Just Plain Wrong: Disney

Question:

Remember when you were younger and Disney movies never used to make you feel....dirty?

Then you get older and you witness the film and its contexts with new eyes?

Rest assured, it's not the most humbling feeling.

I've had many of these sour revelations recently after re-watching Disney's The Little Mermaid with my nephew several months ago. I was optimistic at the time that my childhood memories of Ariel and her story would have a nostalgic affect on me. Unexpectedly, I was not so fortunate. It was then that I realized the animators, the writers, ALL involved in the project, were secretly pedophiles living out their disturbed fantasies through a teenage mermaid. Shocking, no?

Need proof? Let's start at the start. (I'm assuming that those reading have hopefully seen the film, as it is a classic of modern animation. If not, the remainder of this rant will mean null).

Firstly, in the film, Ariel is said to be sixteen years old. Ah, sweet sixteen. Time for budding romances, blog updates, and shopping for lip gloss. And, apparently, time for making gestures and poses fit for runway models. In pristine form, the glamour shots of her (swirling hair, seaside silhouettes, etc.), especially to me now, seem to have been targeted at a more...sexually active demographic. Take the picture of Ariel to the left, for example. Does she look 16 to you? Be honest, now!

Correct answer: no. She appears older. Shots of her like this happen quite regularly during the film, and are often inexplicably paired with scenes that make her look like the teenager she was supposed to be. How can there be any excuse for these "mixed signals" in a Disney film?