Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid, yet to be released, follows the story of the Disney animation released in 1989, only with several changes. The storyline presents the tale of a mermaid princess, Ariel. She falls in love with a human prince, Eric, and dedicates her time to finding him again. She goes against the warning of her father and friends. She trades her voice for the opportunity to meet him again. However, Ursula, the sea witch who transforms her into a human, still brings her down. After a long confrontation and struggles, Ariel wins her voice back and gets the blessing to marry her lover. Apart from the stunning storyline, the movie is set to be one of a kind. Its cast and plot have been carefully selected and modified to address issues of bias, develop a moral lesson and strike an emotional appeal, making it different from other Disney Movies.
The movie’s cast is unique and incorporates prominent roles for both genders. The main character is a girl, which is a way of communicating the importance of considering both genders. For a long time, in Disney movies like Aladdin, men were placed as the central part, portrayed as muscular and strong. Girls were suppressed to a lesser role, probably waiting for someone like Aladdin to fall in love with them (Islam & Akter, 2020). However, Ariel, in The Little Mermaid, has been placed at the centre of the stage for visibility and the ability to make her own decisions. Her father has been strategically brought into action to prove that women can break off from societal definitions and decide their paths. She goes against her father’s stern warning and gets married to the love of her life. The representation is not only achieved through Ariel. Other female characters are also introduced to enhance the female voice and create balance. Queen Selina and Scuffle are some female characters introduced (Marshall, 2023). Scuffle replaces the male character in the 1989 animation. The live-action version considers modern issues stemming from the refusal of women to be confined to societal definitions. The voices of female characters are meant to serve their roles in the film and address society’s bias by telling them their innermost desires of being independent. The film also reveals how troubles meant for women come back to haunt society. But when women are given a chance to decide for themselves, peace prevails, as it is at the end of the film. The 2023 version is different from its original version in terms of characterization because it recognizes the modern debate on the role of women and the need to accept gender equality.
The plot is also more developed than most Disney Movies. The story is meant to entertain and address a similar experience in the audience. The plot is meant to show an individual who has gone through highs and lows to achieve her dreams. Ariel encounters her first challenge when she is fed with misleading facts about the human world (Marshall, 2023). She wanted so much to understand the nature of humans in the hope that she would one day get a chance to live among them. The first challenge is shattered by her meeting the prince in an encounter that makes her admire the humans. Her second challenge was surrendering her singing ability so that she would be given human legs. This was followed by a confrontation with her father, threatening their relationship. Even after getting human legs, she unsuccessfully gets a chance to kiss the prince, which sends her back to the ocean. Her father is imprisoned, and this makes her powerless. However, good triumphs against evil (Brown, 2022). Her father’s reign is restored, and she is allowed to marry the prince. This kind of back-and-forth plot communicates to the audience that no dream is too small or too big. Every dream can be achieved no matter the circumstance. The plot makes Ariel appeal to the audience as a symbol of resilience and defiance. She went to a greater extent of defeating the greatest of all challenges, proving that anything can be accomplished with determination.
Furthermore, the plot is also emotionally appealing to the audience, striking a relationship. Depending on the situation, it gives them a chance to grieve and laugh with the characters. The first emotional relationship is created by showing the mermaid acquiring a human soul. This is different from the original version, giving significance to the transition. The audience can feel the remarkable feeling of acceptance by Ariel, who is giving everything to transform into something she has admired for a long (Marshall, 2023). The acquisition of a soul also makes the plot complex and exciting because of the twists and turns which come with little surprises. It answers so many preconceived thoughts by the audience on ability of Ariel to fit into the human world. Additionally, the enthusiasm created among Ariel’s sisters when they look into the artefacts collected from the human world is captivating. The audience can experience the joy and share it with the characters. This enables the audience to place themselves in the characters’ shoes and travel with them throughout the narration. Through the sister’s enthusiasm, the audience can share the interests and passions of the main character. The climax that results in catharsis in the audience is when Ariel is given a chance to kill her lover so that she lives (Marshall, 2023). At this point, the audience is not sure what she will do. She ends up opting to die than harm her lover. The fact that they end up together relieves the audience, whose pressure has mounted up.
In conclusion, The Little Mermaid, set to be released on May 2023, proves to be a thriller, setting a record different from other Disney movies. The live-action concentrated on balancing gender representation, which goes in hand with the current debate and struggles again gender bias. The introduction of various female characters increases their numbers, enabling the main character to tell her story. The plot also serves the purpose of motivating and educating the audience. This is why it has a lot of twists and turns. Also, the changes made have shown the ability to strike an emotional relationship and response from the audience. This technique builds up pressure among the audience and later releases it. Therefore, the film will take the industry by storm and deliver exactly what its fans have anticipated.
References
Marshall, R. (2023). The Little Mermaid. A Film. Trailer.
Islam, M. M., & Akter, N. (2020). Disney’s Aladdin (2019), the Old Rum in the New Bottle. Ultimacomm: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 12(1), 72-87.
Brown, A. (2022). Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Plot, Cast, and Everything Else We Know. https://movieweb.com/disney-the-little-mermaid-everything-we-know/
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