, so I guess that's all that matters at the end of the day. It was precious to see that. I'm glad Disney didn't feel the need to "mature" up the film for adults and kept it classic, easy to follow, perhaps a little too long and unnecessary with songs, and simple. It is not anywhere near as bad as people are bashing it to be. Just have an open mind when you go see it and I'm sure it will be a different viewing.

[vintersang]

Colors of the Wind or Part or your World?

disney this or that meme / still accepting / @sacredpyre

Goodness, this is really hard...

Was it so hard that it took me way too long to answer this? Yes, it was that hard of a question! I'm joking, though. There is so much stuff in my drafts, so it took me quite some time to actually getting around to answering this. One ask out of my tower of drafts, haha. I'm slowly making my way through the ooc asks since these should be the easiest to put in queue.

Back to Disney, though!

I'll admit that both of these songs are very beautiful, so I had such a rough time deciding on which one to choose. Let me break it down for everyone who is reading this, shall I? Because these songs deserve to be discussed!

Part of Your World is a classic. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows Ariel and her dream to join the people on land. Like most princesses, Ariel wants something more. She demonstrates this desire within this song, showing off her charm and passion. Before Part of Your World begins to play, Ariel says such a profound yet beautiful line: "I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad."

I love Part of Your World since The Little Mermaid is one of my favorites. If I have to choose a song based on how much I enjoy the song's origin, then I will choose The Little Mermaid. The song speaks to me because of how much I can relate to Ariel, especially with her passion to learn about things out of her reach. What can I say? I love mermaids as much as I love faeries. Ariel sings so beautifully!

However...

If I am choosing a song based on the impact it has had on me as a person? Then I will choose Colors of the Wind. You might be asking how this song has impacted me, so I might as well as answer. You see, I have distant memories of watching Pocahontas because I had it on tape. I often watched movies on repeat because it was easier than asking to buy more movies. One of those movies was Pocahontas.

The movie is not historically accurate, something that it glaringly obvious as an adult, but I saw it as perfect when I was a child. It was beautifully animated, but it was also bittersweet. As someone who didn't have the most happiest of childhoods, watching a more "realistic" Pocahontas helped soften me by showing me that the world still moves on. It got history painfully wrong, but it was one of those Disney movies that felt the most realistic in a weird way. It was serious, though it did have comedic moments.

It was downright stunning to watch, even if the movie is not the best when it comes to the history. Now, I believe that history is important. It's why I adore exploring Elsa and her timeline, even if it's tempting to give her a modern verse. Disney has done many things in the past, both good and bad alike... But Pocahontas? I like the messages that it does portray from what I remember of the film. (Yes, yes, it's time for a rewatch of it because I have already rewatched The Little Mermaid!)

I can go hours and hours about how older Disney films were handled with more care when it comes to pretty much everything. Songs, animation, story... Everything. They take creative liberties, but there is care put into their work. To tackle history, not a fictional story, for a children movie is not an easy thing to do. It will most likely never be easy to do. Is it worth still trying to tackle history? In my opinion, yes. Like how the Anastasia movie diverts from history, Pocahontas also tried to create something.

Let's get back to the song, okay?

Colors of the Wind has a more impactful message to me growing up. I was raised to be extremely open-minded because of my mom. However, I also think Pocahontas also had a part in keeping me from hating anyone because of their differences. I think Colors of the Wind showed me this message the most. Not only did the song strengthen my love for nature, but it also taught my younger self the importance of accepting people. I decided to listen to the song again after not hearing it for a good long time...and it still moves me with its depth. In an age where hate is polluting our world, Colors of the Wind gave me comfort and chills to the point where I wish everyone would give the song a good listen.

If I had to choose a song based on nostalgia? Part of Your World is my choice because I adore that movie as well as the song. But if I had to choose the song that has shaped me into the person I am? Colors of the Wind easily wins. The movie will never be historically perfect, but Colors of the Wind is still a good song.

I like them for various reasons, so this is still a hard choice. Overall, both songs are sung so beautifully with their own charm.

Which one do you prefer? Why do you prefer it?

