I always loved The Little Mermaid, but after rewatching it now that I’m an adult, I noticed serious flaws that I never did before. The original story is about a mermaid, Ariel, who falls in love with a human, and makes a deal with a sea witch, Ursula, to become a human for 3 days in exchange for her beautiful singing voice. The catch is, if Ariel doesn’t make the man fall in love with her and get true love’s kiss before the 3rd day sets, she will be Ursula’s slave forever. When I was younger I loved the story, but realized that it really made no sense. Ariel doesn’t speak for the whole movie, yet ends up with a man who has never even heard her talk. Her lack of a voice is central to the plot but doesn’t have any bearing on the outcome. I decided to make the story realistic, and give Ariel agency. I also recreated the character of Ursula, and gave her compassion. Most Disney stories feature an evil, female villain who is obsessed with looks. I made the story more of a fable with a meaning, rather than a fairytale.
