No, not THAT one. This is a different adaptation of the tale of a mermaid who dared to be small. It’s Japanese, made in the 70s, and sticks closer to the original Danish story by Hans Christian Andersen. And for any parent who accidentally rented this version for their kids’ sleepover, there just might’ve been hell to pay. Time to head Under the… er, Ocean… for The Little Mermaid!
Your first indication that this version of The Little Mermaid might be different from the one you’re used to comes when it opens with several minutes of live action tourism footage of Denmark. Come on kids, time to watch men in sweaters purchase cheese! From there, you’ll meet a young mermaid princess named Marina, with a clingy dolphin friend named Fritz. There’s no fun singing crab, but there are crab policemen ready to enforce martial law. Yippee!
It’s oddly serious and sad. Marina falls in love with a statue of a prince, and even more in love with the actual prince depicted in the statue. Despite the endless tears and protestations of Fritz the emotionally erratic dolphin, Marina goes to a sea witch (no, not THAT sea witch) and makes a bargain to get a pair of feet. Even the sea witch tries to tell her it’s a bad idea, but Marina won’t hear it. She gives up her voice and her family to go win the prince’s love, and surely it’s a rosy path to a happy ending from there, right? …Right??? Hans Christian Andersen, what have you wrought?
Darling it’s better, down where it’s tragic. Join Mike, Kevin, and Bill for The Little Mermaid!
Written by: Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, Conor Lastowka, Sean Thomason, Jason Miller, and Zach Shatzer
Something you should know:
Disney this isn't: The Little Mermaid features animated nudity, flashing lights, blood, and depictions of animal harm (the killing of wolves and the stoning of a dolphin).
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