[thatrandomartistjavi]

@darkstormyseabunny

Making this as a response to your reply because

Dear lord. First, I’m gonna reply to this point. This isn’t going to be what the whole response is but I still wanted to acknowledge it

Hey, did you know that most of the EAH Pied Piper and Melody Piper tags are just about how Professor Piper is a murderer even though there is absolutely no evidence of EAH’s Pied Piper of Hamelin being the rare He murders the children ending.

Did you know that 99.9% of the EAH Cheshire Cat is just reducing them to being hot and then the other 1% is making a post where anyone who has even a little bit of knowledge of AIW that doesn’t come from the pop culture understanding know that they’re misinterpreting the shit out of Cheshire as a character

Yes, people are having smart discussions. About the Royals. Unless they’re royalty adjacent like Raven or Darling where EAH the show actually gave a damn, most of the thing about Rebels are neither discussions nor smart

Now onto what I mainly wanna talk about

I’m gonna try and be as civil as possible with my response because I know most people see someone get angry and immediately throw out their opinion as invalid

But most of the characters that you listed ARE from kid's fairytales

The Little Mermaid(Meeshell), The Snow Queen(Crystal), Little Red Riding Hood(Hunter and Cerise), Snow White(ALSO Hunter), Jack and the Beanstalk(Jillian), The Pied Piper of Hamelin(Melody), Thumbelina(Nina), and Goldielockes(Blondie) are children's fairytales

Pinocchio(Cedar) and both Alice books(Alistair and Maddie) are children's novels

Humpty Dumpty(Humphrey) is a fucking nursery rhyme

The only ones that you can argue that aren't kid's fairytales are The Myth of Eros and Psyche(Cupid), Swan Lake(Duchess), and Robin Hood(Sparrow) AND EVEN THEN parents have taken to their children to see Swan Lake and people have adapted the tales of Robin Hood for kids to understand(which is actually why him stealing from the rich to give to the poor is the most popular version of him)

"They can't be presented to their fullest because they aren't for kids"

Oh so suddenly these don't exist anymore?

And Eros and Psyche isn't even that innappropriate of a myth for kids. You would just have to omit the mentions of sex and nothing else

Fairytales are some of the first pieces of media that children are allowed to watch/read and it is not only a poor excuse to not write them but also WRONG! It's honestly insulting insinuating that kids can't handle stuff from media that was made for them just because modern adults are too sensitive for them

Kids can handle intense and scary moments and rarely any retelling/adaptation of fairytales can ever get rid of these intense moments. The Swan Princess movie I showed has Odette have a happy ending but she still dies and it gets played for all the drama its worth. Disney's Little Mermaid also altered the ending to be more happy rather than bittersweet but still has moments that are intense and scary like Eric's ship catching on fire, Ariel's Grotto getting destroyed, Ursula's lair, Vanessa transforming back to Ursula and rapidly crawling towards Ariel, Ursula getting stabbed in the chest and the entire fight scene as a whole

Fuck even Frozen, which is much more inspired than based on The Snow Queen, still has Anna slowly and nearly dying from getting struck with Elsa's ice powers directly in the heart. Just like how Kai would have died from hypothermia if Gerda hadn't gotten there on time

Like I said, a very poor excuse to not talk at all about what these fairytales are

And calling the Rebel's stories as not as well known???

Ah yes, obscure fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldielockes, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White(cause remember Hunter is the Huntsman from both Red Riding Hood AND Snow White), and Humpty Dumpty

It was very kind of Ever After High to represent such obscure fairytales. It's not like the reason why they were even included is BECAUSE the average person knows the basics of all these stories. Absolutely not.

I'm being sarcastic obviously. The fairytales I listed on your list are incredibly well known and that is yet another poor excuse to write jack shit about the fairytales they include.

If that reflects the general knowledge of the fandom, I just think most of you shouldn't be in a fandom about tv show dedicated to fairytales and their tropes. Or at least acknowledge that y'all know zilch and have done no research on any of them cause I've seen way too many posts where its very evident that the person has not read or watched anything other than EAH's vague retelling of most of these fairytales

So yeah, I don't think any of this really explains any of my problems. If they weren't willing to even talk about these fairytales, I just think they should have

Not included them

I think a weak point of Ever After High as a show and the reason why I think the fandom sucks at handling the Royal-Rebel conflict is that

EAH put way too much emphasis on the Royals. ESPECIALLY in the specials.

