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** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's. Other countries were there is a huge debate over the two dubs are Greece, German and France.
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** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's. Other countries were there is a huge debate over the two dubs are Greece, German Germany and France.
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* BestKnownForTheFanservice: A bit; while the movie is very famous, for many, Ariel's nude scene stands out as one of the key details they remember.
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* BestKnownForTheFanservice: A bit; while the movie is very famous, for many, Ariel's nude scene stands [[SeashellBra nearly]]-nude first moments as a human stand out as one of the key details they remember. remember.
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* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The movie is still quite famous, but for many, Ariel's nude scenes stand out as one of the key details they remember.
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* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The A bit; while the movie is still quite very famous, but for many, Ariel's nude scenes stand scene stands out as one of the key details they remember.
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* TestosteroneBrigade: Ariel has one due to her general appearance, which includes a SeashellBra and nothing else when a mermaid, and her several nude scenes when she turns human, which undoubtedly sped up puberty for many.
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* TestosteroneBrigade: Ariel has one due to her general appearance, which includes a SeashellBra and nothing else when else, from the beginning all the way up until a mermaid, and her several nude scenes when she turns good minute or so after she's become a human, which undoubtedly sped up puberty for many.
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** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]".
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** 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".
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* GenreTurningPoint: After the box office failure of Sleeping Beauty, Disney decided to make cheaper movies with animation of much worse quality. The Little Mermaid was the first movie after decades where a lot of effort was put into the animation quality, and the first fairy tale as well, and its huge success started the Animation Renaissance.
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* GenreTurningPoint: After the box office failure of Sleeping Beauty, ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', Disney decided to make cheaper movies with animation of much worse quality. The Little Mermaid was the first movie after decades where a lot of effort was put into the animation quality, and the first fairy tale as well, and its huge success started the Animation Renaissance.
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-->'''Triton''': Oh, what have I done? What have I done?
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-->'''Triton''': Oh, what have I done? What have I done?done?
** Sebastian is one as well. He clearly regrets accidentally revealing Ariel's fondness for humans to King Triton, has to watch Ariel sign a contract with Ursula, which he is completely responsible for, is almost killed by Louis for food several times in the film and is terrified over being killed.
** Sebastian is one as well. He clearly regrets accidentally revealing Ariel's fondness for humans to King Triton, has to watch Ariel sign a contract with Ursula, which he is completely responsible for, is almost killed by Louis for food several times in the film and is terrified over being killed.
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* AccidentalAesop: Given how easily Ursula is able to get both Ariel and Triton to agree to huge life changing deals when they're in extremely emotional situations, 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.
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there. There's also the fact that [[spoiler: Ariel becoming human for real at the end happened with the blessing of her family, with the implication that they'll be remaining in touch]].
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* 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 favourite villainesses - even stating she hates the movie but loves Ursula.
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* 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).
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* ValuesDissonance: "Kiss the Girl", where Sebastian tries to get Eric and Ariel to kiss, completely unexpectedly, despite Ariel having lost her voice. Nowadays, where anything romantic must have clear verbal consent, it would be very hard to get away with this type of scene, especially in a kids film.
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*** Even better, The Simpsons are now owned by Disney, and the shot announcing it had a similar scene which lampshades the resemblance.
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** 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 (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, 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 [[http://www.mommyish.com/2011/06/03/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ here]].
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** 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 (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, 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 [[http://www.[[https://www.mommyish.com/2011/06/03/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ com/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ here]].
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* CrackPairing:
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
* CrackPairing: Some people ship [[FoeYayShipping Ariel/Ursula]].
* CrossoverShip:
* CrackPairing: Some people ship [[FoeYayShipping Ariel/Ursula]].
* CrossoverShip:
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** Some people also ship [[FoeYayShipping Ariel/Ursula]].
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For startes, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not really. For startes, starters, "Part Of Your World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not quite. Ariel's motivations were a bit more complicated than that. As shown in "Part Of Your World", she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also wasn't a perfect one: her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a guy she barely knew, right? Not quite. Ariel's motivations were a bit more complicated than that. As shown in really. For startes, "Part Of Your World", World" shows that she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also wasn't a perfect one: was less than ideal; her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
** In Triton's entrance, there's a cameo of Mickey, Donald and Goofy years before [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the latter two go there themselves]].
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** In Triton's entrance, there's a cameo of Mickey, Donald and Goofy years before [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the latter two go there themselves]]. [[Franchise/TheMuppets Kermit the Frog]] is also there. The franchise would be bought by Disney in 2004.
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a a guy she barely knew, right? Not quite. Ariel's motivations were a bit more complicated than that. As shown in "Part Of Your World", she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also wasn't a perfect one: her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
to:
* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a a guy she barely knew, right? Not quite. Ariel's motivations were a bit more complicated than that. As shown in "Part Of Your World", she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also wasn't a perfect one: her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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Changed line(s) 4,5 (click to see context) from:
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: 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 an IfItsYouItsOkay situation.
** 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.
** 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.
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* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
** 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 an IfItsYouItsOkaysituation.
**situation. 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.end.
** It's possible that Sebastian gets tasked with watching Ariel not just because he suggested it, but Triton felt it was a fitting punishment for his part in the concert being ruined (the show wouldn't have started if whoever was in charge had noticed Ariel wasn't there).
** 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 an IfItsYouItsOkay
**
** It's possible that Sebastian gets tasked with watching Ariel not just because he suggested it, but Triton felt it was a fitting punishment for his part in the concert being ruined (the show wouldn't have started if whoever was in charge had noticed Ariel wasn't there).
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** Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voices Eric, would go on to voice a certain well-known [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries superhero]] whose [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson primary love interest]] is also a redhead.
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** Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voices Eric, would go on to voice a certain well-known [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries superhero]] whose [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson primary love interest]] is also a redhead. And he also occasionally has to battle octopus-themed villains.
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** Even 20 years after some finnish fans are still angry that the movie was re-dubbed back in 1998, despite fact that three actors from original dub reprised their roles in the new dub.
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** Even 20 years after some finnish Finnish fans are still angry that the movie was re-dubbed back in 1998, despite fact that three actors from original dub reprised their roles in the new dub.
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** During the fairly intense climax, Ariel swims over to Eric and cries "Eric, you have to get away from here!" in warning, to which he replies "No, I won't leave you!". This exchange ordinarily wouldn't be funny, were it not for the animation error where neither of their lips are moving.
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** Jeffrey Katzenberg is often ridiculed for wanting to cut "Part of Your World" due to a few children appearing bored in a test screening. This ignores that he apologised as soon as the movie came out and said it would have been one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.
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** Jeffrey Katzenberg is often ridiculed for wanting to cut "Part of Your World" due to a few children appearing bored in a test screening. This ignores that he apologised apologized as soon as the movie came out and said it would have been one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.
