History YMMV / Splash

* SpecialEffectFailure: While the effects in the actual movie are decent enough for the time, the same can't be said about Disney's attempts at censoring Madison's bare backside in the Creator/DisneyPlus print. They tried to do so by extending Madison's hair down to the top of her legs; unfortunately, the digitally-added hair doesn't always connect with Daryl Hannah's own hair, which at points makes it look as though she has an absurdly hairy butt.This comes from the “new hair” being cloned from a small, random section, so it all moves along with that small section, not the hair next to it.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Creator/RogerEbert observed in his review that the mermaid falls for the handsome romantic leading man played by Creator/TomHanks, so their romance plays out more or less like a typical [=RomCom=]... but now just ''imagine'' the comedic potential of having her fall for Creator/JohnCandy. [[labelnote:A]] Ironically, Tom Hanks auditioned for the role of ''Freddie'' only to get cast as Allen instead. To further the irony, John Candy actually wanted to play the role of ''Dr. Walter Kornbluth'' but Ron Howard convinced Candy to play the role of Freddie instead. John then recommended Creator/EugeneLevy for the role of Dr. Walter Kornbluth, which Howard accepted. [[/labelnote]][[labelnote:B]] John Candy would eventually get the chance to be a romantic leading man in the films ''Film/{{Delirious}}'' and ''Film/OnlyTheLonely''.[[/labelnote]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Creator/RogerEbert observed in his review that the mermaid falls for the handsome romantic leading man played by Creator/TomHanks, so their romance plays out more or less like a typical [=RomCom=]... but now just ''imagine'' the comedic potential of having her fall for Creator/JohnCandy.

* HarsherInHindsight: While playing racketball with Alan, Freddie at one point states in agony that his heart is "beating like a rabbit!" 10 years later, John Candy died of a heart failure.

** In the film, Allen sings the Disney song [[Film/SongOfTheSouth “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”]] to indicate [[DidYouJustHaveSex how elated he is after getting so much nookie from Madison]]. Five years after the film’s release, the Disneyland log flume “Zip-a-Dee River Run” was renamed Ride/SplashMountain, after then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner suggested that the attraction be used to help market the film ''Splash''. [[note]]Eisner even went as far as suggesting that an ''animatronic'' of the mermaid appear on the ride, but the Imagineers refused as they felt it would disrupt the tone of the ride.[[/note]]

* MoralEventHorizon: Dr. Kornbluth calls out the other scientists, particularly the leader Dr. Ross, for planning to dissect Madison. But they merely insult him for "not being a real scientist", expressing how Kornbluth would always be a disgrace in his eyes and the eyes of the scientific community no matter if he is considered crazy or not, thus making all his efforts to earn his respect amongst fellow scientists for naught. This helps lead to his HeelFaceTurn afterward, and also makes Ross look like an idiot and a more deplorable MadScientist than Kornbluth, since he could have gotten into the history books as the one who established contact with a new race if he wasn't such a cold-hearted "sadistic pig".
* OneSceneWonder: Kornbluth's mentor.

* SpecialEffectFailure: While the effects in the actual movie are decent enough for the time, the same can't be said about Disney's attempts at censoring Madison's bare backside in the Creator/DisneyPlus print. They tried to do so by extending Madison's hair down to the top of her legs; unfortunately, the digitally-added hair doesn't always connect with Daryl Hannah's own hair, which at points makes it look as though she has an absurdly hairy butt.This comes from the "new hair" being cloned from a small, random section, so it all moves along with that small section, not the hair next to it.

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still marry her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”, most likely saying it as a throwaway joke. Madison is not transgender, but Allen saying that he would accept her if she ''was'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still marry her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”. Madison is not transgender, but Allen saying that he would accept her if she ''was'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The film is now likely best known for the Creator/DisneyPlus release being digitally altered to cover a shot of Daryl Hannah's bare rear end, launching a vitriolic debate over "censoring" the movie (even though the original version was still available several other ways). Things got even worse when a couple months later ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' was released on the service with its shot of Hugh Jackman's bare ass intact, leading to many calls of a DoubleStandard.

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* {{Applicability}}: According to autistic [=YouTuber=] [[https://youtu.be/PyvOnm_IxBk Anna Moomin]], Madison’s behavior in ''Splash'' is analogous to people on the autism spectrum: Madison is non-verbal[[note]][[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision although she eventually learns to speak English by watching TV for six hours at “Bloomingdales”]], and even repeats phrases that she heard on TV, which is reminiscent of autistic individuals exhibiting [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia “echolalia”]]. [[/note]]; is aversive to wearing clothes (see the scene where she walks to the “Statue of Liberty” [[InnocentFanserviceGirl buck naked]]) or at least doesn’t wear clothes that are deemed “socially acceptable” (such as her [[CrossDressing wearing Allen’s suit and boxer shorts]] when she goes to Bloomingdales); lacks an awareness of real danger (Madison leaves Allen’s apartment all by herself without understanding how the world works or knowing anybody; runs into a busy street, which causes some cars to collide with each other, but leaves her unharmed; and takes a blind, homeless man’s mug of pencils without understanding that she shouldn’t steal things from homeless people); takes things literally (Madison thinks the blue Tiffany’s box is the ''actual present''); can’t comprehend sarcasm (When Madison says to Allen at the ice rink that ”his voice sounds funny”, Allen tells her that it was because he was being sarcastic. He then proceeds to insult Madison by saying [[SarcasmBlind “What? They don’t have that where you come from either?”]]); struggles to “pass” as a human being (much like how autistic people struggle to “mask” themselves as “neurotypical”); and feels the need to keep her “mermaid” identity a secret from Allen (much like how autistic women may feel the need to keep their autism a secret from their neurotypical partner in order to avoid hostility and rejection).

