This movie saved Disney from going into bankruptcy. This was a last ditch effort to save the company. The lyrics were written by Howard Ashman who also wrote the lyrics to Beauty and the Beast. He was working on Aladdin before he died of AIDS. He saved the entire company.

In Eric's defense, I'm pretty sure mermaid's singing voices have similar effects to siren songs. So actually it makes a lot more sense why he's so obsessed with this voice he heard. Also, for him to fall in love with Ariel without her voice means he'd be falling in love with her and not just her magical mermaid voice. Ariel is kind and curious. This shows despite being incapable of speech. It's not wrong for Eric to fall in love with those qualities in her. He also really does put in the effort to try and communicate with her. He also refuses to marry her just for her beauty. Eric is genuinely a very good guy. I haven't watched this movie in ages but the romance is actually a lot better than I remember. Ariel is a much more proactive protagonist than many other Disney princesses. She's got a goal and she really goes for it. She's not a damsel in distress. She's a bold and messy teen.

"If only I'd learned to write..." THAT THE THING! SHE DOES! She signed her name onto the contract, in beautiful penmanship no less! Its a legitimately huge plot hole

In Ariel’s defense, she’s not doing all this for a guy like so many thought. She has been enamored with the human world prior to meeting Eric. This was obvious when they were spending time together. Triton’s actions led her to doing this and Ursula took advantage of her vulnerability. Doesn’t change the fact that what Ariel did was stupid tho hahahaha

"He's like the water equivalent to Zeus." So...Poseidon? It's definitely not as dark as the original story. Walking on her new legs causes her to have stabbing pains constantly, she doesn't marry the prince, he marries someone else, and she dies and turns into sea foam because she doesn't have a soul. I think I'm remembering that right, it's been awhile. I prefer the Disney version of this one at least.

me at 16: I have a good idea of how the world works, no need for supervision me at 26: looking around the room for the adult supervision and realising *I am the adult*

Since it’s still June and therefore pride, we gotta send love to Howard Ashman, the genius behind the music and scores of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. He was such a talent who died far too soon. Rest in power, Mr. Ashman, thank you for the unforgettable songs!

Part Of Your World literally happens before she ever sees Eric but everyone loves to think she did it all for a man. I see a strong, adventurous, determined young woman (with some childish tendencies) with a passionate interest who feels outcast and misunderstood by everyone around her. The adults in the movie are the characters who form the catalyst to the issues; Triton refuses to listen to or communicate respectfully with her, and Ursula manipulates her.

“Destroy the things she loves the most- that’ll make her obey me” honestly re-watching this movie as an adult makes my heart hurt as some one with collecting/hoarding tendencies when her dad wrecks her entire trove of treasures, imagine burning your artistic child’s paintings and drawings, it feels the same way- the interests and joy being torn up damn

The original fairytale which the movie is based on is actually super dark. Not only does the sea witch take the mermaid’s voice, she actually has to cut out her tongue, and walking will feel like stepping on sharp knives to her (but since the prince likes to watch her dance, she endures it to make him happy). In the end, the Prince falls in love with and marries another girl. The other mermaids trade their long hair for a knife, and tell the mermaid she can get her tail back by stabbing the prince while he’s sleeping beside his new wife. When she refuses, she turns into sea foam.

“Have I ever been wrong?!” “Yes.” “I mean when it’s important!” “Yes.”

Awesome. Eric is my favourite Disney prince cuz he went back to save Max when the ship went down and he seems a bit awkward which I love lol

Ariel: "Betcha on land, they understand, they don't reprimand their daughters." Me: I wouldn't count on it honey.

I haven't watched this in such a long time and I really did forget how much of a good guy Eric was! Like I originally didn't liked him because I remembered him being shallow for his feelings about Ariel and him ditching her for Ursula over the voice but no, I remembered that ENTIRELY wrong. He actually really seemed to like Ariel's fun personality and was, obviously, under the influence of magic the entire time he was with Ursula. Even during the wedding fiasco when Ursula is getting attacked, he just stands there staring off into space because he's still under a trance. I definitely see him in a new light now! He's in the top 5 for Disney Princes for sure.

