Differences Between Disney And The Little Mermaid

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The Reality Within Fairytales

The Little Mermaid produced by Disney in 1989 portrays a tale of a sixteen year old girl facing the challenges of womanhood. As King Triton, Ariel’s father, forbids her from leaving the ocean she rebels and swims to the surface. In doing so Ariel meets the love of her life. The young mermaid overcomes many obstacles in order to take her life into her own hands and become a human. While Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid depicts a vibrant young woman facing the challenges of an unknown world the original version proves to be much different. In 1836 Hans Christian Andersen wrote a melancholic tale of a young, depressed, and scrawny unnamed woman who changes her appearance for a prince. The storylines are fairly similar, but in Andersen’s version the young girl is put through tremendous pain and suffering. Depression and pain are often associated with Andersen’s original work while Disney focuses on a more cheerful and joyous aspect.
Throughout Andersen’s tale of The Little Mermaid an unnamed ten year old mermaid is caught in mental and physical turmoil. The young girl must marry her true love or else she will die broken hearted and dissolve in the sea foam in the waves. The mermaid takes it upon …show more content…

In Hans Christian Andersen’s story there are many elements of torture and depression. The mermaid experiences extreme pain in growing legs and she feels as if she’s being cut each time she puts pressure on her legs. Yet in the Disney version Ariel painlessly is given legs, she just has to give up her voice to Ursula. Disney had taken most of the depressing parts out of Andersen’s story. In Andersen’s version Prince Eric marries another woman and leaves Ariel heartbroken, causing her to go to the ocean and disintegrate. While in Disney’s movie Ariel wins over Prince Eric, marries him, and lives happily ever

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