Like yeah you had Raven, and sometimes you would get stuff focused on Cerise or Cedar but for the most part, most of the character stuff happens with Royals. We have Apple, Briar, Ashlynn, Blondie, the Charmings, Lizzie. So much of the focus is on the people who are at the top(aka rich). Even the only Rebel that gets significant attention is rich as well being the daughter of the Evil QUEEN and the Good KING

I see people in the fandom constantly not be sympathetic towards the Pied Piper and paint them as the only person in the wrong when I see no one talk about how the Mayor of Hamelin is the reason why the children were taken. The People of Hamelin have to be fearful of the day hundreds and hundreds of rats invade their village. They have to sit there and watch as the person who helped them with their infestation have to take their children because THEIR MAYOR is destined to not pay them the amount that they owed them.

And the Pipers seemingly don’t like their destinies. The original Piper probably only took the kids until the Mayor paid them as a lesson to not pay the amount that you promised. Oh but because the Pied Piper isn’t a Royal(rich) that means he was the only one in the wrong.

In universe, Sparrow gets put in General Villainy even tho the character of Robin Hood is famously known to aid the poor and in need. Oh no but because he robs from the rich then he HAS to be a villain!!! It’s not like Robin Hood is supposed to be a hero of the people and not the 1%!!!

The tyrannical Queen of Hearts and the abusive Duchess are allowed to stay tyrannical and abusive because not only is it their “destiny”, they have power and money. In the meta of the show, a harmless trickster is much more worthy of being treated as an awful villain more than a murder happy Queen.

The curriculum is mainly centered around Royalty and even classes that should be for everyone like Muse-ic class is implied to need pressure to even let Rebels take it even tho a Rebel is literally teaching it. Pied Piper wouldn’t be able to teach his OWN DAUGHTER Muse-ic all because they aren’t Royals

And this reflects in the fandom too. People only care about how sad the Royal’s destinies are and rarely ever concentrate on the Rebels that aren’t Raven Queen. On the rare occasion, you’ll get a little bit of Cerise. Anyone else? Absolutely irrelevant

And it sucks cause I generally think that exploring the feelings of the Rebels about the system that hurts them the most. But no. We just get the 100th episode about Apple and her possee

[xoxardnekoxo]

Movie Review: The Little Mermaid (2023)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Ah, Ariel. My favorite Disney princess. She's "my" princess. Ariel is the princess who introduced me to Disney (I was two years old when the movie came out), and I had a Little Mermaid themed bedroom for years. Bedding, curtains, pillows, toys, you name it. When Disney began making live action versions of their classic cartoons, I was hoping they'd follow suit with my favorite princess. And they finally did!

But imagine my disappointment at the casting... it has nothing to do with race. Those of us who grew up with these classic cartoons have certain expectations for the live action remakes. At the top of that list is the appearance of the characters. They should at least somewhat resemble their animated counterparts. The only character that even halfway resembled the source material was... (stops to think) Ursula and Vanessa. Halle's hair wasn't even red! /facepalm

But this post isn't about the casting. It's about the movie as a whole. As is customary with these live action remakes, there are going to be some differences and more than likely some extras. Let's begin with the first scene - text over water that literally says "But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more."

Well dang, that started out on a depressing note. That note is quickly followed by a scene similar to the cartoon with Eric on a ship and dolphins swimming nearby... except the ship's crew is trying to kill the dolphins, thinking they're mermaids/sirens out to lure sailors to their deaths.

Yeah, we get more of the siren lore/backstory this time around. This is the coral moon, which is when mermaids are known to use their voices to lure men to their dooms. Eric doesn't believe this, and we're then told that he was adopted by the king and queen, so he's not actually the biological prince of the island. They totally did that to explain why the queen is Black and Eric is white.

Anyway, we're then introduced to Triton and his daughters... and no, their names no longer all start with "A." A minor point, yet another example of changing a classic just for the sake of changing it. There was nothing wrong with the girls' names before... why change them? And man, Triton be a playa - the girls are all different races!!! But besides that, I wasn't a fan of their tails/seashells. They honestly looked like dresses with fins. Take away the fins and I wouldn't have thought they were mermaids.