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* CommonKnowledge: Ariel eagerly abandoned her perfect, loving family and changed everything about herself so she could pursue a a guy she barely knew, right? Not quite. Ariel's motivations were a bit more complicated than that. As shown in "Part Of Your World", she had taken an interest in the human world for years before she knew Eric existed, trying to study their culture and their history in wonder, and she longed for a chance to go on land and see everything the surface world had to offer - have the adventure of a lifetime. Ariel's home life also wasn't a perfect one: her personal beliefs clashed with those of her father's quite often, and both Triton and Sebastian frequently pressured her to change the core of who she was for their own benefit. Eric played an important role in Ariel's character's arc - developing a crush on him and seeing how much of a good person he was gave her hope and convinced her not to give up on her dreams of being a human woman - but even then, he wasn't the final catalyst for her trying to make her dreams a reality, because she initially only planned to sneak out and have secret rendezvouses with him at night. The final thing that prompted Ariel to leave the sea was ironically King Triton himself. After Triton blew her hopes and dreams to smithereens in front of her, sending her a very clear and abusive message about how her heart's desire would ''never'' happen so long as she was living under his ocean, Ariel turned to Ursula so she could cut her father loose, venture on land to pursue her interests (her crush on Eric included) and hopefully find acceptance there.
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** Despite their very limited screentime, all 6 of Ariel's sisters have their share of fans, and would be popular enough to have slightly bigger roles in the prequel TV series and third film.
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Changed line(s) 23 (click to see context) from:
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
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** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, Ariel/ WesternAnimation/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
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** For some bizarre reason, whenever Disney pops up on Imageboards [[YuriGenre /u/]], they ship Ariel with Meg from ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'' (something we need to thank to [[http://batlesbo.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel batlesbo]] and [[http://x-arielle.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel X-Arielle]]).
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[Disney/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[Disney/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
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** For some bizarre reason, whenever Disney pops up on Imageboards [[YuriGenre /u/]], they ship Ariel with Meg from ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'' ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' (something we need to thank to [[http://batlesbo.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel batlesbo]] and [[http://x-arielle.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel X-Arielle]]).
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom areAriel/[[Disney/TreasurePlanet Ariel/[[WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are
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* FandomRivalry: Ariel is often compared (sometimes unfavourably) to the Disney protagonists that came after her. Belle from ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is the most common, Belle usually being held up as a better feminist role model. If a debate about whether Ariel is 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 {{Disney/Pocahontas}} gets compared to [[Disney/TheLionKing Simba]] for the reverse reasons that Belle and Ariel are compared; Pocahontas being too perfect and Simba being flawed. Simba is praised for his flaws, while Ariel is criticised for hers.
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* FandomRivalry: Ariel is often compared (sometimes unfavourably) to the Disney protagonists that came after her. Belle from ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is the most common, Belle usually being held up as a better feminist role model. If a debate about whether Ariel is 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 {{Disney/Pocahontas}} {{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}} gets compared to [[Disney/TheLionKing [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Simba]] for the reverse reasons that Belle and Ariel are compared; Pocahontas being too perfect and Simba being flawed. Simba is praised for his flaws, while Ariel is criticised for hers.
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** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]".
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** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast "[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]".
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** 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 second half of the movie 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.
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** King Triton. A well-meaning father who only wants what's best for Ariel and who she should have listened to, or to? Or an idiotic and possibly racist {{Jerkass}} father who brought the events of the movie's second half of the movie 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.
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* AuthorsSavingThrow: While badly written, the sequel does attempt to address the constant complaints of Ariel's character. While it was stupid for Ariel to lie to Melody, the sequel has her portrayed as more mature and levelheaded than she was as a teenager. It also has her attempting to fix the damage she created due to her lies, and has her admit that she was wrong for lying and apologizes to Melody at the end.
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** Like the original story, this version can also be viewed as a gay allegory. Ariel's love is forbidden by her society, and like all too many gays and lesbians, she's forced to leave her prejudiced family behind and risk her very life (the threat of Ursula serving as a stand-in for hate crimes 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 (e.g. not sharing her orientation), or returning them but choosing a more "conventional" partner like "Vanessa" instead. Even though the happy ending is a hetero marriage, 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.
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** Like the original story, this version can also be viewed as a gay queer allegory. Ariel's love is forbidden by her society, and like all too many gays and lesbians, 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 hate crimes 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 (e.g. not sharing her orientation), feelings, or returning them but choosing a more "conventional" partner like "Vanessa" instead. Even though the happy ending is a hetero marriage, 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.
Added DiffLines:
** It's also not unheard of to ship [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]] with Ariel, probably because of the whole sea thing.
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* ValuesResonance: [[Creator/LilyOrchard Lily Orchard]] pointed out that Triton, regardless of his intentions, is an [[AbusiveParent abusive parent]] who has to learn to better himself despite not wanting to hurt Ariel and never physically harming Ariel. The writers clearly meant for the audience to sympathize with Ariel, a teenage girl trying to escape her abusive father. For 1989, this is a very nuanced, subtle take on emotional abuse, especially due to the fact that Ariel only forgives her father when he saves her life and recognizes her maturity and intelligence by giving her legs.
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** Ariel somehow forgetting the concert was that day was (unintentionally) inconsiderate is a little believable and understandable. What raises eyebrows, on the other hand, is that none of the other concert personnel seem to have reminded her at all. Or that her sisters - who are visibly shocked that Ariel isn't there - didn't at least check to make sure she was in her position on the stage. Sebastian really should have seen the embarrassment coming for allowing such a mistake to happen.
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** Ariel somehow forgetting the concert was that day was (unintentionally) inconsiderate is but a little believable and understandable. What raises eyebrows, on the other hand, is that none of the other concert personnel seem to have reminded her at all. Or that her sisters - who are visibly shocked that Ariel isn't there - didn't at least check to make sure she was in her position on the stage. Sebastian really should have seen the embarrassment coming for allowing such a mistake to happen.
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** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's.
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** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's. Other countries were there is a huge debate over the two dubs are Greece, German and France.
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** Some viewers found Ursula sexy even in her original form. "Don't underestimate the importance of [[ChewingTheScenery BODY LANGUAGE]]!"
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** Some A good number of viewers found Ursula sexy even in her original form. "Don't underestimate the importance of [[ChewingTheScenery BODY LANGUAGE]]!"
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* OneSceneWonder: The shark who attacks the ship Ariel and Flounder are exploring. Doesn't appear past this sequence but often appears more in video games as a mini boss because he's that memorable.
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* OneSceneWonder: The shark who attacks the ship Ariel and Flounder are exploring. Doesn't appear past this sequence in the finished film (he ''was'' [[WhatCouldHaveBeen slated to appear again later]], but that was ultimately left out) but often appears more in video games as a mini boss because he's that memorable.
