This is the fourth of a set of reviews and analyses that I will be doing on each Disney Princess movie. I will try to be as unbiased and analytical as possible. I watch the movie so that it is fresh in my mind, and review 10 categories: the princess, the prince, the couple, the villain, other characters, the plot, animation, songs, score, and mood. I then give each category a score out of 10, then the movie as a whole receives a total score out of 100. All categories contribute equally to the final score.

Princess – Ariel
Ariel is the first of many non-stereotypical princesses; she is often the rescuer rather than the damsel in distress. She is a brave and heroic princess, the first of many. Being a more modern teenager, she has many teenage qualities we would consider stereotypical; headstrong, stubborn, secretive, private, and determined, to name a few. She is also a misfit among the merpeople, as she is the only one with a fascination for the world above the surface. She is a free spirit, but also dreamy and childish at times. She is clever, especially under pressure, although she doesn’t give important decisions enough thought. She has an extremely animated, almost childish personality when she has no voice, and is quite dignified and mature when she does have her voice. All-round, I love her as a character, but she does have some bad qualities, so she earns a score of 8.

Prince – Eric
Eric is often believed to be a bland, stereotypical prince, and I will admit, he is that way when under Ursula’s curse, but I also see so much more in him. He is an extremely skilled sailor, which comes to his advantage on at least two occasions. He is fun-loving, laid-back, and loves having some bonding time with his dog. He is a helpful gentleman, and is quite kind, caring and encouraging. He is extremely heroic and brave, and it shows real devotion when he endangers himself to save Max’s life. He is a romantic, as he believes in love at first sight. He says one of my all-time favourite romantic quotes, which is “Grim, I lost her once. I’m not gonna lose her again.” He does, however, lack some depth, but he still earns a score of 8.

The Couple
Ariel seems to fall in love straight away when she sets eyes on Eric, and Eric seems obsessed with Ariel and her song after he wakes up from her rescue. Their first meeting is by chance, and it is a nice meeting, although Eric doesn’t realise it is actually his dream girl there in front of him. There is a good amount of development over the course of dinner and the tour of the kingdom, and the love definitely begins to blossom during the “Kiss the Girl” scene, after time. The relationship becomes complicated when “Vanessa” arrives, but Eric realises that he truly loves Ariel when the spell breaks. The sacrifices each are willing to make for the other shows how much they truly love each other, so they earn a score of 9.

Villain – Ursula
Just when she speaks, Ursula sounds evil. She has a good song, and is the first DP villain to have one, as far as I know (please correct me if I’m wrong here). She is strategic, clever and manipulative, with a cool but creepy lair. She is powerful, shows through her multiple transformations. As an octopus thing, she looks like a drag queen, and is much prettier as Vanessa, although no less evil. She is mad or crazy or obsessed or whatever other word you want to use, and has a controlling complex, in that she has to control everything possible. However, she monologues often, which is slightly annoying, and she unknowingly allows for her own demise by surfacing the wrecked ships. As a result for her foolishness, she earns a score of 7.

Other Characters
Triton – he is a beloved king, a caring father, and has a good relationship with Ariel. However, he is self-sacrificing, easily angered and emotionally punishes himself.
Flounder – a wuss or ‘guppy’ and easily scared near the beginning, he matures into a good friend who tries hard to help.
Sebastian – a good taste in music (which I like), a good adviser and supervisor, but a lousy secret keeper.
Sisters – almost unseen as characters in their own right, they just come across as sisterly, and they have to share a bathroom of sorts.
Grimsby – Eric’s personal servant and confidant, he is also the fatherly figure that Eric lacks, giving good advice when it is needed.
Scuttle – although idiotic, clumsy and just plain annoying, he can be helpful when it is needed.
Max – a clever and curious dog, he is definitely Eric’s best friend, complete with trust. He is helpful, and recognises Vanessa for who she truly is.
Carlotta – sometimes seen as a simple maid, she is a motherly figure to both Ariel and Eric.
Chef Louis – a stereotypical French man, he is almost pointless as a character.
All up, the many secondary characters earn a score of 7, as there are many standouts and some poorly developed.

Plot
The movie follows the plot of the original story for the most part, except for the cutting off of Ariel’s tongue and the happier Disney ending. The movie is full of action, especially near the end, and the stalling of the wedding is a fun scene to watch. Throughout the movie, it didn’t feel as though anything was either dragged or rushed; the movie went at a good pace. The plot therefore scores 8.

Animation
During the underwater scenes, you can actually tell that it is underwater, whether it be because of the blue hue to everything or the movement of seaweed or bubbles; the animators did a good job here. There is limited background detail underwater, but maybe this is because it’s underwater, therefore harder to see far distances. Movements are fluid, and the animation of Ariel’s hair is absolutely beautiful. There is more detail in the backgrounds when on land, perhaps again because it is easier to see long distances through air. There are some inconsistencies throughout the movie, and there are some times when the mouth movement doesn’t seem to match up with the words being spoken. As a result, animation scores 7.

Songs
Fathoms Below – good strong harmonies, but a short and interrupted song.
Daughters of Triton – a pompous tune with nice harmonies and vocalisations; however, the end is abrupt.
Part of Your World – a beautifully-sung song, and a nice song in general, it shows Ariel’s fascination with the human world and her dreams of joining it.
Part of Your World reprise 1 – a sweet and open song, leaving Ariel almost vulnerable, and shows her love for Eric.
Under the Sea – fun to listen to, but weak compared to other songs.
Poor Unfortunate Souls – the first DP villain song with pompous instrumentation and menacing lyrics. Somehow, although it is interrupted by dialogue, it feels as though it continues through this, and doesn’t feel weird when it is picked up again.
Le Poissons – establishes Chef Louis as Sebastian’s enemy, but a pointless song.
Kiss the Girl – a stereotypical-sounding love song that somehow works for the situation through the use of some good harmonies.
Part of Your World Reprise 2 – strong choral harmonies, bringing the movie to a nice end.
Overall, the songs earn a score of 7, due to some poorer songs among good ones.

Score
Throughout the movie, there are a lot of wind and brass instruments, with some mysterious-sounding strings as well. Often, the score consists of the whole orchestra, not just sections of it, which gives it a fuller sound, and makes it easier to manipulate the viewer’s emotions and attitudes (sorry, some stuff from school broke out there). There are some rare moments throughout the movie where there is no score at all, making the movie seem empty. The music on the ship for Eric’s birthday sounds like a folk tune, something you would hear in Ireland or Wales. The score helps to build and hold the tension well throughout many scenes that require that tense feeling, and the can-can-type music in the kitchen scene is fun to watch. The score for the kingdom tour is quite recognisable, while also being fun to listen to. Overall, the score is strong, and earns a score of 8.

Mood
The movie is captivating, and although I have watched it many times, I was interested for the entire movie and not bored in any part. Although I have seen the movie many times, there is still a sense of “what will happen next?” which is good construction. It is a good family movie, and not just for kids. The mood therefore earns a score of 9.

Overall, this movie is one of my favourites, and is a strong movie in its own right, earning a total score of 78 out of 100.