I kinda wonder if the concert at the start of the movie was supposed to be for Ariel. Like the sisters were singing about introducing Ariel. Likely everyone already knows Ariel. So then I realized they must mean Ariel is being presented, as an adult, ready for marriage. Like in the old days when women reached a certain age they would be presented to society as now an adult and needing to be married. Might be why Ariel threw her age out as no longer being a child, and Triton not really caring that Ariel was in love at 16 when he thought it was a merman.

Before watching: I have always hated how people like to shit on princess movies, especially the little mermaid. They say that she gave everything up for a boy, like have you even seen the movie/heard the music? She literally gives so many reasons for wanting to leave home, adventure, getting to stand on her own two feet, being independent etc! Prince Eric is just the catalyst for her to do it. I'll get back to watching the vid now :P

You don’t need a voice for someone to fall in love with you. Your personality isn’t only confined to your voice. A lot of people watch this movie and say, “That’s so wrong. You can’t find love without a voice,” but plenty of mute people are able to do it

i will never get over the fact that when vanessa (ursula) is singing in the mirror it’s the same actress as ariel. jodie benson obviously sounds the same but it took me forever to realize that she’s acting as ursula in that moment. her laugh is insane!!!

I hate people that think her motivation was Eric. He was just the last straw. Her motivation was always that she wanted to explore and see beyond her home, and she was never allowed to even ask questions.

“ The water equivalent of Zeus” so …. Poseidon? 😂😂

The animators based Ariel’s face on Alyssa Milano. Imagine being Alyssa Milano and getting to say that. I’ve always been jealous of it.

As I tend to do, I will use this opportunity to tell you my favourite poem by W.B. Yeats! A mermaid found a swimming lad, picked him for her own. Pressed her body to his body laughed; and plunging down, forgot in cruel happiness that even lovers drown.

I like how Ariel doesn’t just start singing to a dead body.. she waits until she sees him breathing. Like girl he could be struggling but no do your thing

the extended version of that beginning scene continues the song and discusses that King Triton and Ursula the sea witch are both siblings (the children of Poseidon) and that Triton usurped her reign (but you get most of that information besides them being siblings from when Ursula is first introduced because she speaks of her days of living in the palace and ruling) Almost makes you wonder what the days of old were like...kinda figuring the vibe would be similar to that castle that was created in the Duck Tales movie by the bad guy after he got the lamp back... the original story by Hans Christian Andersen was metaphorically about his love for another man that could not love him back, and the mermaid was given a choice to kill the prince when he did not love her back and then she would be able to return to her sisters in the sea...but instead, she saw he was happy with his beloved and sacrificed her own life, turning to sea foam...the prince then finds out that she was the girl that had saved him at sea and grieves her death...(Toei Animation made a movie closer to the original...but I think she ascended to the heavens instead if I remember correctly) And Princess Eilonwhy is 12 in the Black Cauldron, Snow White is 14 in her movie (although she's like 7 in the fairy tale) and Princess Jasmine was 15 in Aladdin, Ariel, Mulan and Aurora are all 16...Belle is one of the older princesses coming in at 20

"they seem to know very little about each other" ariel and eric: *being the only ones who have a movie with a child*

The soundtrack for this movie is God-tier; plus it's crazy that the animation still holds up after all these year

I’m ignoring my friends at this brunch to watch this. I’ll save you guys some steak and eggs. Lol

I mean, mermaids are mammals, and Seals and dolphins eat fish, so it wouldn't be thaaat weird for her to eat one, I guess?? even if your best friend is a fish???? 😄

"And don't forget the importance of BODY LANGUAGE HA!" Very hard not to quote that Everytime

I still love the scene where Eric says “She’s out there somewhere ”and Ariel is literally right there. Is visually beautiful. And truthfully painful lol

Y’all are lowkey being so mean towards mute/deaf girls 😭😭 Ariel is carrying whole conversations with him. There’s just more ways to communicate than just verbal!!

Side note, in the Broadway version, Ursula is still her aunt and I'm positive it's implied that she is in here too.