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Moved from YMMV.The Little Mermaid
Added DiffLines:
* AccidentalInnuendo: This gem from "Under the Sea":
-->''Darling, it's better down where it's wetter''
* AlternateAesopInterpretation: It's been argued that the story is a cautionary tale for parents. Triton is pretty applicable to the standard overprotective parent that goes too far and unwittingly sends his child into the arms of someone who wants to hurt and exploit her.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: 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 an IfItsYouItsOkay situation.
** 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.
* 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.
* {{Applicability}}:
** The most common allegorical view of this film is that it's a story about growing up. Ariel's life under the sea can be seen to represent childhood, pleasant and secure yet confining, while the human world represents adulthood, with all its potential dangers and struggles, yet with freedom and new joys that a child can't know... not the least of which is romantic love. Like many parents, Triton wants to protect Ariel like a child forever, but like most teenagers, Ariel is eager to grow up and have new experiences. In the end, like all parents, Triton realizes that he needs to let Ariel leave home and build her own life.
** As shown by the number of times on this very page that tropers have called Triton "racist," it can also be viewed as an anti-racism story. Open-minded Ariel looks beyond her birth culture's normalized bigotry, sees the value in a different culture, and eventually falls in love with a person from that group and chooses to adopt their ways. Triton's eventual change of heart can be seen to promote universal equality and positive race relations.
** Like the original story, this version can also be viewed as a gay allegory. Ariel's love is forbidden by her society, and like all too many gays and lesbians, she's forced to leave her prejudiced family behind and risk her very life (the threat of Ursula serving as a stand-in for hate crimes 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 (e.g. not sharing her orientation), or returning them but choosing a more "conventional" partner like "Vanessa" instead. Even though the happy ending is a hetero marriage, 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.
** 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 (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, 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 [[http://www.mommyish.com/2011/06/03/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ here]].
** 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.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: While badly written, the sequel does attempt to address the constant complaints of Ariel's character. While it was stupid for Ariel to lie to Melody, the sequel has her portrayed as more mature and levelheaded than she was as a teenager. It also has her attempting to fix the damage she created due to her lies, and has her admit that she was wrong for lying and apologizes to Melody at the end.
* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Is Ariel a good character/role model or a terrible one? Those who dislike her point to her being selfish and reckless and whose sense of rebelliousness and occasional irresponsibility often causes problems. Her making a deal with [[BigBad Ursula]], who she knows to not be trustworthy and who curses those who can't fulfill their end of a deal was a pretty big mistake, especially since it's for the sake of a man she barely knows. They also note that she doesn't appear to learn anything from the ordeal. Fans of her praise her bravery and decisive attitude, feeling that she's good as a flawed protagonist rather than being too unrealistically perfect. They also make the arguments that she has every right to want a life where she can find happiness, that she'd long been fascinated by the surface world and not just Eric, that after the deal she ''does'' spend a good deal of time getting to know Eric, that the film doesn't portray the deal as a good thing, but an understandable mistake in an extremely vulnerable moment and that she has to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn her happy ending]], ''big time''.
** 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 second half of the movie 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.
* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The movie is still quite famous, but for many, Ariel's nude scenes stand out as one of the key details they remember.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Chef Louis and his musical number, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcyhVHrmlMU Les Poissons]]".
* BrokenBase:
** Who is the oldest sibling: Aquata or Attina? Aquata was originally the heir, however the third movie puts Attina as the oldest. Fans differ on which they prefer.
** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's.
* CrackPairing:
** For some bizarre reason, whenever Disney pops up on Imageboards [[YuriGenre /u/]], they ship Ariel with Meg from ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'' (something we need to thank to [[http://batlesbo.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel batlesbo]] and [[http://x-arielle.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel X-Arielle]]).
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[Disney/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
** Courtesy of the "Mickey's Philharmagic" show in Disneyland, Ariel/Donald Duck after she tickles his chin and he falls absolutely head-over-heels for her.
** Some people also ship [[FoeYayShipping Ariel/Ursula]].
* DracoInLeatherPants:
** In 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.]])
** Another reason Ursula gets this is because EvilIsSexy. Then there's 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 villified 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.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Sebastian was so popular that voice actor Samuel E. Wright recorded two albums as the character. There was even a tie-in Disney Channel special, and the character also starred in his own shorts on the short-lived SaturdayMorningCartoon ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage'', along with his nemesis [[EvilChef Louis]].
** "Vanessa" (Ursula's disguised form) is ''really'' popular with some fans.
* EpilepticTrees: In ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'', author Creator/DanBrown puts forth the theory that the directors and animators were pagan goddess worshipers and scattered clues and obscure references to the "Sacred Feminine" throughout the film, including Ariel's red hair. The reality is far less mystical though: the animators chose to make Ariel a redhead to avoid comparisons with Creator/DarylHannah's blonde mermaid character from ''{{Film/Splash}}'', and also because it gave a nice contrast with the blue sea and her green tail.
* EvilIsCool: Ursula is one of the favourite Renaissance villains precisely because of how effective she is. A ManipulativeBastard 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]].
* EvilIsSexy:
** Ursula in her Vanessa form.
** Some viewers found Ursula sexy even in her original form. "Don't underestimate the importance of [[ChewingTheScenery BODY LANGUAGE]]!"
* FairForItsDay: Today some take issue with the movie as its heroine is a girl who leaves behind her family and her undersea home to live out her dream of adventures and discovery on land and pursue a guy she just met. At the time though, Ariel was written by Disney to be a proactive girl, following after the more passive and demure Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. She also was the first Disney princess to set out and win the heart of the guy she loved, rather than have him show up and carry her off. (And she was also the first Disney Princess to save the life of her prince, twice. She ''is'' a DamselInDistress in the climax, but that is merely Eric returning the favour).
* FandomRivalry: Ariel is often compared (sometimes unfavourably) to the Disney protagonists that came after her. Belle from ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is the most common, Belle usually being held up as a better feminist role model. If a debate about whether Ariel is 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 {{Disney/Pocahontas}} gets compared to [[Disney/TheLionKing Simba]] for the reverse reasons that Belle and Ariel are compared; Pocahontas being too perfect and Simba being flawed. Simba is praised for his flaws, while Ariel is criticised for hers.
* {{Fanon}}: Despite the fact that it was scrapped for the final film, many fans still write Ursula as Triton's sister. This later became official canon once more after the Broadway musical brought this element back.
* GenreTurningPoint: After the box office failure of Sleeping Beauty, Disney decided to make cheaper movies with animation of much worse quality. The Little Mermaid was the first movie after decades where a lot of effort was put into the animation quality, and the first fairy tale as well, and its huge success started the Animation Renaissance.
* GeniusBonus:
** Mythology fans will recognize Ursula and Morgana as cecaelias, a race of half-octopus, half-human creatures.
** Many fans who learn the WhatCouldHaveBeen {{Fanon}} are confused on how Triton (a merman) and Ursula (a Cecaelias) 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 is named after the air spirit from Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest''. This is most likely a reference to the original ending, in which the un-named mermaid [[spoiler: dies and turns into an air spirit]].
