Disney’s Weird Relationship With Little Mermaid Author Made Stranger By New Movie
Written by on June 1, 2023
The Little Mermaid has always had a weird relationship with its source material, but the 2023 remake has made it even stranger. The Little Mermaid is based on the 1837 fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, although the original animated Disney movie is very loosely adapted from this story. However, the connection between The Little Mermaid remake and the Hans Christian Andersen story has just gotten a lot deeper due to the live-action film.
Many of Disney’s most popular animated films are based on classic fairy tales, with two of the most beloved ones being based on the works of Hans Christian Andersen. Both The Little Mermaid and Frozen are adaptations of Andersen’s works, as well as some Disney shorts like 1931’s The Ugly Duckling and 2006’s The Little Matchgirl. While the Disney versions of these stories rarely acknowledge their roots, The Little Mermaid remake has really shaken things up.
The Little Mermaid Remake Surprisingly Highlights The Story’s Hans Christian Andersen Origins
In a move uncharacteristic of Disney, The Little Mermaid remake highlights the story’s origins as a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The live-action remake opens with a quote from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, showing audiences the source of this beloved story. Although Disney has nodded at the source material of some of its fairy tale classics, this moment in The Little Mermaid remake is the most explicit acknowledgment.
On top of that, The Little Mermaid actually doubles down on explaining its origins. At the end of the film, 2023’s The Little Mermaid explains that it is an adaptation of both the 1989 Disney film as well as the Hans Christian Andersen story. After years of popularizing Andersen’s stories, Disney is finally giving the author the spotlight in The Little Mermaid‘s live-action remake.
The Little Mermaid Remake Includes Subtle Nods To Hans Christian Andersen’s Dark Original Story Changes
Similarly to Frozen and Disney’s other fairy tale adaptations, The Little Mermaid takes a lot of creative liberties. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is much darker than the Disney version, with the animated feature only keeping the core elements of the story. However, The Little Mermaid 2023 makes an interesting move by subtly nodding to the original darker storyline.
At one point in 2023’s The Little Mermaid, Scuttle asks Sebastian and Ariel if she has killed Prince Eric yet. Although the obvious joke is that Scuttle misheard “kissed” as “killed,” there is actually another layer to this joke. In the original story, Ariel has the option to kill the Prince, as she will be allowed to return to the ocean if she drops his blood on her feet. Although this element was understandably removed from the animated Disney version, The Little Mermaid 2023 jokingly references its Hans Christian Andersen origins.
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