History Awesome / TheLittleMermaid1989

** Even more impressive, Ariel saves Eric's life ''again'' during the climax. Ursula points the trident at Eric and tells Ariel to "say goodbye to [her] sweetheart!" Quickly, Ariel grabs Ursula, changing the trident's aim so that the blast misses Eric for Flotsam and Jetsam.

--->'''Ursula:''' ''*kissy face*'' So long, lovey boy.

** Human ​Ariel may not have had much experience swimming with legs at first, but she quickly adapted and showcased impressive athletic abilities. While she ''is'' flailing around and drowning when she first becomes human because she doesn't how to swim with her legs, Sebastian grabs Ariel's arm and points her in the right direction, while Flounder provides her with buoyancy by swimming under her armpit. Ariel starts instinctively kicking her legs so fast that she swims from Ursula's lair, which is in a ''volcanic deep-sea trench'' to ''the surface of the ocean'' in about nine seconds. [[PunctuatedforEmphasis Nine. Seconds.]] When you look at the [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4k_littlemermaid_animationscreencapscom_75122.jpg expression of focus and sheer terror on Ariel's face as she's almost at the surface]], that tells you that even in the most shocking and panic-filled life or death scenario, [[{{Determinator}} Ariel's physical strength and resolve will do what it takes to make sure she does not fail]].

** Human Ariel is no pushover when it comes to impressive athletic feats as well. While she ''is'' flailing around and drowning when she first becomes human because she doesn't how to swim with legs, as soon as Sebastian grabs her arm and points her in the right direction and Flounder swims under her armpit giving her something large and buoyant to hold on to, Ariel starts instinctively kicking her legs so fast that she swims from Ursula's lair, which is in a ''volcanic deep-sea trench'' to ''the surface of the ocean'' in about nine seconds. [[PunctuatedforEmphasis Nine. Seconds.]] When you look at the [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4k_littlemermaid_animationscreencapscom_75122.jpg expression of focus and sheer terror on Ariel's face as she's almost at the surface]], that tells you that even in the most shocking and panic-filled life or death scenario, [[{{Determinator}} Ariel's physical strength and resolve will do what it takes to make sure she does not fail]].

** For even more perspective, when comparing this to the scene right before the final battle where Ariel is a mermaid again and she swims up to the surface from deep water right after Flotsam and Jetsam's death, it ''also'' takes about nine seconds. And this is compared to when Ariel is surprised and in pain from the transformation and drowning with no skill in swimming with human legs whatsoever, powered only by instinct, adrenaline, and a small push from Flounder and Sebastian. This implies that if Ariel actually practiced and learned how to swim with human legs, while she could never be underwater for ''too'' long since she can't breathe, she could be a great swimmer by human standards.

*** The fact that Sebastian actually ''does'' "tell [Ariel's] father" because "[you're] good at that". Sometimes, the crab's snitching ''comes in handy.''

** In that same scene, Eric's dog Max gets a Moment of Awesome (and some well deserved revenge, since Vanessa [[KickTheDog kicked him earlier]]) by saving Scuttle from being strangled by Vanessa/Ursula by ''[[TheDogBitesBack biting her in the butt]]'', causing her to lose her grip on Scuttle and break the shell.

** As noted on the Headscratchers page, Scuttle could have worked out that the necklace was the source of the magic just through common sense; he may have seen human women dressed up before and guessed that it was more normal for them to wear jewels instead of a shell, giving a good indicator that's what Ursula was using (and the fact that she was using Ariel's voice, so something worn closer to her throat would make sense).

