The Little Mermaid (Disney Animated)

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Walt Disney originally wanted to make The Little Mermaid as part of a Hans Christian Andersen documentary. However, several decades after plans failed, two men created the iconic animated film. 

In many ways, The Little Mermaid was the prelude to modern Disney; it spotlighted the possibilities of an independent female protagonist, mature/universal messages that resonate with entire families, and a Broadway-style musical structure. How were these only possibilities? The opening song, Daughters of Triton, gives little information about Ariel, who does not even appear until almost six minutes into the film. Plus, even though Ariel starts out an active hero, she quickly attaches herself to a prince. 

Another thing about Ariel is that, unlike Snow White and Aurora before her, she displays accurate teenage behavior; for instance, she argues with her father and plucks a flower expressing her feelings for Prince Eric. Ariel, of course, makes a deal with Ursula the sea witch to trade her voice for legs so that she can be on land. That ends in disaster, of course, but Ariel still fulfills her questionable desires. 

Alongside the criticisms about Ariel and Eric's romance being "rushed," the happy ending looks like a step down for the fairy tale on paper. In Hans Christian Andersen's original version, the mermaid selflessly drops a knife to protect her ex-lover, turning into foam but gaining a soul. Even Walt Disney himself did not believe the mermaid should end up with the prince. I get it, as it hinders the vital messages of teenage love not always working out and, of course, selflessness. 

Ariel's questionable behavior limits her relatability, but there are still Christian values to learn from other characters. For instance, King Trition acts in Christlike behavior by taking Ariel's punishment for her; by the end of the story, he learns to let Ariel go (a valuable lesson for parents). Even Prince Eric's battle against Ursula calls back to the final defeat of Satan in the Bible. 

Of course, as many have observed, Ursula represents Satan; she promises to give mermaids all their desires only to turn them into shrimps. Ursula does everything to manipulate Ariel into trading her voice for legs, which is problematic considering she and Eric lack clear communication. Yet, Ariel still entertains Eric through lively expressions and actions. 

Ursula also takes Ariel's voice and disguises herself as a beautiful girl named Vanessa to prevent Ariel from marrying Eric. After Ariel crashes the wedding, Ursula had to be defeated to make things right. Since Ariel, not Vanessa, saved Eric at first anyway, Disney's happy ending is justified. 

The songs are catchy and mostly add to the story as they would in a proper Broadway musical (Les Poissons might be less necessary than the others, but it is still entertaining to watch Sebastian run away from Chef Louis). The haunting tone of Vanessa singing before her planned wedding is a highlight of the music. The Little Mermaid also has a well-orchestrated score, especially during the kingdom tour. 

Alongside the memorable music, the animation and color palette are two more highlights. Ariel's red hair creates a striking contrast against the blue ocean (alongside representing her boldness). The blue blue color of the ocean is also pleasant to look at. 

The music and visuals, alongside Ariel's boldness and King Triton's parenting lesson, make The Little Mermaid the prelude to the modern Broadway-inspired Disney style. Ariel did not make the best decisions, and better movies were definitely ahead, but Disney would not be where it is today without the possibilities brought in by The Little Mermaid. 

Have you seen The Little Mermaid? What do you think about it?

If you haven't seen it, the movie is available on Disney +.

You Are Your Own Fairy Tale

Image citation: Amazon. (n.d.). [you are your own fairy tale]. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://www.amazon.com/you-are-your-fairy-tale/dp/152488085X/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1. 

Poetry and folklore are different forms of literature with their own elements. However, that does not mean they can't be combined into one book; Amanda Lovelace does so in her three-collection trilogy, You Are Your Own Fairy Tale.

The first collection, Break Your Glass Slipper (clearly inspired by Cinderella) deals with body issues and escaping abuse. The second collection, Shine Your Icy Crown, is about feminist ideals. Finally, Unlock Your Storybook Heart is about living the life you want. There is an advice giver in each collection: the first one has a fairy godmother, the second a big sister, and the last simply has books. 