** To be fair to the filmmakers on this one, they'd planned a more downbeat ending where [[spoiler:Allen and Madison don't get together (with these reasons obviously being a factor}]]… until the filmmakers' wives threatened to leave them if they didn't write a happy ending.

** To be fair to the filmmakers on this one, they'd planned a more downbeat ending where Allen and Madison don't get together (with these reasons obviously being a factor]]… until the filmmakers' wives threatened to leave them if they didn't write a happy ending.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselHoff: The film was successful in France. It was well received in Spain as well. Also Japan. It was also popular in Canada, to the point that it's often shown on tv and streaming services in Canada.

** Usually, in romantic comedies, the protagonist tends to be a woman who is obsessed with finding a man, getting married, and having a kid, but in the case of ''Splash'', the protagonist is a MAN who is obsessed with finding a woman, getting married, and having kids (which is certainly a rarity for a romantic comedy).

*** Speaking of other rarities in romantic comedies, instead of the woman sacrificing everything to be with her male lover at the end of the film, [[spoiler: it’s the male protagonist (Allen) who gives up his family, his friends, his home, his produce business, and even his own species in order to be with the woman he loves ([[InterspeciesRomance Madison the mermaid]]) at the end of the film]].

** A scientist trying to prove supernatural creatures exists. [[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Sound familiar]]?[[note]]Creator/ButchHartman states that Eugene Levy's character in this film ''was'' the inspiration for Crocker.[[/note]]
** The boat Tom Hanks is riding in randomly loses power halfway between the mainland and an island. The pilot generously attributes the problem to him intentionally rocking the boat, but that's because this was decades before the world learned [[Film/Apollo13 never]] [[Film/CastAway to]] [[Film/{{Sully}} travel]] [[Film/CaptainPhillips with]] [[MemeticMutation Tom Hanks.]]
** In order to impress a former Green Beret colonel who wants to turn Bauer Produce into a food chain, Freddie [[PhonyVeteran makes up a story about his younger brother Allen getting injured in the head while serving in Vietnam]]. Ten years after ''Splash'', Tom Hanks would star in ''Film/ForrestGump'', where his character Forrest Gump [[ShotInTheAss would get injured]] while serving in Vietnam.

** One of the many studios that producer Brian Grazer pitched his film ''Splash'' was Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, which Disney would eventually buy in 2019.
*** According to the book ''Storming the Magic Kingdom'' by John Taylor, the script was rejected by the studio’s senior vice-president of worldwide production Richard Berger due to concerns that the “extensive underwater scenes” would have made the film “prohibitively expensive”. [[note]]What’s even more ironic is that Richard Berger would later get fired from 20th Century Fox and go work at Disney instead, in which he became president of Disney’s Touchstone Pictures division. [[http://jimhillmedia.com/guest_writers1/b/leo_n_holzer/archive/2010/12/15/former-disney-ceo-ron-miller-recalls-his-own-quot-tron-quot-legacy.aspx When Disney CEO and founder of Touchstone Pictures Ron Miller handed the screenplay of ''Splash'' to Richard in order to see if he would like it, Berger told Ron that he had already read it back at 20th Century Fox]]; however once Richard read the script, he ended up liking it, thanks to a rewrite done by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, which had significantly fewer underwater scenes than the original script written by Bruce Jay Friedman.[[/note]]

* ValuesDissonance: The scene in the prologue where ten-year-old Freddie drops coins on the ground in order to look up women’s skirts is ''played for laughs''. It gets worse when you see Freddie doing the same thing, [[{{Squick}} this time as an adult]]. In fact, when Allen lifts Freddie up and tells him how embarrassing it was back when he was ten, Freddie justifies his inappropriate behavior by saying to Allen, [[ImAManICantHelpIt “Look, if something works for me, I stick with it”]]. Nowadays, Freddie’s behavior (known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upskirt “upskirting”]]) would be seen as a [[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-new-york-upskirting-idUSKCN0XF24O sex crime in the state of New York]] (where the movie takes place).

* EnforcedMethodActing: Young Madison's tears following her brief encounter with Young Allen were genuine. Actress Shayla MacKarvich was uncomfortable about appearing topless in the movie (despite nothing of consequence being shown or even present as she was only seven at the time of filming).

