The Little Mermaid Comparison Essay

Kaarle Comeau
INDS-1059
S. Ketley
Tuesday, November 11 2014

During many youngsters childhoods, Disney movies have brought happy memories.
Even though these stories are considered classics, the Disney versions are distorted to fit an ideal
image. One of the most popular fairy tales that is focused on is The Little Mermaid. The original
story by Hans Christian Andersen has some similarities and differences to Disneys recreation as
well as reasons why Disney decided to change the story.
The basics of the Disney versions of The Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersons
version are very similar. In the beginning, Ariel sees a young man on a ship during her first time
above the surface. The young man is thrown off the ship during a storm and the young girl takes
him to the shore to save him. At that instant, The Little Mermaid became fascinated by the man
and decided to ask the sea witch for guidance. The sea witch then gives her a potion that takes
her beautiful singing voice away that the man is accustomed to and her fin transforms into legs.
The deal that the mermaid made with the sea witch is that she can only remain a human if she
gets the man to fall in love with her. From then on, the versions are completely different from
each other.
Hans Christian Andersen's version takes a dark turn when the transformation of the
young girls body isnt as magical as it appears. The mermaid experiences a great deal of pain
every single step she takes as a punishment for her decision. Instead of taking pity on her, the
young man continues to make her dance and smile even though he knows she is in pain
Andersen, H. C. (2010). The younger Disney audience doesnt get exposed to this part of the
story since it is too graphic for them. Also, the commitment that the mermaid expects is very
intense compared to the modified version. The young man must be so madly in love with her that
he completely forgets his mother and father. Unfortunately, her plan doesnt go accordingly and
the prince marries another woman. Despite his intuitive love for the one that saved him, the

prince sees her as a young girl instead of a woman and found it difficult to understand the limited
language left to her. Mortensen, F. H. (2008). She feels rejected and quickly goes into a
depressive state. In the Disney version, Ariel struggles to be with Eric because he isnt aware that
it is her when she doesnt have her voice. Realizing that there is an opportunity to own another
soul, the sea witch uses Ariels voice and tricks Eric. Luckily, before Eric married the disguised
Ursula, Ariel gets her voice back. Since Ariel and Eric didnt kiss, the sea witch still had control
over her soul. Once the king found out that she was held captive, he sacrificed himself to the sea
witch so that Ariel could be free. Meanwhile, Eric was on his way to rescue Ariel and ended up
slaying the witch. The king gained back his throne and the young couple lived happily ever after.
Unfortunately that isnt the outcome for the mermaid in Andersens version. Her sisters decide
to offer the sea witch their magnificent hair in exchange for a knife with which their little sister
could save herself from her dark destiny. Instead of plunging the knife into the heart of the
newly-wed prince, she directed the weapon at herself. After when she sacrificed herself the
mermaid turned into foam and was sent to the heavens. Mortensen, F. H. (2008).
When closely examining the original version and the Disney version, it is evident that
there are many differences between the two but why did Disney change it so much? Since
Disney viewers are typically very young, the company has to be careful about what they put in
their films. Hans Christian Andersen focuses on realistic troubles related to life experiences
including rejection, depression and sexuality. The moment when the young man rejects her, the
little mermaid becomes depressed which is very possible for people to go through.
Unfortunately, in some cases when people feel depressed they commit suicide to escape the pain
just like when the mermaid turned to foam. Also, the mermaid comes from a family who neglects
any form of sexuality since the father is a widower and isnt expressive of the natural feelings

that each child has. Instead, the mermaid discovers her sexual identity when she realizes that she
desires a human and would do anything for his love. The sea witch is believed to have
represented the sexuality in their world due to her appearance, stronghold, and control over her
underwater servants. These realistic aspects of The Little Mermaid shouldnt be exposed to
children so it was a good idea for Disney to make a modified version so that their innocence can
live on.
When comparing Hans Christian Andersens version of The little Mermaid to Disneys
The Little Mermaid there is a lot of similarities and differences. Even though Disney had to
change certain parts of the story to appeal to younger audiences, the basics of the story will
continue down to generations.

Works Cited
Mortensen, F. H. (2008). The little mermaid: Icon and disneyfication. Scandinavian Studies, 80(4), 437454. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215676675?accountid=39340
Andersen, H. C. (2010). Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. [Auckland]: Floating Press