History YMMV / TheLittleMermaid1989

* AudienceAwarenessAdvantage: Ariel is often treated by viewers as being idiotic for trusting Ursula, due to these viewers thinking that Ursula's ugly FatBitch WickedWitch physical appearance make her an obvious villain. While viewers are aware of the Disney trope of villains at that time often looking similar to the way Ursula does, Ariel does not have this trope for context. From her perspective, it would be unnecessarily judgmental to simply dismiss Ursula because of how she looks. She does have the warnings of her father, Sebastian, and Flounder, but considering that her father just destroyed her prized possessions, and Sebastian and Flounder are only following what her father said, it is understandable that she would not be eager to listen to them. It's also worth noting that things "do" work out for Ariel specifically "because" of her going to Ursula, which makes Ariel's decision to trust Ursula even more valid in hindsight.

* AwardSnub: Heavily downplayed by "Under the Sea" winning Best Original Song, with an additional nomination for "Kiss the Girl", but the iconic "Part of Your World" was not nominated.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: "Les Poissons", Chef Louie's song that features him singing about filleting and taking apart dead fish, while a horrified Sebastian watches. It’s disturbing and catchy at the same time.

** Ursula's incantation for casting the spell on Ariel includes the words "Laryngitis" and "Glossitis". Someone well-versed in medical terminology would notice that they are rather common conditions that may result in mute-ness.

* HarsherInHindsight: During "Part of Your World", Ariel, being a sea dweller, says that one of the questions she'd like to ask the people of the surface is what a fire is, and why exactly it burns. Later on, she gets this question answered front and center, as Triton is destroying her entire grotto through the use of fire magic.

** [[Creator/{{American Broadcasting Company}} With all]] [[Franchise/TheMuppets of the]] [[Creator/{{Pixar}} acquistitions]] Creator/{{Disney}} [[Creator/MarvelComics has made]] [[Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} since the]] [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios film's release]], "Part of Your World" has been parodied again and again anytime Disney thinks "But who cares? No big deal. I want more", and acquires something new.

* RainbowLens: Ariel falls in love with someone her father disapproves of, and said romance leads to him nearly disowning her. On top of Ariel's love for Eric, there's coding in her isolation towards others. Her IWantSong "Part Of Your World", highlights her feelings of isolation and her desires to be accepted by others. She eventually deviates from the norm in order to achieve her desires, similarly to a queer character in a ComingOutStory.
* RefrainFromAssuming: Ariel's main song, "Part Of Your World", is sometimes mistaken as "Part of ''That'' World" as she says the latter in the song. She does say the former in the reprises, however. It's because at first, she's referring to "that" world in the abstract. Later, she's singing about being part of Eric's ("your") world.

* SacredCow: In response to the many pop cultural criticisms of Ariel's characterization that have put her flaws under intense scrutiny to paint her as a "bad role model", some Ariel fans have gone in the opposite direction defending her actions and treat her this way. A possible case of MisaimedFandom, for the many other Ariel fans who like the character precisely ''because'' she's not an infallibly perfect role model.

* [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: A deliberately invoked case, as the directors felt a bit guilty at losing Jodi Benson's performance for most of the second half after Ariel loses her voice, so they let her show more of her range by having Ursula use Ariel's voice in her reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls".

** ''Part of Your World'' is largely a compositional and thematic re-working of Ashman and [[Music/AlanMenken Menken]]'s own "Somewhere That's Green" from ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors''. In fact, while working on the song, Ashman and Menken jokingly referred to it as "Somewhere That's Dry".
** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]". This has been noted and mocked as a horror movie version of "Be Our Guest".
* TearDryer: The film still looks like it's headed towards a BittersweetEnding when Ursula has been destroyed, but she was Ariel's only chance at becoming human. Ariel sits sadly on a rock, watching Eric sleep, as if accepting that they can never be together. Triton then discusses with Sebastian "how much I'm going to miss her", and uses ''his'' magic to turn Ariel into a human. It then cuts to a wedding, where father and daughter properly reconcile and Triton accepts Eric.

** [[Creator/{{ABC}} With all]] [[Franchise/TheMuppets of the]] [[Creator/{{Pixar}} acquistitions]] Creator/{{Disney}} [[Creator/MarvelComics has made]] [[Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} since the]] [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios film's release]], "Part of Your World" has been parodied again and again anytime Disney thinks "But who cares? No big deal. I want more", and acquires something new.