This story is supposed to be set in Denmark where the local folklore has Njord as king of the sea. Yet Disney went with the Greek mythology Triton son of Poseidon. Which in a way would make Ariel and Hercules related.

21:30 onwards - The point of Poor Unfortunate Souls is that none of what Ursula is singing is true; it's deliberately ridiculous that she is telling Ariel communicating (in any form) isn't important blah blah. Ursula is trying to trick Ariel into doing what she wants (and deliberately manipulating her in a moment of frustration, sadness and loneliness) so that Ariel is guaranteed to fail and turn into a slimy little trapped soul for her creepy garden - Ursula isn't giving Ariel friendly advice guys ahaha. I watched this for the first time when I was less than six years old and I never felt confused or misled by that song - the villain is singing it. It's interesting to hear your reaction.

I haven't seen this in years but I like to sing Part of Your World like a bratty entitled teen.

When you’re little, you empathize with Ariel. When you’re an adult, you empathize with Triton and Sebastian. And you know all are idiots and making really dumb mistakes. I think a lot of ppl shit on Ariel and this movie despite not realizing the movie is fully aware all of them r doing bad actions with good intentions. Not every Disney princess needs to be a paragon of virtue (unrealistic) and childhood is still all about making mistakes. I like to think Ariel and Eric didn’t immediately get married, she’s 16 after all and they had a very quick courting period (lol), so I like to imagine they actually all had to come to a good compromise and everyone learned a lot.

It was rlly Ursula who /forced/ it to be about getting the guy with the terms of the deal, Ariel is just an upset teenager whos dad just wrecked her stuff!

Fun fact: The Norweigan singer Sissel Kyrkjebø made the voice of Ariel for the Swedish, Danish, and Norweigan dub.

"I give them two weeks." Melody: *confused noises*

I really disagree that it would be impossible for Eric to fall in love with Ariel if she can't speak. It's like saying that a hearing person and a non-verbal deaf person can't fall in love. Even if Ariel never got her voice back, she and Eric could still find ways to communicate, sign language exists. Ursula said it best herself: don't underestimate the power of body language

The woman who voiced Ursula loved to correct people and tell them Ursula is a squid. Saying "six tentacles are cheaper to draw, darling".

Fun Fact: Jodie Benson, the voice of Ariel also provided the voice for Vanessa/human Ursula. The makes her the only voice over actress to have voiced both the hero and villain in the same film.

My grandparents got married at 14. They died one week apart at ages 94. Love at first sight does happen and it's annoying.

16 yr old me: Ariel and Eric are goals. They’ve only known each other for three days. 20 year old me: oh no sweetie don’t do it.

She got the hang of walking after a few hours and In HEELS! I’m 35 years old, been walking my whole life and I can barely walk in heels and Ariel managed it in just a couple of hours 🤣

I've watched this move probably 50 times. And I never realized that she did give up her voice permanently! This is why I always love your commentaries. You bring up amazing points and perspectives.

The sequel was the one i actually grew up with. And it's a lot of her and daughter being like "Man, Ocean would be great, wouldn't it?" And it's good character progress for her and Eric.

I was obsessed with this movie as a child! I watched it so much that it got stuck in the VCR 😂

What a lovely surprise! Ariel is actually my favorite disney princess, like an actual daughter of a king disney princess, used to sing Part Of Your World at the top of my lungs when I was young, found her hair pretty. She does seem hard headed as the years go by lmao but still I can't help but love her and this movie. Maybe it's me relating w her and how bratty I was as well when i was young. Or maybe it's just the pisces in me, I love the water lol

i have a couple friends whose parents both claim it was love at first sight for them. different friends, different families. while obviously not the norm, i think it can happen in certain circumstances; namely that one or both of them both are good at reading people, and know their own minds

Me as a kid: what a mean dad! Me now as an adult: ok he didn’t go about it the best way but Ariel let’s be realistic.

I find it funny how when she sings on the rock she says “I don’t know when and I don’t know how” then immediately contradicts herself when the next line is “but I know something is starting right now”. Last time I checked now is a way to express when.

The songs in this movie are some of Disney’s best of all time. I also really miss the over the top flamboyant Disney villain songs of the renaissance era.