** 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.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Ariel is unironically [[http://www.pixiv.net/search.php?s_mode=s_tag&word=%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB the most popular Disney Princess in Japan, far more popular there than in the United States, since Japanese Disney fans love telling stories about Mermaids]].
* HilariousInHindsight:
** "Oh Eric, don't believe in any of this [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants nautical nonsense]]."
** In Triton's entrance, there's a cameo of Mickey, Donald and Goofy years before [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the latter two go there themselves]].
** Ursula calling Ariel "Angelfish". Fast forward twenty one years and [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice another ocean dweller calls another redhead "Angelfish"]] and earns himself a spot on TheScrappy list.
** [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Vanessa strangling Scuttle + "Why you little—!"]]
** In the original Hans Christian Andersen book, the mermaid had to earn an immortal soul at the end where she previously had none, and nowadays it is often joked that gingers have no soul. Consider Ariel's hair color in the Disney adaptation.
** Vanessa, a villainous split personality of [[BigBad Ursula]], is voiced by Jodi Benson. In the English dub of ''VideoGame/GrandiaII'', Jodi Benson voices Millenia, a villainous split personality.
** Ariel was modelled 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. To make it even more hilarious, Milano is ''terrified'' of water (and shooting the underwater scenes were very tricky for her).
** ''The Little Mermaid'' used the Can-Can when Louis is chasing Sebastian, and that wasn't the only landmark release in 1989 to use that. It was also the invincibility theme in VideoGame/SuperMarioLand, which had an underwater level.
** Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voices Eric, would go on to voice a certain well-known [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries superhero]] whose [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson primary love interest]] is also a redhead.
* MemeticMutation:
** Say the words "Look at this stuff" to any girl born since, say, 1984, and they'll immediately be able to sing the entirety of "Part Of Your World" back.
** "Don't underestimate the importance of BODY LANGUAGE!!!"
** Two words: [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/hipster-mermaid-hipster-ariel Hipster Mermaid]]. Disney's ''As Told By Emoji'' series turned this into an AscendedMeme for the ''Little Mermaid'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJZGQ92I6NY episode]].
** [[Franchise/TheMuppets With of all the]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} acquisitions Disney]] [[Creator/{{Pixar}} has made]] [[Franchise/StarWars over the]] [[Creator/MarvelComics past two decades]], "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.
** [[http://neilblr.com/post/58490668107 Ariel Needs Legs]], a StylisticSuck comic by Creator/NeilCicierega in which Ursula gives Ariel eight legs and Eric is a ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' fan. Perhaps the most well-known part is when Eric comes clean to Grimsby about Ariel's condition:
--->'''Eric:''' Eight legs!\\
'''Grimsby:''' ...Seven vagánias ''[sic]''.
** Music/MariahCarey's lip sync gaffe at the 2016 New Years celebration has led to people joking that Ursula stole her voice.
** The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0677.JPG phallic-looking]] castle on the original VHS cover.
** With "nbd" becoming common acronym slang in text messages, fans of the film latched onto Ariel's lyric of "But who cares/No big deal" and have churned out numerous fan-made shirts with an Ariel macro captioned "But who cares/[=NBD=]"
** "Red hair, obsessed with Muggles... must be a [[Franchise/HarryPotter Weasly]]".
** Sebastian's line "The human world, it's a mess", has become quite popular in recent times.
* {{Moe}}:
** Ariel is a very adorable mermaid.
** Flounder is just so cute.
* MoralEventHorizon: Ursula starts well over the line and really crosses when she interferes with her own deal with Ariel and hypnotizes Eric into falling in love with her in disguise. It gets worse when she attempts to blast Ariel with the [[DeathRay trident]], after turning into a [[OneWingedAngel giant version of herself]]. Also in the TV series, she attempts to murder an alleged bad-luck creature despite it being completely harmless to begin with.
* {{Narm}}:
** For some fans, the added seconds of animation in the DVD release of the film, such as having the camera show the shark's face at the beginning before it crashes through the window, or give more focus on Ursula's giant form and her attempting to zap Ariel with the trident comes off as this, due to those extra sequences clearly having a lower quality in the animation and reducing the frightening tone of those scenes. For instance, the shark's face looks like it came out of a more juvenile cartoon, and Ursula's extra seconds with a hammy laugh added comes off as more silly than scary.
** The scene where Sebastian has his HeelRealization and agrees to help Ariel find Eric, is a fairly heartwarming moment... but when you remember that Ariel is essentially standing there naked from the seashells down, the scene can come off as seeming a bit silly. Especially if you listen to the DVD commentary where the crew discusses how they had to be ''very'' careful with the camera angles for obvious reasons, and relied very heavily on her GodivaHair.
** The spell to take Ariel's voice includes the word "laryngitis," which Ursula sings with the exact same portentousness as the rest. It works for kids, but can really seem weird for adults who get the reference.
* NeverLiveItDown:
** 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.
** Ariel is also criticized for giving up her life under the sea with her family for a man she barely knew. The fact that she ''already'' wanted to gain feet and join the human world ''long'' before she ever saw Eric is another point the criticisms fail to grasp.
** Jeffrey Katzenberg is often ridiculed for wanting to cut "Part of Your World" due to a few children appearing bored in a test screening. This ignores that he apologised as soon as the movie came out and said it would have been one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.
** Even 20 years after some finnish fans are still angry that the movie was re-dubbed back in 1998, despite fact that three actors from original dub reprised their roles in the new dub.
* OneSceneWonder: The shark who attacks the ship Ariel and Flounder are exploring. Doesn't appear past this sequence but often appears more in video games as a mini boss because he's that memorable.
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Ariel's VA would go on to voice [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 Barbie]] and [[WesternAnimation/CampLazlo Miss Doe]], among others.
** Chef Louis is René Auberjonois, years before becoming well-known as [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Constable Odo]] (though some viewers might remember him as [[Series/{{Benson}} Clayton Endicott III]], [[WesternAnimation/SuperFriends Desaad]] or [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Mr. House]].)
** Creator/MarkHamill has a very brief role at the very beginning as one of the sailors talking to Eric. While he was known for his work in ''Franchise/StarWars'', this was a few years before he was well-known as an accomplished voice actor, with roles like [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the Joker]], [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Lord Ozai]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro Malefor]], or [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow Skips]].
* RonTheDeathEater: Being on two opposing sides of an issue, both Ariel and King Triton have people who ignore all faults and/or good qualities in one while demonizing the other.
** King Triton. While Triton’s hatred of humans may come off as extreme while having a scary HairTriggerTemper which resulted in him infamously destroying Ariel’s grotto, Triton is also shown as a loving father and he can be a nice guy when he’s not angry. His detractors, on the other hand, forget that he's a single parent trying to raise seven daughters, and run an entire kingdom. It also helps that he immediately [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone regrets]] his overreaction to Ariel's love for Eric, and the effect it ended up having on her.