* ValuesDissonance: The second verse of "Kiss the Girl" implies that if a man doesn't know if a woman has feelings for him or not, a good way to "ask her" is just to kiss her. "It don't take a word, not a single word." This doesn't fit so well with more recent concerns about consent. Accordingly, in [[Film/TheLittleMermaid2023 the 2023 remake]], the lyrics are changed so that Sebastian urges Eric to verbally ask Ariel if she likes him before he kisses her. Of course, on the hand, this is also missing the point of what the song actually is saying, which is that Ariel wants him to kiss her and she's not being shy about it. She doesn't have to say it verbally because she's sending him all of the signs through her eyes and body language. She's actually made clear from the beginning her attraction to him and that she wants to be with him, even leaning in to kiss him but pulls away cuz he's too afraid to reciprocate. It's all in the body language that the animators drew, but many people seem unable to recognize it, leading to some dissonance if they only take the lyrics at face value.

** There are also those who find the film's treatment of Ursula unfair due to the fact that Ariel never would have been able to go to land and meet Eric without the help of Ursula. Ursula's HumiliationConga at her failed wedding (as Vanessa), followed shortly after by the loss of Flotsam and Jetsam [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes which she seemed genuinely heartbroken about]], and then capped off by her RasputinianDeath makes some fans feel bad for her. While Ursula is in fact responsible for Ariel's happy ending and had a terrible one herself in return, it does not change that her intent was always to just use Ariel as a bargaining chip to take over the ocean.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The movie seems a bit like a paint-by-numbers Disney flick these days. Literally everything about it was new and groundbreaking at the time. Merging a fairy tale with Broadway elements? This was the first film to really popularize that formula. So numerous animated films these days owe their existence to this one. And in a form of meta EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Ursula in her initial scenes delivers a very theatrical monologue that's LeaningOnTheFourthWall, which doesn't happen in any of the other Renaissance movies.

** Another reason Ursula gets this is that EvilIsSexy. Then there are some (mistakenly) see her as an [[https://reelclub.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/part-of-that-world-alpha-females-patriarchy-and-punishment-in-the-little-mermaid/ unfairly vilified feminist icon]] because she's confident, intelligent, happily single, and powerful. Some even go so far as claim that she's just a victim of Triton's tyranny. Naturally, these interpretations completely ignore that Ursula is a cruel, power-hungry, manipulative sadist like most villains.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Ursula in her Vanessa form.
** A good number of [[ChubbyChaser viewers]] found Ursula sexy even in her [[BigBeautifulWoman original form]]. "Don't underestimate the importance of [[ChewingTheScenery BODY LANGUAGE]]!"

** In Finland, as in many European countries, the movie was dubbed twice. Fans can get quite intense about which dub is better, especially the two voices for Ariel: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrAuWSYb0Go Johanna Nurmimaa, the first Ariel]] has a more mature, operatic voice that's completely different from Jodi Benson's, while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9_pnXLclDU the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's. Other countries where there is a huge debate over the two dubs are Greece, Germany, and France.

* ValuesDissonance: The second verse of "Kiss the Girl" implies that if a man doesn't know if a woman has feelings for him or not, a good way to "ask her" is just to kiss her. "It don't take a word, not a single word." This doesn't fit so well with more recent concerns about consent. Accordingly, in [[Film/TheLittleMermaid2023 the 2023 remake]], the lyrics are changed so that Sebastian urges Eric to verbally ask Ariel if she likes him before he kisses her.

** Ariel is frequently criticized for entering the deal with Ursula. A lot of the criticisms miss the fact that the film portrays it as a bad thing, the fact that Ursula is waiting until Ariel is in a particularly vulnerable moment to strike, and of course the fact that Ursula actively sabotages the deal when Ariel comes too close to fulfilling on her end. Not to mention that Ariel during the scene is actively questioning the deal, and Ursula makes legitimate counterpoints such as she'll have to give up her family to be with Eric.

* AmericansHateTingle: Despite being well-liked elsewhere, the Disney adaptation is not well-liked by Danish folks (UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} is where the eponymous FairyTale [[Literature/TheLittleMermaid originated]]), mainly because of it [[{{Disneyfication}} abandoning the moral of the original story]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: ''Part of Your World'' is largely a compositional and thematic re-working of Ashman and [[Music/AlanMenken Menken]]'s own "Somewhere That's Green" from ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors''. In fact, while working on the song, Ashman and Menken jokingly referred to it as "Somewhere That's Dry".