* EsotericHappyEnding:[[spoiler: Even though it’s sweet that Allen gets to be with his beloved Madison, in the long run, his love for her may not be enough to survive in her underwater world. He ''can’t ever leave her side'', otherwise he’ll drown (Madison explains to Allen that he felt safe under the water as a young boy because she was present). Also, Allen will probably have to give up his human speech and instead learn to speak in [[StarfishLanguage high pitched dolphin squeaks]]. To make matters worse, [[YouCantGoHomeAgain he can’t ever go back to his life on land or visit his brother Freddie above]], so Allen will be forced to cope with the downsides of undersea life, like [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk his loss of humanity]] and [[MermaidProblem chronic sexual frustration]]]].
* GermansLoveDavidHasselHoff: The film was successful in France. It was well recived in Spain as well. Also Japan. It was also popular in Canada, to the point that it's often shown on tv and streaming services in Canada.

** The saleslady at Bloomingdales saying to Madison, as she escorts Madison to the dressing room, that her daughter is “lucky” to be anorexic because at least her daughter can fit into a red dress would definitely not fly today, considering the public’s greater awareness of eating disorders and how ''deadly'' anorexia nervosa can be. [[note]]It gets worse when you learn that singer [[Music/TheCarpenters Karen Carpenter]] [[FunnyAneurysmMoment died of anorexia nervosa one year before “Splash” was released]] (and even one month prior to shooting the film). That said, the movie does seem to play the remark for BlackComedy, acknowledging it as a rather messed-up thing to say.[[/note]]

** In the last few years, and especially since the release of ''Film/[{{Blackfish}}'', the suffering aquatic creatures endure in captivity has gained more and more prominence in the public eye. [[spoiler: The mistreatment Madison endures at the hands of Dr. Ross, ''before'' he plans to dissect her, mind you, rightfully makes him irredeemable, while Kornbluth's guilt and self-loathing over it makes him redeemable]].

* JerkassWoobie: Stan the Tour Guide, in a way. After what happened with Madison, ''how'' does he tell future tour groups that it was a one-time fluke and that they shouldn't expect to see that happen again?

* MoralEventHorizon: Dr. Kornbluth calls out the other scientists, particularly the leader Dr. Ross, for planning to dissect Madison. But they merely insult him for "not being a real scientist", expressing how Kornbluth would always be a disgrace in his eyes and the eyes of the scientific community no matter if he is considered crazy or not, thus making all his efforts to earn his respect amongst fellow scientists for naught. This helps lead to his HeelFaceTurn afterwards, and also makes Ross look like an idiot and a more deplorable MadScientist then Kornbluth, since he could have gotten into the history books as the one who established contact with a new race if he wasn't such a cold-hearted "sadistic pig".

** The saleslady at Bloomingdales saying to Madison, as she escorts Madison to the dressing room, that her daughter is “lucky” to be anorexic because at least her daughter can fit into a red dress would definitely not fly today, considering [[SocietyMarchesOn the public’s greater awareness of eating disorders]] and how ''deadly'' anorexia nervosa can be. [[note]]It gets worse when you learn that singer [[Music/TheCarpenters Karen Carpenter]] [[FunnyAneurysmMoment died of anorexia nervosa one year before “Splash” was released]] (and even one month prior to shooting the film). That said, the movie does seem to play the remark for BlackComedy, acknowledging it as a rather messed-up thing to say.[[/note]]

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still marry her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”. Madison is not transgender, but Allen saying that he would accept her if she ''were'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still marry her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”. Although Madison is not actually transgender, the fact Allen said that he would accept Madison if she ''were'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

** In the film, Tom Hanks sings the Disney song [[Film/SongOfTheSouth “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”]] to indicate [[DidYouJustHaveSex how elated he is after getting so much nookie from Madison]]. Five years after the film’s release, the Disneyland log flume “Zip-a-Dee River Run” was renamed Ride/SplashMountain, after then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner suggested that the attraction be used to help market the film ''Splash''. [[note]]Eisner even went as far as suggesting that an ''animatronic'' of the mermaid appear on the ride, but the Imagineers refused as they felt it would disrupt the tone of the ride.[[/note]]

* MST3KMantra: Don't try to figure out how Madison is able to read a map despite having had no previous contact with the English language.

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still marry love her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”. Although Madison is not actually transgender, the fact Allen said that he would accept Madison if she ''were'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

** When Madison rejects Allen’s marriage proposal, Allen assures Madison that whatever “dark secret” she has, he would still love her, whether it’s her dying of a terminal illness or that she was “once a man”. Although Madison is not actually transgender, the fact Allen said that he would accept Madison if she ''were'' is pretty progressive for a movie released in 1984.

** Ironically, Creator/DarylHannah is autistic in real life, so it’s possible that she took on the role of Madison because [[RealitySubtext she could very much relate to the character]].

* GermansLoveDavidHasselHoff: The film was successful in France. It was well recived in Spain as well.
** Also Japan. Probably due to the fantasy elements as well as the fact that it has a mermaid protagonist.
** It was also popular in Canada. To the point that it's often shown on tv and streaming services in Canada.