A list of things I adored about the new Little Mermaid movie:
The Hans Christian Andersen quote about mermaids having to suffer without tears in the beginning sequence
Ariel saving Max by pushing him towards the boat
The clarification on Ursula’s backstory regarding her “when I lived at the palace” comment
Ariel noticing Eric’s compassion before his beauty
Ariel being such an open-minded free thinker that she holds a different opinion from everybody she knows about humans, despite the fact that a human was responsible for her mother’s death
Ariel being more conflicted about Ursula’s deal, acknowledging that it’s wrong
The fact that Eric has a collection just like Ariel does, the fact that they’re both explorers
Eric and Ariel finding ways to connect without her speaking! Pouring over maps together, communicating with gestures and smiles.
Eric stopping the carriage to move the goats, and Ariel disappearing while he has his back turned, because she’s so intrigued by the market that she can’t help herself
Ariel constantly discarding her shoes and eventually trading in her boots for sandals
Eric showing Ariel star constellations and her telling him her name by pointing out Aries. The line “That’s a beautiful name,” replacing “That’s kind of pretty.” Eric saying her name is written in the stars.
When Ariel and Eric are saying goodbye after their day together and she hops down the stairs to put his hat on his head and give him an earnest, sweet, open smile
Grimsby kicking the wedding ring out of sight so Eric couldn’t give it to Vanessa
Ariel being the one to defeat Ursula! Ariel, as a mermaid, unable to stand, slipping and sliding down the deck, hefting herself up to spin the wheel with all her strength.
Ariel having a tea length wedding dress! I love her gaudy puffy 1989 dress but this felt more in tune for her character, light, airy, free, youthful.
The union of Ariel and Eric representing an alliance between mermaids and humans, and an appeasement to the sea gods, so that the port will be successful again
The nuance in Ariel’s relationship with the ocean. She acknowledges that leaving is a sacrifice and a loss, even while understanding that it’s the right thing to do for herself. The balance of feelings made it very emotional when her family came to the surface to tell her that they would always be there for her. A poignant depiction of growing up, really.