** Triton isn't wrong that humans ''do'' catch and eat fish (his subjects), and since merpeople are half-fish his concern for his daughter getting "snared on some fish-eaters' hook" isn't completely unfounded. [[note]]He turns out to be wrong about humans while she's right, but this is more due to MoralLuck than actual knowledge on Ariel's part, since she started out just as ignorant about the human world as he was[[/note]], Of course, fish are 100% sentient in this mythos, which humans are completely unaware of. The CarnivoreConfusion doesn't help matters either -- in real life, fish eat other fish all the time.

* [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: A deliberately invoked case, as the directors felt a bit guilty at losing Jodi Benson’s performance for most of the second half after Ariel loses her voice, so they let her show more of her range by having Ursula use Ariel’s voice in her reprise of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”

* LoveToHate: Those who don't apply DracoInLeatherPants to Ursula love her because she's just so shamelessly evil and badass. She's considered one of Disney's most iconic villains. Creator/LindsayEllis in her days as WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick made a video including Ursula as one of her favorite villainesses - even stating she hates the movie but loves Ursula.

** On most websites, Youtube especially, many fans of the movie speak so well about Ursula and justify her behavior by saying that she explained the fine print to Ariel, and how Ariel was gullible for signing the contract. This is ignoring the fact that Ariel was just an UnwittingPawn for Ursula to get close to the latter’s goal to rule the land and sea. It also doesn't help that it is never explained in the original movie why exactly Ursula was banished from Triton's kingdom (later adaptations like the stage musical based on the Disney version reveal that [[spoiler: Ursula was behind the death of Ariel's mother]]).

** King Triton. A well-meaning father who only wants what's best for Ariel and who she should have listened to? Or an idiotic and possibly racist {{Jerkass}} father who brought the events of the movie's second act upon himself because he didn't handle Ariel's fascination with humans tactfully? And then there's the question of whether the second interpretation is the intent, but also, y'know, the whole ''point'' and he's ''supposed'' to be infuriating and realize he was wrong in the end –- which of course further irritates people who agreed with him, to begin with.

** Given how easily Ursula is able to get Ariel to agree to huge life-changing deals when she is in an extremely emotional situation, an alternate lesson could be to never agree to anything in the heat of the moment - especially something that will affect your life or those around you.

-->'' Darling, it's better down where it's wetter''.

** It's possible to view Triton's change of heart as being a little more nuanced than just wanting his daughter to be happy. He was turned into a polyp and nearly doomed the entire ocean to Ursula's rule (and who knows what kind of queen she'd be ''after'' she was done destroying everything). But it was a human - ''the'' human Ariel loves - who killed her and effectively fixed the mess Triton himself made. So him giving the couple his blessing could partly be a non-romantic IfItsYouItsOkay situation toward Eric. This interpretation is validated by the storyboarded alternate ending, where Triton says "That human saved my life" whilst watching Ariel with Eric at the end. The idea that Ariel's hand is Eric's StandardHeroReward isn't exactly empowering, but it's the only interpretation that doesn't involve rewarding Ariel's near-disastrous decisions.

** Does Ariel in fact realize that she's gotten herself into trouble once Ursula proposes the deal, and agrees to it partly because she doesn't think Ursula will let her leave if she refuses? She winces and closes her eyes as she signs the contract - suggesting she's somewhat aware of what may go wrong because of it.

** It's also been argued that Ariel's becoming human can be seen as a metaphor for a transgender woman transitioning. She always wanted to join the human world (a metaphor for transitioning), as she sings "Part of Your World" before she meets Eric. Then when she meets Eric, she decides to transition then so she can be with him - she always wanted to eventually, but the prospect of getting a boyfriend just gave her the final push, as is the case with some transgender women. So Ariel gets legs and, one can assume, what goes between them. Also, there is the rejection by and later reconciliation with her father, as a coming-out story might have. Check out some more info [[https://www.mommyish.com/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ here]].

** King Triton. A well-meaning father who only wants what's best for Ariel and who she should have listened to? Or an idiotic and possibly racist {{Jerkass}} father who brought the events of the movie's second act upon himself because he didn't handle Ariel's fascination with humans tactfully? And then there's the question of whether the second interpretation is the intent, but also, y'know, the whole ''point'' and he's ''supposed'' to be infuriating and realize he was wrong in the end – which of course further irritates people who agreed with him, to begin with.

* EvilIsCool: Ursula is one of the favorite Renaissance villains precisely because of how effective she is. A ManipulativeBitch who waits until a victim is emotionally vulnerable - and then offers them a deal they take in the heat of the moment. And she pretty much ''succeeds'' by [[NearVillainVictory the end of the film]].