** Ariel. While she can come off as naive, irrational, and (unintentionally) selfish, she is for the most part, a kind, adventurous, and well-meaning teenager who tries to stay true to what she believes in and give everyone, even humans, a fair chance. Her detractors, on the other hand, overlook the fact that she's also a sheltered teenager who, simply doesn't feel she fits in where she is and wants a life of her own. As for the deal with Ursula, she didn't exactly jump right into it. She was manipulated and pressured into taking it at a time when Triton's violent actions had left her hurt and vulnerable. She, too immediately regrets the consequence of her own mistake.[[spoiler: That is to say, Triton nearly suffering the same fate as Ursula's other victims.]]
* SacredCow: Let's just say Ariel is this for many people, and [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment leave it at that]].
* 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.
* [[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.”
* SignatureScene:
** The scene of Ariel finishing her IWantSong reprise, which shows her singing on a boulder while a wave crashes behind her in the background, is almost always the one scene that you will see in Disney's advertising and commercial spots that mention this movie.
** The underwater musical in "Under the Sea" may be another one. Particularly the shot of the little sea horses swimming up around Ariel at the end are put in many generic Disney-referring clips.
** There's a third one, the one in which Ariel rises from the ocean after [[spoiler: being turned human by Ursula]].
** The scene where Ariel brushes her hair with a fork is also popular.
* SignatureSong: "Under the Sea" with "Part of Your World" also a contender.
* {{Squick}}: Ursula. All the time. Especially when talking to Ariel and performing a lot of giggling like a Burlesque entertainer.
* StrawmanHasAPoint:
** 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.
** On a lesser note, Triton and Sebastian scolding Ariel for missing the concert. Based on Flounder's reaction, it seems the audience is supposed to think they shouldn't reprimand her ''at all'' for missing the concert. ("But it wasn't her fault!") However, this is far from Ariel's first no-show (as Sebastian noted earlier, "If only she'd show up for rehearsal once in a while," and Triton's "I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young lady"), and they have a point that because of her absence, the concert ''was'' ruined and those in it (Sebastian, her sisters) ''were'' humiliated. While Triton and Sebastian are too hard on her and won't hear her out, they have every right to be angry and hold her accountable for her actions.
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: Ariel's stunning Norwegian voice done by Sissel Kyrkjebø gained a lot of attention, to the point she went on to voice Ariel in the Danish and Swedish dubs as well. To further exemplify the beauty of Sissel's voice, she's also the OneWomanWail you hear on the ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'' soundtrack.
* 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".
** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]".
* TestosteroneBrigade: Ariel has one due to her general appearance, which includes a SeashellBra and nothing else when a mermaid, and her several nude scenes when she turns human, which undoubtedly sped up puberty for many.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The film doesn't delve into Ariel's character at the third arc of the movie and how the experience has changed her ([[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation if it changes her at all]]). One of the most criticized aspects of the movie about her shallowness could have easily been fixed by showing how sorry she was at her action that almost cost Triton his kingdom. A scene where Ariel apologizes to Triton after Ursula's defeat was storyboarded, but deleted from the finished film. There is a moment where she tells Triton that she's sorry and didn't know what she was getting herself into... but she's cut off before she can say too much more, making it less satisfying than a full scene would be.
* UncannyValley: The goldfish in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U02f4LL1R9o opening of the film's 1998 VHS release]] featuring Jodi Benson. The [=CGI=] aged... badly, to say the least, and the fishes' voices don't help.
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: [[SomethingElseAlsoRises The priest.]] (Although this too is an [[http://snopes.com/disney/films/minister.asp urban legend]].)
* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Being a non-action girl whose main motivation is becoming human to be with her prince, many people love to yell, "Ariel is a stupid bitch and a bad role model for little girls who THROWS HER LIFE AWAY FOR A GUY!" without stopping to realize that she already wanted to see the human world, Eric was mostly the final push she needed to make the decision to go there, and Ursula was doing some pushing of her own in a particularly vulnerable moment for Ariel, etc. Apparently a woman isn't allowed to fall in romantic love ''ever''; nor is romantic love allowed to be a partial motivation to do something she wanted to do anyway. She also gets a lot of flak for needing to be rescued by Eric at the end, even though she had saved him twice before that.
** Many "feminist" Ariel-bashing can also cross into straightforward SlutShaming, a la [[http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/ranked/ranked-disney-princesses-from-least-to-most-feminist because apparently "you aren't empowered enough if you wear a seashell bikini"]].
** Although this is [[http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2010/06/18/not-a-fish-not-yet-a-human/ not a universal view]] among feminists.
** In a meta sense, Ariel is often thrown in with other "girly" [[Franchise/DisneyPrincess Disney Princesses]], like Snow White and Cinderella, as an example of being a poor role model to little girls; often unfairly compared to the more "badass" {{Tomboy Princess}}es like Mulan and Merida. Because RealWomenDontWearDresses!
* WhatAnIdiot:
** Ariel somehow forgetting the concert was that day was (unintentionally) inconsiderate is a little believable and understandable. What raises eyebrows, on the other hand, is that none of the other concert personnel seem to have reminded her at all. Or that her sisters - who are visibly shocked that Ariel isn't there - didn't at least check to make sure she was in her position on the stage. Sebastian really should have seen the embarrassment coming for allowing such a mistake to happen.
** For many viewers Ariel accepting Ursula's deal is this. ''Yes'', Ariel was devastated by [[KickTheDog her father destroying her treasures]], and thus wasn't thinking clearly. ''Yes'', Ursula is a {{manipulative bastard}} who deliberately waited until Ariel was at her most vulnerable to strike. ''And '''yes''''', Ariel is an impulsive teenager. And no, it's not portrayed by the film as "a good thing." However, for many viewers Ursula's status as an ObviouslyEvil DevilInPlainSight offering an almost literal DealWithTheDevil, coupled with the [[ImpossibleTask nearly impossible terms of her contract]] and [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty harsh penalty for failing]], makes ''any'' deal with her come off as this. (It's even lampshaded in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXaeH0R0Rzg&t=279s deleted scene]].)
* TheWoobie:
** Ariel is ''really'' good at looking like a kicked puppy. Yes she's disobeying her father's wishes but she's essentially being forbidden from something that makes her happy. And after Triton destroys her things, good lord...
** Falling into the JerkassWoobie category is Triton. Yes, he holds some pretty [[FantasticRacism racist]] views in regards to humans and goes way too far in punishing Ariel by destroying her collection. However, when he finally realizes what a terrible mistake he's made, Ariel is already gone and there's no sign of her.
-->'''Triton''': Oh, what have I done? What have I done?
-->''Darling, it's better down where it's wetter''
* AlternateAesopInterpretation: It's been argued that the story is a cautionary tale for parents. Triton is pretty applicable to the standard overprotective parent that goes too far and unwittingly sends his child into the arms of someone who wants to hurt and exploit her.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: 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 an IfItsYouItsOkay situation.