We do get to see the great shipwreck/shark scene, and then we're introduced to Scuttle... who is not only now a female, but also no longer a seagull. No, the self-proclaimed human expert is now some different breed of bird that is capable of diving underwater. The story this time around is that merpeople can't go to the surface at all (well, actually, that was also true in the cartoon), so I guess Disney felt compelled to change Scuttle's breed to make Ariel seem more obedient?

Now cue Ariel's iconic song, then she hears fireworks and swims up to the surface and we see Eric's ship for his birthday... then a storm comes up, the ship crashes, fire breaks out, yada yada yada... you know this part. Ariel saves the human, drags him up onto the beach, he wakes up to her singing but can only make out her silhouette against the sun, and then becomes obsessed with finding her. He uses practically every resource in the kingdom to find a girl he barely got a decent look at... much to the chagrin of the queen, who forbids him from going on any more voyages. And then we get to endure a completely unnecessary musical number by the prince about how he wants this mystery girl to find him and how he's basically being called to the sea.

Yeah, the song was completely pointless and I found it to be bland. But anyway, after that, we get the inevitable father/daughter argument that results in Ariel's grotto getting destroyed, and as she's (dry because of no tears) sobbing, Ursula uses her crystal ball to visit her and lure her to her cave. Yeah, her eel henchmen don't speak in this movie, but their eyes do their spy function.

We're then told that Ursula is Triton's younger sister. So I guess that's why, for 34 years, she's harbored a grudge against the Sea King. Sounds like a case of sibling rivalry/jealousy to me.

So yeah, obviously Ursula's grand plan is to use Ariel as bait to get to Triton in order to obtain the trident. She tells Ariel she'll give her legs and if she and Eric share a kiss before the sun sets in three days, she'll be a human forever... but at the cost of her voice. It's not just her voice anymore. It's her siren's song. Essentially, a mermaid without a voice is an empty shell, in Ursula's eyes. Okay then.

Now, a question that's plagued many for more than three decades - why did Ariel not just write down her story for Eric so he understood what was going on? Well, that part gets addressed now. Ursula sneaks a memory loss thing into her spell, so whenever Ariel is questioned about kissing Eric or anyone mentions it to her, she immediately forgets, so she has no idea that's what she needs to do.

So during Ariel's time on land, we do hear her singing - it's meant to be her subconscious. Because Disney had to warrant casting someone with such a great singing voice (according to them) being mute for a big chunk of the movie. Anyway, Ariel does eventually wander into Eric's "hobby room" in the castle where his maps, telescopes, and items from his adventures are. So really, the two are a lot alike - they both feel trapped in their own homes and desire more. So of course they're bonding.

So eventually we get to the "Kiss the Girl" scene, and it's been stated that some of the lyrics had been changed. Actually, some lyrics in "Poor Unfortunate Souls" were also changed, because apparently after 34 years, some of those lyrics don't hold up well.

So eventually Eric leans in for a kiss, but because of the memory loss thing, Ariel pulls away. I mean, she was leaning in at first, but then she's like

Yeah, the lyrics were changed because there was supposedly an implication that Eric was forcing himself on Ariel in the cartoon. Uh..... Ariel was 100% on board for that kiss, and it was the whole POINT! That's what was needed to break the spell and allow her to stay on land! He was hardly forcing himself on her!!!

This time around, if anyone was being forceful, it was Sebastian with all his coaxing Eric to kiss Ariel. Geez!

So then Vanessa makes her debut, and we then have to sit through an annoyingly pointless tune of Scuttle going on about the "scuttlebutt" of how Eric is going to propose... That was super annoying and absolutely unnecessary. Just say it!!!

Enter the engagement announcement party (no, not a wedding, just an announcement of one) at the castle (not on a ship), and of course Ariel's tail pops out, Ursula turns back into an octopus, and the queen is all OMG the sea creatures are gonna come back and kill us!!!

This time, instead of Eric getting on one of the ships brought up by Ursula, Ariel does it and uses the ship's wheel to steer the giant harpoon-like thing at the bow into Ursula. Eric wakes up and Ariel is gone, and the queen is like, "Our worlds weren't meant to be together." Or something like that. Talk about a mood killer.

