The Happiness Analysis: The Little Mermaid
The wedding: the classic Shakespearean comedy ending. At the end of The Little Mermaid, Ariel is turned into a human by her father, King Triton, and can marry Prince Eric and live happily ever after with him, as they defeated the toughest challenge in the world Ursula the Sea Witch. In this Disney film, the trope of true love is again the universal notion of happiness that all the characters are looking for, similar to Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. The only people who deserve this happiness, according to the film, though, are the "Good" characters. Now how does one know if a character is "Good" you may ask? Well, Disney does this effectively first through color. Ariel is colored in bright, vibrant colors such as bright red hair, light teal mermaid tail, light fair skin, stylish seashell. On the other hand, Ursula is darker purplish skin, a black outfit, and white hair. Another way they distinguished the two by giving Ariel a slim, curvy body that fit the beauty standard back then in 1989 while Ursula was obese and thick, the opposite of what women wanted to look like back then. This image of having a slim curvy body to be able to attract men is set even more apparent when Ursula decides to put her matters into her own hands and transform her body into a body similar to Ariel's. But even then, you can tell she was the bad guy through her lack of innocence in her smile; with Ariel's smile, she looks so innocent and happy. Since Disney establishes a straightforward "Good" guy and a clear "Bad" guy, only the "Good" guy gets to be happy. I think if the "Bad" guy were the one who ended up happily ever after, in this case, if Ursula married Eric, many movie watchers, including myself, would feel enraged at the film and not like it. It's the fact that the good always succeeds is what makes a happily ever after. Ariel, who sacrificed her voice for Eric, deserves the happily ever, not the greedy Sea Witch.
/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/26/34/26349ee5-df4d-4595-8d77-674a8ef40fc0/t03pxm.jpg)
Ariel with Ursula
Has Disney's depiction of happily ever afters changed since 1937? I would argue that it has not much. The Little Mermaid still ends in a wedding just like Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. It's always the "Good" princess who gets to be with the prince at the end. And it's still the prince who saves the princess at the end from the evil witch's spells. But if I were, to be honest, I enjoy these types of endings. It's not always the case in real life that the "Good" person gets the happily ever after, but you can't help but feel warm in your heart for the person whenever it happens.
You make an interesting point, Louis, when you say that you enjoy these types of endings because "It's not always the case in real life that the "Good" person gets the happily ever after..."
ReplyDeleteDo you think that these types of endings are ever problematic? Or, in other words, does seeing these types of "happily ever afters" repeatedly play out, especially when we're young, give us false expectations of what to expect in the future? Do we believe that if we're good, we'll automatically get to live happily-ever-after, whatever that means?
I think these types of "happily ever afters" does give children false expectations of what to expect in the future. However, is teaching a child to be morally good whether it does lead to a good future or not a bad thing? I would argue no.
DeleteHey Louis,
ReplyDeleteThe idea of poetic justice, where good characters are rewarded and evil ones punished, typically in a way logically consistent with their virtues and vices respectively, is found not only in Disney movies but in stories around the world, and people around the world enjoy these types of endings as you do.
But here is an idea for thought: instead of an ending where the good guys end up happy and the bad guys die/end up miserable, would an ending where the bad people get redeemed, and also end up happy, be better/also be acceptable?
I would argue that your alternative ending would be a much more fulfilling ending to me because I think that not enough Disney movies of today show bad guys redeeming themselves which should be a more emphasized message in today's society.
DeleteI definitely agree with your analysis and the fact that love, relationships and marriage have come a long way with regards to Disney and its portrayal of its princesses especially when considering films like Frozen. It is clear that in 1989, Disney had yet to move from the typical true love narrative and the wedding ending. I would like to argue, however, that the Little Mermaid builds its characters in a more wholesome way as compared to a film like Snow White. On the whole, great analysis.
ReplyDelete