* FandomRivalry: Ariel is often compared (sometimes unfavorably) to the Disney protagonists that came after her. Belle from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is the most common, Belle usually being held up as a better feminist role model. If a debate about whether Ariel is a feminist or not comes up, she's usually compared to Belle in some way. This has gone the other way in recent years, as Belle has gotten a backlash from some fans who feel she is too perfect - the Blog/UnshavedMouse in particular preferring Ariel because she was flawed. It's also been pointed out that {{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}} gets compared to [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Simba]] for the reverse reasons that Belle and Ariel are compared; Pocahontas being too perfect and Simba being flawed. [[DoubleStandard Simba is praised for his flaws, while Ariel is criticised for hers]].

** Many fans who learn the WhatCouldHaveBeen {{Fanon}} are confused about how Triton (a merman) and Ursula (a cecaelia) could be brother-and-sister. Those familiar with Myth/GreekMythology, and the ''fruitful'' spawn of Poseidon (Triton's father), will know that children of the Greek gods were ''frequently'' different species of each other.

** Ariel was modeled after actress Creator/AlyssaMilano. Years later, Milano's character on ''{{Series/Charmed|1998}}'' would be turned into a mermaid - in a plot that heavily references this film.

* PopularityPolynomial: Not the movie itself, which has always remained quite popular, but Ariel's character. She was considered among the best and most beloved Disney heroines when her film first came out. Around the time of the 2000s when the general public were growing sick of Disney, criticisms towards her character started to emerge, and there was a huge FandomRivalry between her and Belle over who was the 'better' role model. Then in TheNewTens, more defenders of Ariel emerged, holding her up as an example of a flawed and relatable heroine who still has lots of virtues (as well as acknowledging that some of the criticisms had uncomfortable elements of SlutShaming and UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming). Even Creator/LindsayEllis - who in her days as WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick had not been quiet about how much she disliked Ariel - eventually made a retraction video admitting the criticisms to Ariel's characterization could be overblown.

** Triton isn't wrong that humans ''do'' catch and eat fish (his subjects), and since merpeople are half-fish his concern for his daughter getting "snared on some fish-eaters' hook" isn't completely unfounded. [[note]]He turns out to be wrong about humans while she's right, but this is more due to MoralLuck than actual knowledge on Ariel's part, since she started out just as ignorant about the human world as he was[[/note]], Of course, fish are 100% sentient in this mythos, which humans are completely unaware of. The CarnivoreConfusion doesn't help matters either - in real life, fish eat other fish all the time.

-->'''Triton''': Oh, what have I done? What have I done?

* {{Woolseyism}}:
** In both of Finnish's dubs Sebastian dramatic exclaim of what Triton would say if he'd find out that Ariel has human legs was changed slighly more vulgar than in the original.
-->'''Sebastian''': "What would her father say? I'll tell you what her father'd say. He'd say he's going to kill that ''darn'' crab, that's what her father'd say!"

** Like the original story, this version can also be viewed as queer allegory. Ariel's love is forbidden by her society, and like all too many, she's forced to leave her prejudiced family behind and risk her very life (the threat of Ursula serving as a stand-in for prejudice or AIDS) in order to truly be herself and love who she wants to love. She also faces the risk of Eric not returning her feelings, or returning them but choosing a more "conventional" partner like "Vanessa" instead. Even though the happy ending is a straight relationship, it can be seen to represent LGBTQ equality, with Ariel attaining the secure love, joy, and acceptance that Andersen (bisexual) and lyricist Howard Ashman (gay and eventually died of AIDS) both undoubtedly longed for. The fact that it culminates in Triton making a ''rainbow'' appear over the newlyweds only enhances this vibe.

** Jodi Benson has said that she's met a lot of autistic children who related to Ariel having her voice taken from her and being unable to communicate her true feelings. In addition to that, she has a specific hobby/interest she's very devoted to that the people around her can't understand her fascination with. While on land, she embarrasses herself a couple of times by doing the 'wrong' social cue (thinking a fork is to brush her hair, and a pipe is to make music). What's more, is that her friends are all animals and she doesn't appear to have any friends of her own species (although the TV series would show her befriending other merpeople).

* AmericansHateTingle: Despite being well-liked elsewhere, the Disney adaptation is not well-liked by Danish folks (UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} is where the FairyTale [[Literature/TheLittleMermaid originated]]), mainly because of it [[{{Disneyfication}} abandoning the moral of the original story]].

* AmericansHateTingle: Despite being well-liked elsewhere, the Disney adaptation is not well-liked by Danish folk (Denmark is where the Little Mermaid story originated), mainly because of it abandoning the moral of the original story.