Original Little Mermaid director criticizes live action adaptation: “They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie”

15 comments

1. King triton is an abusive misogynist

2. Um. No it wasn’t. The heart of the movie was Ariel gaslighting the Prince.

3. There’s that part in the one song where she’s like “…they don’t reprimand their daughters…” and I’m just like, they do straight up honour killings up here. Stay in the sea.

4. The live-action one did a lot to make Prince Eric a more engaging character, giving him a whole song to illustrate his desire for exploration. Really, I was more excited for the scenes on land rather than the ones in the water.

5. The heart of the first movie was a father-daughter story? Like how Ariel wanted to leave his controlling ass so bad she married someone else and sold her voice to a sea witch so she could get married at 16 to someone she just met? Okay.

6. This asshole said that ‘Live animals in a zoo have more expression’ OF COURSE THEY DO!! Why would a FAKE CRAB have more expression than a real life baby panda wtf 

7. The live action did screw up the father-daughter element of the story but he’s wrong in that this wasn’t the heart of the story. The heart of the story was Ariel’s desire to go up to the surface.

   Throughout the story, (in both versions) Triton makes it clear he despises humans. In the animated version it is the fact that Eric risks his life and kills Ursula with the boat that convinces Triton that humans aren’t so bad and that Eric & Ariel love each other. In the live action version, Ariel kills Ursula with the boat not Eric. Eric barely does anything in the live action but he does have a new song in this one.

   Honestly, the live action did mishandle a lot of the characters. In Under the Sea, Sebastian sings this song to Ariel because Ariel wants to go up to the surface. In the live action version Ariel is singing along to the song which made no sense considering Ariel does not care about the ocean which is why in the animated version she doesn’t sing along to it.

8. Well I’ll have to disagree there.

   The heart of the original movie for me was Ursula being all sorts of camp and chewing the scenery.

9. I thought the heart of the story is the mermaid fell in love with a prince, risking everything to be with a guy she saw once.

   The original story is about her wanting a soul, I still remember crying like crazy when I first read the ending. All her sisters’ hair cut off, prince married someone else, she became bubbles…

10. He’s wrong as heck lol

11. Over-portraying an existing biological father-daughter relationship might have jeopardized its target audience of young American women.

12. The heart of the story is the love story!

13. Idk what’s the point of a remake if you’re telling the same exact story twice? Especially if the original is easily accessible and well known. I’m glad they decided to look at the story from another angle.

14. Reading these comments realizing so many people don’t understand the Little Mermaid.

15. I enjoyed the film. And that little mermaid can sing.