But then Triton makes Ariel human (of course), and they get married, and set off for those "wild, unchartered waters." And now all the merpeople can come to the surface, so we get to see them and the humans being all harmonious.

And... end. Yeah, no rainbow in the sky created by Triton. What a missed opportunity that was.

So yeah, I didn't see this movie in theaters out of principle, and I didn't buy the DVD/Blu-Ray. I just watched it on Disney+. Some things were good, as I anticipated they would be, but honestly, they could have done so much better. Eric didn't need a song, and neither did Scuttle... and Ariel literally wore the same dress the entire time she was human. You can't tell me that huge palace didn't have more dresses she could wear. And no, we don't see her dinner dress (the pink one)... in fact, that dinner scene never happens. The "using the fork as a comb" thing happens when Eric is showing Ariel the market, when Jodie Benson (the original voice of Ariel) gives her something to eat with the fork.

I'm still not completely on board with all the race/gender changes. By doing this, it just tells Disney that it's okay to do that for every single remake. Snow White is going to be a train wreck... they can't even get the story right for the TITLE. These live action remakes are getting worse, honestly. Changing just for the sake of changing is a stupid reason to do so. There's a reason the classics are classics.

I'm not saying this movie was horrible. But I am saying it could have been better. Could have been worse, too, though, so... kind of a double-edged sword here. Out of principle I don't want to give the movie a high rating because of all the changes, most notably the casting of "my" princess... again, not because it's a race thing, but because it's a principle thing. But regardless, I'll go ahead and give it 7/10. My biggest gripes are the added songs that were more annoying than anything.

[demigodofhoolemere]

Um, Disney… this was literally already the plot of the movie. Her motivations are pretty clearly not just about Eric (and even if they were — so what?). She’d been collecting things in the grotto for ages and sang Part of Your World, the song where she goes very into detail about wanting to take part in the human world, BEFORE she ever laid eyes on Eric. Tell me you haven’t watched the movie in a while without telling me you haven’t watched the movie in a while.

[ick25]

About The Little Mermaid...

I hate how Hollywood thinks that a strong female character has to kick ass and not let a man save them, she just needs to be relatable.

Growing up with the little mermaid made me realized how well written the movie was, Ariel was not a weak female protagonist that needs a man to save her from the villain. Actually, one of my favorite parts of the movie is when Ariel attacks Ursula out of rage after she turned her father into... whatever that thing was.

As a woman, how many times have you gotten angry at someone and wanted to harm them, only to be stopped abruptly by something or someone else? It doesn’t mean that you are weak, it just means you were caught in the moment and forgot that other people are bigger or physically stronger than you are. It also means that you are not use to fighting but you try to anyway because you are angry. That is what happened to Ariel, Ursula was stronger than her so she barely did anything, but at least she tried.

Shortly after this, Eric appears to save Ariel, even though he had no idea what was really going on, all he knew was that the girl he fell in love with was in trouble and he went to help. He was caught by Ursula’s eels but Sebastian and Flounder helped him escape, when Ursula was about to kill him with the trident, Ariel pulled her hair making her accidentally zap her precious eels.

This made Ursula focus her rage on Ariel and that gave Eric the chance to stab her with the ship. Because Eric decided to stay even after Ariel told him to leave, in the end, it was their love for each other that helped them defeat Ursula.

That is why I loved this movie so much, it was the first time I ever saw a Disney princess get enraged like that and actually tried to attack their villain. As a woman, I know I don’t need a man to be happy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to meet one! I am proud of being a girl, I like to look my best and am capable of defending myself when I need to, I can be strong and do things by myself, but I know when I need help and I value when others offer to give me a hand. 

Men or women, it doesn’t matter, we are all human, we make mistakes and we learn from them, and each individual have their own strengths and weaknesses. I know parents are afraid to have their daughters learn the wrong messages, but at least trust that they are smart enough to understand the good aspects of a well written story.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

So I saw the Live Action Little Mermaid and...

Okay, I don't usually go and review movies like this but honestly, because everybody's causing a war over this movie, I gotta say my opinions; MIXED FEELINGS!