** 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.
* 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.
* {{Applicability}}:
** The most common allegorical view of this film is that it's a story about growing up. Ariel's life under the sea can be seen to represent childhood, pleasant and secure yet confining, while the human world represents adulthood, with all its potential dangers and struggles, yet with freedom and new joys that a child can't know... not the least of which is romantic love. Like many parents, Triton wants to protect Ariel like a child forever, but like most teenagers, Ariel is eager to grow up and have new experiences. In the end, like all parents, Triton realizes that he needs to let Ariel leave home and build her own life.
** As shown by the number of times on this very page that tropers have called Triton "racist," it can also be viewed as an anti-racism story. Open-minded Ariel looks beyond her birth culture's normalized bigotry, sees the value in a different culture, and eventually falls in love with a person from that group and chooses to adopt their ways. Triton's eventual change of heart can be seen to promote universal equality and positive race relations.
** Like the original story, this version can also be viewed as a gay allegory. Ariel's love is forbidden by her society, and like all too many gays and lesbians, she's forced to leave her prejudiced family behind and risk her very life (the threat of Ursula serving as a stand-in for hate crimes 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 (e.g. not sharing her orientation), or returning them but choosing a more "conventional" partner like "Vanessa" instead. Even though the happy ending is a hetero marriage, 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.
** 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 (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, 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 [[http://www.mommyish.com/2011/06/03/do-transgender-little-girls-have-a-fascination-with-mermaids/ here]].
** 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.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: While badly written, the sequel does attempt to address the constant complaints of Ariel's character. While it was stupid for Ariel to lie to Melody, the sequel has her portrayed as more mature and levelheaded than she was as a teenager. It also has her attempting to fix the damage she created due to her lies, and has her admit that she was wrong for lying and apologizes to Melody at the end.
* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Is Ariel a good character/role model or a terrible one? Those who dislike her point to her being selfish and reckless and whose sense of rebelliousness and occasional irresponsibility often causes problems. Her making a deal with [[BigBad Ursula]], who she knows to not be trustworthy and who curses those who can't fulfill their end of a deal was a pretty big mistake, especially since it's for the sake of a man she barely knows. They also note that she doesn't appear to learn anything from the ordeal. Fans of her praise her bravery and decisive attitude, feeling that she's good as a flawed protagonist rather than being too unrealistically perfect. They also make the arguments that she has every right to want a life where she can find happiness, that she'd long been fascinated by the surface world and not just Eric, that after the deal she ''does'' spend a good deal of time getting to know Eric, that the film doesn't portray the deal as a good thing, but an understandable mistake in an extremely vulnerable moment and that she has to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn her happy ending]], ''big time''.
** 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 second half of the movie 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.
* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The movie is still quite famous, but for many, Ariel's nude scenes stand out as one of the key details they remember.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Chef Louis and his musical number, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcyhVHrmlMU Les Poissons]]".
* BrokenBase:
** Who is the oldest sibling: Aquata or Attina? Aquata was originally the heir, however the third movie puts Attina as the oldest. Fans differ on which they prefer.
** 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=IrAuWSYb0Go the second Ariel, Nina Tapio]], has a light, contemporary sound, closer to Jodi's.
* CrackPairing:
** For some bizarre reason, whenever Disney pops up on Imageboards [[YuriGenre /u/]], they ship Ariel with Meg from ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'' (something we need to thank to [[http://batlesbo.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel batlesbo]] and [[http://x-arielle.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ariel X-Arielle]]).
** Other ''very'' popular pairings in the fandom are Ariel/[[Disney/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]], Ariel/Disney/PeterPan, and Ariel/[[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].
** Courtesy of the "Mickey's Philharmagic" show in Disneyland, Ariel/Donald Duck after she tickles his chin and he falls absolutely head-over-heels for her.
** Some people also ship [[FoeYayShipping Ariel/Ursula]].
* DracoInLeatherPants:
** In 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.]])
** Another reason Ursula gets this is because EvilIsSexy. Then there's 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 villified 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.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Sebastian was so popular that voice actor Samuel E. Wright recorded two albums as the character. There was even a tie-in Disney Channel special, and the character also starred in his own shorts on the short-lived SaturdayMorningCartoon ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage'', along with his nemesis [[EvilChef Louis]].
** "Vanessa" (Ursula's disguised form) is ''really'' popular with some fans.
* EpilepticTrees: In ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'', author Creator/DanBrown puts forth the theory that the directors and animators were pagan goddess worshipers and scattered clues and obscure references to the "Sacred Feminine" throughout the film, including Ariel's red hair. The reality is far less mystical though: the animators chose to make Ariel a redhead to avoid comparisons with Creator/DarylHannah's blonde mermaid character from ''{{Film/Splash}}'', and also because it gave a nice contrast with the blue sea and her green tail.
* EvilIsCool: Ursula is one of the favourite Renaissance villains precisely because of how effective she is. A ManipulativeBastard 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]].
* EvilIsSexy:
** Ursula in her Vanessa form.
** Some viewers found Ursula sexy even in her original form. "Don't underestimate the importance of [[ChewingTheScenery BODY LANGUAGE]]!"
* FairForItsDay: Today some take issue with the movie as its heroine is a girl who leaves behind her family and her undersea home to live out her dream of adventures and discovery on land and pursue a guy she just met. At the time though, Ariel was written by Disney to be a proactive girl, following after the more passive and demure Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. She also was the first Disney princess to set out and win the heart of the guy she loved, rather than have him show up and carry her off. (And she was also the first Disney Princess to save the life of her prince, twice. She ''is'' a DamselInDistress in the climax, but that is merely Eric returning the favour).
* FandomRivalry: Ariel is often compared (sometimes unfavourably) to the Disney protagonists that came after her. Belle from ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is the most common, Belle usually being held up as a better feminist role model. If a debate about whether Ariel is 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 {{Disney/Pocahontas}} gets compared to [[Disney/TheLionKing Simba]] for the reverse reasons that Belle and Ariel are compared; Pocahontas being too perfect and Simba being flawed. Simba is praised for his flaws, while Ariel is criticised for hers.
* {{Fanon}}: Despite the fact that it was scrapped for the final film, many fans still write Ursula as Triton's sister. This later became official canon once more after the Broadway musical brought this element back.
* GenreTurningPoint: After the box office failure of Sleeping Beauty, Disney decided to make cheaper movies with animation of much worse quality. The Little Mermaid was the first movie after decades where a lot of effort was put into the animation quality, and the first fairy tale as well, and its huge success started the Animation Renaissance.
* GeniusBonus:
** Mythology fans will recognize Ursula and Morgana as cecaelias, a race of half-octopus, half-human creatures.
** Many fans who learn the WhatCouldHaveBeen {{Fanon}} are confused on how Triton (a merman) and Ursula (a Cecaelias) 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 is named after the air spirit from Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest''. This is most likely a reference to the original ending, in which the un-named mermaid [[spoiler: dies and turns into an air spirit]].
