Ariel

Under the sea. Under the sea! It's Ariel!

Another princess from the early '90's.. well 1989 but still! Oh childhood! And much like other Disney Princesses, she has a dark original story by Hans Christian Andersen.

There was once a young mermaid who lived with her father King Triton, her grandmother and her five sisters. When a mermaid was able to turn 15 they were able to swim to the surface to observe humans. The humans were fascinating creatures with life spans shorter than a merperson's but had an eternal soul. The little mermaid (Ariel) was fascinated by the human world and on her trip to the surface witness a storm and saved a young prince's life. She saved the young prince's life by bringing him to a temple but the prince never saw her face.

Part of Your World

The little mermaid, now in love with the prince goes to the sea witch in exchange for legs and a human life which the sea witch gladly gives her a potion, in exchange for her tongue and that she can never come home. The little mermaid makes the deal and drinks the potion which makes her feel like she is being cut in half.  She then lives on land and the prince is attracted to her beauty.  His father however, orders him to marry a princess in a neighboring country. The prince refuses to marry the other princess claiming he will only love the woman who saved him. It is then revealed that the princess was staying in the temple that the little mermaid brought him to and the prince, believing it was her who saved him, marries her.

The little mermaid, now heartbroken, wishes to return to the sea so her sisters give their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a knife. The little mermaid is instructed to kill the prince and let his blood drip on her feet thus returning her to mermaid form. The little mermaid cannot complete the task however and throws herself into the ocean where she dies and becomes a spirit and must wait 300 years before entering heaven.

No one lives happily ever after except for the delusional prince and foreign princess. The end.

Needless to say, I am glad Disney changed the ending to be a happy one.

Fun Facts before you get too depressed:
There are many adaptations of The Little Mermaid including the Disney version, a musical, a ballet, and many, many books and spinoffs (many with happy endings).

There is a Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.


There is slight controversy with the original cover of the VSH, with statements that a part of the castle looked like a male's member. There is also a scene later in the movie that shows a small bulge (like an erection) on a clergy member and a woman filed a lawsuit against the corporation, only to drop it two months later.

Jodi Benson also did the voice for Vanessa (Ursula's human voice) and 'Tour Guide Barbie' in Toy Story 2.

Happy Ending.