My completely honest opinion on this movie is that it was better than that stupid cartoon Disney version, however, there are way better adaptations of Little Mermaid out there. Don't act like the story only exists because of Disney, because Hans Christian Anderson wrote it hundreds of years before Disney made it into an adaptation. My friends and I watched the movie on Actvid. com, it's not worth seeing in theaters or on Disney plus unless you're a huge Disney fan. I'm someone who's NOT a Disney fan at all, in fact I'm kind of happy that it's at it's slight downfall, so I went on a free website to watch it. I don't have Disney plus obviously, so yeah. Neither of us were real excited about it, in fact only one of us was actually planning on seeing it in theaters. I saved her at least $15 from not going to the theater (she lives in Canada) by watching it on a free website, and she enjoyed it more than I did. Plus, we all got to sit and chat about it, and say what we liked and didn't like about it.

I personally am not a fan of the older Disney movies, and I never watched the "original" as in, I never watched the 80s one from everybody's childhood. I don't want to watch it, for a lot of reasons, I just don't think it's good for kids and I don't know why it gets so much hype. I wasn't used to watching the version of the story where the mermaid loses her voice, and I thought that was so cruel! I hated the fact that she lost her voice. I mean, they could have made her just lose her singing voice and not her voice-voice but at least her and the prince still had their quality time. Speaking of the prince, he was less of a stupid dumb himbo who only wanted a pretty girl, and he was more of a daring and fun guy with an actual personality. Also, I think it was kind of dumb to keep the talking animals in the live action version, since it was probably supposed to be more serious, but it played out just fine. The CGI in how they moved was just a bit creepy. I hated the crab, though! 0_0 He was a b**** crab! Mr krabs might be greedy sometimes but I like him way better than the crab in this movie. Scuttle the bird, though, she's pretty cool. I just didn't like the animation in how she moved. If I were the boss, I'd still swap out those talking animals for a tough tomboy pirate chick who becomes friends with Ariel and teaches her about human life. Probably what I liked most about this movie was Ariel's personality and outfits! I wish people would stop hating that they made her black, even if she was always portrayed as a white girl. I AM A WHITE GIRL TOO! I have Polish, Italian, Irish, Dutch, and British heritage! I see nothing wrong with a black mermaid! In fact, I thought she was really cute and she looked STUNNING and Halle Bailey is a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN! This technically isn't race bending either, since she had no confirmed race. Now when they racebent the Scooby Doo gang, that's a different story... that I have a problem with! I don't have a problem with "Ariel" the Little Mermaid being black. They honestly could name her whatever they wanted, she doesn't have to be named Ariel. I think Ariel is a cute name for her though.

Do I still think this movie is worth seeing in theaters? Nope. It's not perfect, it's nothing special. It's like, you either love it or you hate it for most people but I have so many mixed feelings about it. Again, it's the story that I'm talking about! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SKIN COLOR HERE! The haters hated it for the wrong reason (skin color) and not for the right reasons (creepy CGI movements in the animals, the story, the under the sea song, ect...). "But Jocey, I loved that song!" (I can't be the only one who gets annoyed at it because we had to sing it in middle school in chorus class? Plus I didn't grow up with the original). But STOP HATING ON THE MOVIE FOR SKIN COLOR REASONS! Hate on it because of the other reasons!

Btw, last of all, if you're looking for a more family fun adaptation of Little Mermaid, PLEASE GO WATCH PONYO! The English Dub is on Actvid for free, but if you don't want to watch it on Actvid, it's probably on Netflix or Hulu or Paramount. Idk what streaming service has the English dub but it's incredible! Ponyo's technically based on the Little Mermaid, but she's not exactly a mermaid. She's actually a fish who turns into a human and it's funny and Betty White and Cloris Leachman voice the two old ladies, and Noah Cyrus voices Ponyo and it's great! I don't recommend showing the old cartoon Disney version of Little Mermaid to kids, nor do I recommend the Live action one for kids either. if you insist on showing them one of the Disney versions, go for the live action, but I still think Ponyo is better for kids. Ponyo is by Studio Ghibli, but it's not as creepy as most Ghibli movies like spirited away and stuff. You're high a f if you think Spirited away is good for kids

So yeah, that's my review and also my recommendation for Ponyo