At nearly every audition for a musical I go to, it seems like there’s always someone who picks this song to try out with. And why not? It is up there with “On My Own” as one of the iconic teenage girl anthems.
"Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?" There's so much cool stuff in the cave (twenty thingamabobs! TWENTY!) that Ariel must surely be happy. Right? Nope. Like all good Disney Princesses, she wants more.
The bulk of the song is directed at a hole in the cave, through which Ariel can see the surface. That’s where Ariel wants to be; having legs and those meat bulb things (oh yeah, feet!) that she can run, jump and dance with sounds much more fun than her fins. Makes sense. Got a lot of pent-up energy, this one.
But that’s not all. "Betcha on land, they understand! Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters! Bright young women, sick of swimmin’, ready to stand!" I want to poke fun at this bit, but it’s done rather well. It doesn’t come off as spiteful, more like caring but frustrated. Remember this for later, my readers. Way later.
And what’s Ariel gonna do when she gets to the surface? Go exploring, of course! Talk to the locals, ask them about all the things that fascinate her. What’s a fire? Why does it burn? Don’t you sadists realize that fish can sing and make tools and deserve memorials when killed?
Joking aside, this is a good sequence. I think the vocals carry it more than the music, though. Jodi Benson puts a lot of effort into it; there are a few moments where I get the impression doesn’t entirely believe that what she wants is obtainable, but she persists anyway. The only negative thing I have to say about the scene is that they keep killing the mood by cutting to Sebastian getting slapsticky with the stuff in the cavern. I assume that was Jeffrey Katzenberg’s idea.
The peacefulness of the song’s ending lasts for about a second before it’s shattered by Sebastian crashing in front of Ariel. “Are you mad? How could you? What is all this?”
"It’s, er…it’s just my collection."
"IF YOUR FATHER KNEW ABOUT THIS, HE’D…!"
"You’re not gonna tell him, are you?"
"Please, Sebastian, he wouldn’t understand!"
Sebastian calms down a bit and tries to take Ariel home. As they’re leaving, however, a dark shape passes over the top of the cavern. This gets Ariel’s attention, and before Sebastian can stop her, she’s swimming to the surface.
Up there, night has already fallen. Eric’s galleon is sailing by, blasting off music and fireworks. Ariel is entranced by the sight, as is Flounder. Sebastian follows them, not seeing it at first. “Ariel, what are you…jumpin’ jellyfish!!! Ariel, Ariel! Please come back!” he shouts as she goes after the boat for a closer look.
Climbing up the side, Ariel sneaks a peek at the deck, where the sailors are all dancing and playing instruments. I honestly think it looks a little silly, but whatever.
Max catches Ariel’s scent, follows it to her and gives her a lick on the cheek before Eric calls him back. He starts playing a flute for the dog while Ariel watches, awestruck by his hot man-ness.
"Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?" Because Scuttle was apparently so funny last time.
"Scuttle, be quiet! They’ll hear you."
"Oooh, I gotcha, I gotcha. We’re being intrepidatious. WE’RE OUT TO DISCOVER — "
Ariel thankfully shuts him up. “I’ve never seen a human this close before. He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
Scuttle thinks she’s talking about Max. “I dunno. He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me.”
"Not that one. The one playing the snarfblat!"
It would be kinda funny if Ariel fell in love with the dog instead. It would also most likely lead to this movie getting banned in every inhabited area of the globe.
The music dies down as Not Powdered Wig Man, or Grimsby as I must now call him, takes center stage next to a large lump covered with a cloth. “It is now my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present!” The cloth is pulled off to reveal a statue of what I can only describe as Eric cosplaying as Prince Edward from Enchanted.
Eric is less than impressed. “Gee, Grim. It’s, er…it’s really somethin’…”
"Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present…"
"Come on, Grim, don’t start. You’re not still sore because I didn’t fall for the princess of Glauerhaven, are you?"
Grimsby insists that it’s not just him who wants to see Eric settle down, but the whole kingdom. Eric, however, is more interested in finding love on his own terms. He’ll know his dream girl when he sees her. It’ll hit him like a bolt of lightning! Speaking of which, there’s one right now…
"Hurricane!" one of the sailors shouts. “Stand fast! Secure the riggin’!”
Our heroes are thrown from the ship as the waves begin tossing it around. Another lightning bolt sets the sails on fire, and the boat is driven onto some rocks and broken up. The passengers and crew are thrown overboard, but they manage to get into a lifeboat. Max is still stuck onboard, though, and Eric goes back to get him. He gets Max to jump into his arms and throws him to safety, but he gets his foot stuck between some boards just as the flames illuminate those leftover fireworks and a barrel of gunpowder. BOOM sparkle sparkle sparkle.
If this happened towards the end of the film, it would probably win the Especially Violent Disney Death award. But no, Eric just gets knocked unconscious with no third-degree burns or blown-off limbs whatsoever. Ariel sees him floating by and pulls him to shore.
The next morning, Ariel and company are still beside his body. “Is he…dead?” she asks.
"Oh, I-I can’t make out a heartbeat," says Scuttle, his ear on Eric’s foot.
"No, look! He’s breathing, he’s so…beautiful." She starts singing as he comes to; she’s wanted to live in the human world before, but the prospect of getting with this guy clinches the deal. "Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun? Just you and me, and I could be, part of your world…"
Eric opens his eyes and catches a glimpse of her just before she’s scared off by the arrival of Grimsby. “Oh, Eric. You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don’t you?”
He doesn’t seem to hear. “A girl…rescued me…she was singing…she had the most beautiful voice.”
Grim assumes that he’s swallowed too much seawater and takes him back to the palace while the sea creatures watch from a rock. “We just gotta forget this whole thing ever happened,” says Sebastian. “The sea king will never know. You won’t tell him, I won’t tell him. I will stay in one piece!”
But enough of that; we’ve got an iconic scene to perform! "I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but I know something’s starting right now! Watch and you’ll see, someday I’ll be, part of your woooorld!" Aww, she’s embraced the stalker mentality. :) -ducks hurled weapons- JK, JK!
Flotsam and Jetsam pop up again, and we go back to Ursula’s lair. “Oh, I can’t stand it! It’s too easy!” she crows. “The child is in love with a human. And not just any human…a prince! Her daddy’ll LOVE that. King Triton’s headstrong, lovesick girl would make a charming addition to my little garden.” The camera pans over a tunnel, which is filled with…things that avert Ugly Cute.
The next day, Ariel is swimming around the palace humming and being oddly nice to everyone she meets. “Oh, she’s got it bad,” one of her sisters remarks.
"What? What has she got?" Triton asks.
"Isn’t it obvious, Daddy? Ariel’s in love."
Triton finds this concept very novel. “Ariel? In love?”
Elsewhere, Sebastian is working out his gameplan. “Okay. So far, so good. I don’t think the king knows. But it will not be easy keeping something like this a secret for so long…”
He gets distracted by a falling petal. Above him, Ariel is sitting on a rock playing He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not and comes up with the answer she wants. “He loves me! I knew it!”
"Ariel, stop talking crazy."
But talking crazy is just so fun. “I gotta see him again. Tonight! Scuttle knows where he lives.”
"Ariel, please. Will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs?”
"I’ll swim up to his castle, then Flounder will splash around to get his attention, and then with — "
Sebastian’s finally had enough. “Down here is your home! Ariel, listen to me. The human world? It’s a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there!”
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