This was Pat Caroll’s (Ursula’s voice actress) first actual villain role Also Ursula always seemed to be a more nightmarish version of those people who sell and or gift off of people’s insecurities and desires to fit in and or get their dreams only to steal them and power herself instead.

Who’s going to tell them that there is a sequel where Ariel does in fact return to the sea 👀

I just remembered Samuel Wright the voice of Sebastian died last month 😭

You’d think Ariel would learn from her father about being more vocal about things but naaa she makes the same mistake with her daughter in little mermaid 2.. which I kinda liked better

Part of your world is and always will be one of my favorite Disney songs and song that I still sing loudly in the shower, it’s iconic! Plus Ursula is such a great villain!

The funny thing is that if Ursela's eels had let Eric kiss Ariel during kiss the girl, she WOULD'VE WON. Because Eric didnt let go of the girl with the voice for our mute Ariel. Ariel also actually showed alot of personality when she went to town. She's adventurous, wonderous and curious. She loves to try new things but as she was enjoying herself, her friends were focused on the kiss. I do wish that they had focused more on her personality out in the town. But I guess movie time and animation.

Early! fun fact: did you know this is based on a Danish fairy tale of the same name by author Hans Christian Andersen? very dark yet depressing at the same time where the Little Mermaid didn’t get the prince at the end and basically died. i’m just a Disney / fairytale nerd 😂 keep up the good work, Budz!

YAAASSS!!! This was my favorite movie as a kid 🧜‍♀️

I love that general consensus with Triton's powers it "He should have just killed us all."

i love fern gully! what a great movie (haha unrelated to this movie but all I could think about once y’all made that comment)

I mean she does marry into Danish royalty with sweet ocean front property during the late eighteenth/early nineteenth centuries. So I don’t think she experiences anything to contradict her worldview. Just saying 🤷‍♀️

The animal community is SO tight knit 😂😂😂

It's funny, I never thought of Ariel or the Merpeople as vegetarian. And I *am* a vegetarian. I thought of them in the same way as people on land have positive relationships with certain species of animals... but eat others. Like Farmers that have a herding dog, and cats in the barn to catch the mice, and oxen that plow the field... but they eat the chickens, pigs, and cows.

Triton is the son of Poseidon which makes him Zeus' nephew. That also means that Ariel is Hercules' first cousin once removed!

Make sure you guys watch Ariel's Beginning and the sequel to this. Meet Ariel's daughter, Melody.

5:45 actualy Snow White is the younger Disney Princess, she is 14 years 41:58 they marriage is going well in the sequel, good king and queen with a 12 year old daughter

Ariel did know how to write, she signed the contract. Hilariously that would be one of the plot holes in this movie. Also, fun fact, when Ursula was posing as Vanessa (her disguise) that IS Jodi Benson playing as her. It's almost a shame people overlook this small example of her versatility as an actress.

halle bailey is gonna kill this role, ive never been so excited for a disney live action

The voice actor who played sebastian died the other month😭

When you're about to go to sleep and you get a notification...lol. do The Hunchchback of Notre Dame!

One of the best thing about this movie watching it again as an adult, you realize that Ursula gave us one of the key lessons of life: nothing is free. there's always a price to pay. and if you can't pay it, they will be consequences. And i think it's a pretty important lessons to teach kids.

Great video, it was fun seeing your reactions! However, I don't think the movie's message is that women only need beauty to attract a guy. For one thing, Eric fell in love with Ariel's voice, and Eric doesn't fully choose her until Ariel regains it. Ursula sexist advice is obviously not meant to be the actual moral of the story, she was just trying to trick Ariel. Eric was clearly disappointed when he realised Ariel couldn't speak. However, Ursula's plan backfired because Eric ended up falling in love with Ariel's personality. Obviously her looks helped, but it's clear that Eric is endeared for her sweet, vivacious, adventurous personality as shown in their day touring the kingdom. And the butler even tries to convince Eric that Ariel is better than her dream girl because she's "of flesh and blood, warm and caring". Her physical beauty wasn't a deciding factor for Eric, which only goes to show how much of a great guy he is.

i get 100% on board with love at first sight when it's a musical, those two things go so well together

“Shut. Up. Bird.” -many Australians over the years.