Accompanying the poems are beautiful part color but mostly ink illustrations. They don't appear on every page; instead, these are scattered throughout. Each collection also has a colored interval scene that appears a few times: the first is a starry sky, the second a forest, and the last a reading room. 

Lovelace addresses a lot of the criticisms of classic fairy tales using her all-lowercase writing style. For instance, one poem says that villains rarely look evil on the outside and another contrasts mere infatuation with true love. The poems also promote self-love, self-care, and other themes promoting life enjoyment.

However, You Are Your Own Fairy Tale clearly has a secular humanist/feminist worldview. Several poems suggest finding your identify by looking inside yourself while Christians do so by looking up towards God. There is additionally politically correct content Christians need to be aware of, especially those condoning witchcraft and sexual immorality. Finally, there are plenty of swear words. 

One more thing is that Lovelace lists trigger warnings at the beginning of each collection. Those who have recently suffered from abuse, an eating disorder, and other issues might find the trilogy hard to read.

Regardless, You Are Your Own Fairy Tale is an empowering, if not fully lighthearted, poetry collection with happily ever afters. I recommend it for all fairy tale fans (if they can get past the immorality and sensitive content). 

Have you read You Are Your Own Fairy Tale? What do you think about it?

If the Shoe Fits

Image citation: Amazon. (n.d.). [Meant To Be Series 3 Books Set - If the Shoe Fits, By the Book, Kiss the Girl]. Retrieved August 3, 2024, from https://www.amazon.com/Meant-Be-Books-Set-Shoe/dp/B0CXSKJMSL/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&sr=1-4.

The author of the bestselling YA novel Dumplin, Julie Murphy, has started a series of modern romances inspired by Disney princess films with the Cinderella-inspired If the Shoe Fits.

If the Shoe Fits has a lot of elements from the original animated Cinderella. For example, the main character's mother is Ilene Woods (the voice actor of Cinderella) and her stepmother's last name is Tremaine. Her stepsisters also have shortened versions of Anastasia and Drizella. She has three little siblings who represent the mice, too. Finally, the protagonist's name is Cindy (shortened from Cinderella). 

At the same time, Julie Murphy incorporates the body-positive theme from her previous novels; Cindy is a plus-sized woman who loves fashion. She has problems with the lack of sizes for her, but that does not prevent Cindy from following her dreams. 

Cindy moves from her dream life in New York back to her stepmother's house in California at the beginning of the novel. Before long, she stars in her stepmother's reality television show Before Midnight. Cindy starts out developing feelings for Henry (formerly "Prince Charming"), whom she met on the plane ride. However, the positive fan attention later changes fate (which she initially didn't believe in) for her. 

If the Shoe Fits is overall well-written; it clearly portrays Cindy's internal conflict regarding her dream career, family obligations, and (of course) body size. Her relationship with Henry is also much more developed than that between the animated Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Cindy and Henry's date in New York even involves a few Disney references beyond Cinderella. For example, they see a Disney Broadway production together. 

If the Shoe Fits mostly takes inspiration from the animated Cinderella, but it also has a few references to the 2015 live-action remake. For instance, Cindy loses her mother in elementary school and her father during her late adolescence. She also receives an empowering message from her late mother.

As well-done as If the Shoe Fits is, it has a lot of the problems I find with a lot of secular adult fiction. There were lots of swearing and using God's name in vain along with romantic individualism. Such content might make this novel a difficult read for Christians. Besides, even though I found the elimination aspect of Before Midnight interesting and I knew how Cindy felt, I only related to the secular story to a limited amount. 

Still, If the Shoe Fits is a modern fairy tale with a positive representation of a plus-sized woman. Fans of Disney's Cinderella and body-positive advocates will enjoy the novel. 

Have you read If the Shoe Fits? What do you think about it?