sea

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid

People always dunk on the little mermaid for being stupid and willing to throw away everything for a stranger who won’t love her back, but I never got that takeaway from the original fairytale (which I think this movie captures better than any version I’ve seen). Yes she was naive in her wishful thinking but ultimately all her decisions that followed were mature and selfless (and a heavy commentary on Christian values). The witch represented temptation and violence through her 2 spells — ones that probably would’ve driven anyone in the little mermaid’s situation to betray their morals for their own gains. But even in her utmost desperation, she never forced her love onto the prince, sabotaged the human princess, or committed murder. Instead, she was patient and kind, and stuck to her values even with no guarantee of success. It’s the way she conducted herself in the face of sin-inducing tribulations that gave her a soul, an eternal life. This is ultimately a story about sacrifice, integrity, faith, and love — love beyond the petty romance that most viewers reduce this story to. (In the original story, she wanted the prince AND eternal life — the latter was a big factor in her decision to become human.) I never saw it as her giving up everything for a man — long before the prince, she was already in love with the world above sea, with humanity. She was always adventurous, curious, rebellious, and free-spirited; she always wanted more than what her current life had to offer. Yes, she had a loving family, but how many people stay in their hometown and live with their family forever out of love, really? You have to go out and live your life the way you want to, even if it may cause pain and regret and losing everything — it’s worth it in the end, because she got to experience at least parts of what she’d yearned for, which she never would’ve had she stayed home and obeyed traditions. It’s coming of age, it’s finding yourself, and throughout it all, it’s being true to yourself. Side note: I also love that they dressed her in the prince’s clothing for half the film. When the prince commented on how they could be twins, I started thinking about how he probably subconsciously saw himself reflected in Marina’s authentic spirit, as he was also trying to fight for himself under the weight of duty and obedience.