** 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.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Ariel is unironically [[http://www.pixiv.net/search.php?s_mode=s_tag&word=%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB the most popular Disney Princess in Japan, far more popular there than in the United States, since Japanese Disney fans love telling stories about Mermaids]].
* HilariousInHindsight:
** "Oh Eric, don't believe in any of this [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants nautical nonsense]]."
** In Triton's entrance, there's a cameo of Mickey, Donald and Goofy years before [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the latter two go there themselves]].
** Ursula calling Ariel "Angelfish". Fast forward twenty one years and [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice another ocean dweller calls another redhead "Angelfish"]] and earns himself a spot on TheScrappy list.
** [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Vanessa strangling Scuttle + "Why you little—!"]]
** In the original Hans Christian Andersen book, the mermaid had to earn an immortal soul at the end where she previously had none, and nowadays it is often joked that gingers have no soul. Consider Ariel's hair color in the Disney adaptation.
** Vanessa, a villainous split personality of [[BigBad Ursula]], is voiced by Jodi Benson. In the English dub of ''VideoGame/GrandiaII'', Jodi Benson voices Millenia, a villainous split personality.
** Ariel was modelled 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. To make it even more hilarious, Milano is ''terrified'' of water (and shooting the underwater scenes were very tricky for her).
** ''The Little Mermaid'' used the Can-Can when Louis is chasing Sebastian, and that wasn't the only landmark release in 1989 to use that. It was also the invincibility theme in VideoGame/SuperMarioLand, which had an underwater level.
** Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voices Eric, would go on to voice a certain well-known [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries superhero]] whose [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson primary love interest]] is also a redhead.
* MemeticMutation:
** Say the words "Look at this stuff" to any girl born since, say, 1984, and they'll immediately be able to sing the entirety of "Part Of Your World" back.
** "Don't underestimate the importance of BODY LANGUAGE!!!"
** Two words: [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/hipster-mermaid-hipster-ariel Hipster Mermaid]]. Disney's ''As Told By Emoji'' series turned this into an AscendedMeme for the ''Little Mermaid'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJZGQ92I6NY episode]].
** [[Franchise/TheMuppets With of all the]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} acquisitions Disney]] [[Creator/{{Pixar}} has made]] [[Franchise/StarWars over the]] [[Creator/MarvelComics past two decades]], "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.
** [[http://neilblr.com/post/58490668107 Ariel Needs Legs]], a StylisticSuck comic by Creator/NeilCicierega in which Ursula gives Ariel eight legs and Eric is a ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' fan. Perhaps the most well-known part is when Eric comes clean to Grimsby about Ariel's condition:
--->'''Eric:''' Eight legs!\\
'''Grimsby:''' ...Seven vagánias ''[sic]''.
** Music/MariahCarey's lip sync gaffe at the 2016 New Years celebration has led to people joking that Ursula stole her voice.
** The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0677.JPG phallic-looking]] castle on the original VHS cover.
** With "nbd" becoming common acronym slang in text messages, fans of the film latched onto Ariel's lyric of "But who cares/No big deal" and have churned out numerous fan-made shirts with an Ariel macro captioned "But who cares/[=NBD=]"
** "Red hair, obsessed with Muggles... must be a [[Franchise/HarryPotter Weasly]]".
** Sebastian's line "The human world, it's a mess", has become quite popular in recent times.
* {{Moe}}:
** Ariel is a very adorable mermaid.
** Flounder is just so cute.
* MoralEventHorizon: Ursula starts well over the line and really crosses when she interferes with her own deal with Ariel and hypnotizes Eric into falling in love with her in disguise. It gets worse when she attempts to blast Ariel with the [[DeathRay trident]], after turning into a [[OneWingedAngel giant version of herself]]. Also in the TV series, she attempts to murder an alleged bad-luck creature despite it being completely harmless to begin with.
* {{Narm}}:
** For some fans, the added seconds of animation in the DVD release of the film, such as having the camera show the shark's face at the beginning before it crashes through the window, or give more focus on Ursula's giant form and her attempting to zap Ariel with the trident comes off as this, due to those extra sequences clearly having a lower quality in the animation and reducing the frightening tone of those scenes. For instance, the shark's face looks like it came out of a more juvenile cartoon, and Ursula's extra seconds with a hammy laugh added comes off as more silly than scary.
** The scene where Sebastian has his HeelRealization and agrees to help Ariel find Eric, is a fairly heartwarming moment... but when you remember that Ariel is essentially standing there naked from the seashells down, the scene can come off as seeming a bit silly. Especially if you listen to the DVD commentary where the crew discusses how they had to be ''very'' careful with the camera angles for obvious reasons, and relied very heavily on her GodivaHair.
** The spell to take Ariel's voice includes the word "laryngitis," which Ursula sings with the exact same portentousness as the rest. It works for kids, but can really seem weird for adults who get the reference.
* NeverLiveItDown:
** 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.
** Ariel is also criticized for giving up her life under the sea with her family for a man she barely knew. The fact that she ''already'' wanted to gain feet and join the human world ''long'' before she ever saw Eric is another point the criticisms fail to grasp.
** Jeffrey Katzenberg is often ridiculed for wanting to cut "Part of Your World" due to a few children appearing bored in a test screening. This ignores that he apologised as soon as the movie came out and said it would have been one of the biggest mistakes he ever made.
** Even 20 years after some finnish fans are still angry that the movie was re-dubbed back in 1998, despite fact that three actors from original dub reprised their roles in the new dub.
* OneSceneWonder: The shark who attacks the ship Ariel and Flounder are exploring. Doesn't appear past this sequence but often appears more in video games as a mini boss because he's that memorable.
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Ariel's VA would go on to voice [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 Barbie]] and [[WesternAnimation/CampLazlo Miss Doe]], among others.
** Chef Louis is René Auberjonois, years before becoming well-known as [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Constable Odo]] (though some viewers might remember him as [[Series/{{Benson}} Clayton Endicott III]], [[WesternAnimation/SuperFriends Desaad]] or [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Mr. House]].)
** Creator/MarkHamill has a very brief role at the very beginning as one of the sailors talking to Eric. While he was known for his work in ''Franchise/StarWars'', this was a few years before he was well-known as an accomplished voice actor, with roles like [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the Joker]], [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Lord Ozai]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro Malefor]], or [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow Skips]].
* RonTheDeathEater: Being on two opposing sides of an issue, both Ariel and King Triton have people who ignore all faults and/or good qualities in one while demonizing the other.
** King Triton. While Triton’s hatred of humans may come off as extreme while having a scary HairTriggerTemper which resulted in him infamously destroying Ariel’s grotto, Triton is also shown as a loving father and he can be a nice guy when he’s not angry. His detractors, on the other hand, forget that he's a single parent trying to raise seven daughters, and run an entire kingdom. It also helps that he immediately [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone regrets]] his overreaction to Ariel's love for Eric, and the effect it ended up having on her.