Poor Unfortunate Souls is in the karaoke playlist every time ✨💛✨

That bird has always infuriated me😅

This movie still holds up today. Have either of you seen the video Lindsey Ellis made not too long ago? She took a deep dive into the story and it was very good. If you read it just at face value, its a girl who wants a guy but if you look deeper; she's been longing to explore the land and the people for her whole life so this prince is just a catalyst that gets her there. She had her little cave of wonders full of things she found that came from civilization. Disney just loved love stories so I'm guessing thats why this was brought in. Plus, who doesn't want someone to love? I see nothing wrong with that.

Snow White is the youngest princess. She's 14, Jasmine is 15, Merida is 15, Aurora is 16, Moana is 16. You guys missed the complete point of Ariel's perspective. Ariel has an adventurous spirit who craves to discover new things. And I like how humble Eric is and his obsession with her voice makes senses because Ariel's voice is hypnotic like a siren.

If you’re interested in villains dying in horrific ways, I recommend the animated Tarzan

You two are amazing! A perfect Duo! Love your friendship, your chemistry, your wit and humor, and your attention to detail. You're down to earth and real. You're not simply a reaction channel or a critic review. You enjoy the movies, highlighting both the good and the bad, but not disparaging the quality for it. You two are definitely my favorite channel for movie reviews.

At least Eric isn't like the stereo type prince. His love was the sea and then the princess of the sea fell in love with him.

When I saw this film when I was six I had a crush on a boy named Eric and I thought he was going to be my prince 🤣🤣🤣. AT AGE SIX LMAO!!!! well done reaction budz love ya all ❤️❤️

I just appreciate how much of a himbo Eric is, its hilarious.

Jodi Benson does the voice of Ariel and Vanessa (human form of Ursula)

fun fact: an alternative and (previously) quite small German band that is pirate-themed writes their albums as a mix of songs and (humorous) audiobook chapters which they all write themselves. One of them included a sea witch and they actually got the original German voice actress of Ursula to play the witch's role. In one song (about a voodoo witch) she can also be heard laughing in the background. The first time I listened to the album and recognised her voice, I was blown away and immediately looked up whether it was really her. I had the widest grin when I read her name. Such an amazing thing to do, and incredible of her to join them imo. Your reaction reminded me of that moment and I am even happier now than I usually am watching your videos (which is extremely happy anyways :D).

I needed this honestly, I've been so stressed out so bad that I missed my shark week. You guys always bring my spirit up ♡

"I'd give them 2 weeks" Them together years later with a twelve year old daughter: 👁️👄👁️

If you watch the second one, which is basically the same story but the other way around (the daughter wanting to go to the sea instead of living on land), you'll see that Ariel does kind of keep in touch with the mermaids.

Ariel was totally at fault for not reading the contract and signing it with closed eyes. I am seeing so many faults in this as an adult XD

Youngest Disney ‘princess’ was Esmerelda who was 12 before they changed her age, then it was Snow White who was 14.

Love how you guys are bringing it with the childhood nostalgia!!! 💯

Going from Mulan to the Little Mermaid in terms of Disney relationships gives me such whiplash

Just for a different perspective… there are Deaf/Mute people that are unable to speak that fall in love and have partners. So having a voice doesn’t mean that you can’t have an opinion or “speak” your mind.

Bro i was terified as a kid bc off that last scene 🤣 its pretty brutal but i love it

When I watched this as a kid the only take away I had was: i want to be a mermaid. 😂😂

This is my favourite Disney movie. It literally brings me to tears every time because I have such a connection to Ariel. I also just want to point out that Charlotta (I think) does say that it's been weeks since he's smiled - that means he and Ariel haven't seen each other in weeks and have only been thinking of one another.

i so related so much to this song. makes me cry all the time. "part of your world" just reverse the "i want to be human" with "i want to be mutant, mermaid or something else awesome and get off this planet) and yeah thats so me. now im more like "ill see you next lifetime"