** Related to that, do you realize how ''strong'' she must be? She's a little slip of a girl, yet is able to grab him, then pull him up to the surface and to shore with ''one arm'', propelling herself with the other. Apparently, that collection of hers includes barbells.
*** Going into that, think about all the physical feats Ariel does throughout the film when she's a Mermaid; she's able to push the door to her grotto (Which is a heavy rock at the bottom of the ocean, so the pressure is there), is able to scale ships without the use of legs (Thus all upper body strength) and is able to pull against the much heavier Ursula. She's a [[CuteBruiser lot stronger than she lets on for a skinny kid.]]
** Human Ariel is no pushover when it comes to impressive athletic feats as well. While she ''is'' flailing around and drowning when she first becomes human because she doesn't how to swim with legs, as soon as Sebastian grabs her arm and points her in the right direction and Flounder swims under her armpit giving her something large and buoyant to hold on to, Ariel starts instinctively kicking her legs so fast that she swims from Ursula's lair, which is in a ''volcanic deep sea trench'' to ''the surface of the ocean'' in about nine seconds. [[PunctuatedforEmphasis Nine. Seconds.]] When you look at the [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4k_littlemermaid_animationscreencapscom_75122.jpg expression of focus and sheer terror on Ariel's face as she's almost at the surface]], that tells you that even in the most shocking and panic filled life or death scenario, [[{{Determinator}} Ariel's physical strength and resolve will do what it takes to make sure she does not fail]].
** For even more perspective, when comparing this to the scene right before the final battle where Ariel is a mermaid again and she swims up to the surface from deep water right after Flotsam and Jetsam's death, it ''also'' takes about nine seconds. And this is compared to when Ariel is surprised and in pain from the transformation and drowning with no skill in swimming with human legs whatsoever, powered only by instinct, adrenaline, and a small push from Flounder and Sebastian. This implies that if Ariel actually practiced and learned how to swim with human legs, while she could never be underwater for ''too'' long since she can't breathe, she could be just as great of a swimmer as she was as a mermaid, or possibly even ''better''.

* Ursula is quite possibly the only villain to put together a plan and have it work completely, in part due to the UnspokenPlanGuarantee. She suckered Ariel, traded her for Triton and took over the entire ocean. The only reason she loses is because she had the unfortunate luck of running into Eric.

* The ending of this transformation sequence where Ariel flips her hair out of the water and gasps for breath is so awesome that it's become one of the movie's [[SignatureScene most famous moments]] [[MoneyMakingShot and it's almost always played at the beginning or climax of most of the film's trailers]]. This moment [[TropeCodifier DEFINED]] the MermaidArcEmergence and launched it into fame, and is not just synonomous with Princess Ariel, but ''mermaids in general.'' This is such an iconic visual that it was recreated in ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' in an equally awesome moment.

** Driven home by Ursula's little remark after the "Kiss The Girl" song. Maybe "little tramp" [[MyGirlIsNotASlut isn't quite the appropriate term]], but can we all agree Ariel's having Eric ready to give her true love's kiss after ''two whole days'' was '''awesome'''?

*** The fact that Sebastian actually ''does'' "tell [Ariel's] father" because "[you're] good at that". Sometimes, the Crab's snitching ''comes in handy.''

** Sebastian redeems himself multiple times - most notably organizing the plan to bust Ursula. He realizes it'll take Ariel and Flounder a while to get to the ship, so he gets Scuttle to sabotage the wedding. And knowing that they're dealing with a powerful sea witch, he goes to get Triton, having the sense to realize how far in over their heads they are. The last one is notable because when Ariel is first turned into a human, Sebastian is [[ItsAllAboutMe worried about Triton finding out and punishing him]]. And this time, he doesn't look the least bit ashamed about having told Triton everything, because he knows he did the right thing.

** Sebastian redeems himself multiple times - most notably organizing the plan to bust Ursula. He realizes it'll take Ariel and Flounder a while to get to the ship, so he gets Scuttle to sabotage the wedding. And knowing that they're dealing with a powerful sea witch, he goes to get Triton, having the sense to realize how far in over their heads they are. The last one is notable because when Ariel is first turned into a human, Sebastian is [[ItsAllAboutMe worried about Triton finding out and punishing him]].

* Ursula's transformation from the beautiful Vanessa to the monstrous sea-witch. Ariel is finally about to kiss Eric, when the sun sets, and she becomes a mermaid again. Ursula cries "YOU'RE TOO LATE!" in a powerful, triumphant tone. She raises her arms and brings lightning down (from an ominous red sky) as she grows back into her true form, bursting through the wedding dress as her tentacles spill out in a combination of {{Squick}} and pure awesome, all while giving yet another impressive EvilLaugh. The wedding guests are understandably ''terrified''. And this is all set to an epic, marchlike DarkReprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls." It's brief, but truly amazing.

-->'''Ursula:''' ''*kissy face*'' So long, lovey boy.

--> "Why don't you go tell my father? [[WhatTheHellHero You're good at that]]."