** Ariel. While she can come off as naive, irrational, and (unintentionally) selfish, she is for the most part, a kind, adventurous, and well-meaning teenager who tries to stay true to what she believes in and give everyone, even humans, a fair chance. Her detractors, on the other hand, overlook the fact that she's also a sheltered teenager who, simply doesn't feel she fits in where she is and wants a life of her own. As for the deal with Ursula, she didn't exactly jump right into it. She was manipulated and pressured into taking it at a time when Triton's violent actions had left her hurt and vulnerable. She, too immediately regrets the consequence of her own mistake.[[spoiler: That is to say, Triton nearly suffering the same fate as Ursula's other victims.]]
* SacredCow: Let's just say Ariel is this for many people, and [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment leave it at that]].
* 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.
* [[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.”
* SignatureScene:
** The scene of Ariel finishing her IWantSong reprise, which shows her singing on a boulder while a wave crashes behind her in the background, is almost always the one scene that you will see in Disney's advertising and commercial spots that mention this movie.
** The underwater musical in "Under the Sea" may be another one. Particularly the shot of the little sea horses swimming up around Ariel at the end are put in many generic Disney-referring clips.
** There's a third one, the one in which Ariel rises from the ocean after [[spoiler: being turned human by Ursula]].
** The scene where Ariel brushes her hair with a fork is also popular.
* SignatureSong: "Under the Sea" with "Part of Your World" also a contender.
* {{Squick}}: Ursula. All the time. Especially when talking to Ariel and performing a lot of giggling like a Burlesque entertainer.
* StrawmanHasAPoint:
** 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.
** On a lesser note, Triton and Sebastian scolding Ariel for missing the concert. Based on Flounder's reaction, it seems the audience is supposed to think they shouldn't reprimand her ''at all'' for missing the concert. ("But it wasn't her fault!") However, this is far from Ariel's first no-show (as Sebastian noted earlier, "If only she'd show up for rehearsal once in a while," and Triton's "I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young lady"), and they have a point that because of her absence, the concert ''was'' ruined and those in it (Sebastian, her sisters) ''were'' humiliated. While Triton and Sebastian are too hard on her and won't hear her out, they have every right to be angry and hold her accountable for her actions.
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: Ariel's stunning Norwegian voice done by Sissel Kyrkjebø gained a lot of attention, to the point she went on to voice Ariel in the Danish and Swedish dubs as well. To further exemplify the beauty of Sissel's voice, she's also the OneWomanWail you hear on the ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'' soundtrack.
* 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".
** Pay close attention to Louis the chef's ditty "Les Poissons", which has the same melody as "[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Be Our Guest]]".
* TestosteroneBrigade: Ariel has one due to her general appearance, which includes a SeashellBra and nothing else when a mermaid, and her several nude scenes when she turns human, which undoubtedly sped up puberty for many.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The film doesn't delve into Ariel's character at the third arc of the movie and how the experience has changed her ([[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation if it changes her at all]]). One of the most criticized aspects of the movie about her shallowness could have easily been fixed by showing how sorry she was at her action that almost cost Triton his kingdom. A scene where Ariel apologizes to Triton after Ursula's defeat was storyboarded, but deleted from the finished film. There is a moment where she tells Triton that she's sorry and didn't know what she was getting herself into... but she's cut off before she can say too much more, making it less satisfying than a full scene would be.
* UncannyValley: The goldfish in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U02f4LL1R9o opening of the film's 1998 VHS release]] featuring Jodi Benson. The [=CGI=] aged... badly, to say the least, and the fishes' voices don't help.
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: [[SomethingElseAlsoRises The priest.]] (Although this too is an [[http://snopes.com/disney/films/minister.asp urban legend]].)
* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Being a non-action girl whose main motivation is becoming human to be with her prince, many people love to yell, "Ariel is a stupid bitch and a bad role model for little girls who THROWS HER LIFE AWAY FOR A GUY!" without stopping to realize that she already wanted to see the human world, Eric was mostly the final push she needed to make the decision to go there, and Ursula was doing some pushing of her own in a particularly vulnerable moment for Ariel, etc. Apparently a woman isn't allowed to fall in romantic love ''ever''; nor is romantic love allowed to be a partial motivation to do something she wanted to do anyway. She also gets a lot of flak for needing to be rescued by Eric at the end, even though she had saved him twice before that.
** Many "feminist" Ariel-bashing can also cross into straightforward SlutShaming, a la [[http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/ranked/ranked-disney-princesses-from-least-to-most-feminist because apparently "you aren't empowered enough if you wear a seashell bikini"]].
** Although this is [[http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2010/06/18/not-a-fish-not-yet-a-human/ not a universal view]] among feminists.
** In a meta sense, Ariel is often thrown in with other "girly" [[Franchise/DisneyPrincess Disney Princesses]], like Snow White and Cinderella, as an example of being a poor role model to little girls; often unfairly compared to the more "badass" {{Tomboy Princess}}es like Mulan and Merida. Because RealWomenDontWearDresses!
* WhatAnIdiot:
** Ariel somehow forgetting the concert was that day was (unintentionally) inconsiderate is a little believable and understandable. What raises eyebrows, on the other hand, is that none of the other concert personnel seem to have reminded her at all. Or that her sisters - who are visibly shocked that Ariel isn't there - didn't at least check to make sure she was in her position on the stage. Sebastian really should have seen the embarrassment coming for allowing such a mistake to happen.
** For many viewers Ariel accepting Ursula's deal is this. ''Yes'', Ariel was devastated by [[KickTheDog her father destroying her treasures]], and thus wasn't thinking clearly. ''Yes'', Ursula is a {{manipulative bastard}} who deliberately waited until Ariel was at her most vulnerable to strike. ''And '''yes''''', Ariel is an impulsive teenager. And no, it's not portrayed by the film as "a good thing." However, for many viewers Ursula's status as an ObviouslyEvil DevilInPlainSight offering an almost literal DealWithTheDevil, coupled with the [[ImpossibleTask nearly impossible terms of her contract]] and [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty harsh penalty for failing]], makes ''any'' deal with her come off as this. (It's even lampshaded in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXaeH0R0Rzg&t=279s deleted scene]].)
* TheWoobie:
** Ariel is ''really'' good at looking like a kicked puppy. Yes she's disobeying her father's wishes but she's essentially being forbidden from something that makes her happy. And after Triton destroys her things, good lord...
** Falling into the JerkassWoobie category is Triton. Yes, he holds some pretty [[FantasticRacism racist]] views in regards to humans and goes way too far in punishing Ariel by destroying her collection. However, when he finally realizes what a terrible mistake he's made, Ariel is already gone and there's no sign of her.
-->'''Triton''': Oh, what have I done? What have I done?
