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February 1996, Week 5

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Subject:
From:
"Richard J. Leskosky" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 28 Feb 1996 16:19:18 -0600
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On 2/28/96 Don Larsson writes:
 
>A similar observation could be made of THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Having Ariel give
>up her mermaid status to happily marry the Prince can be seen as reactionary,
>but how do specific viewers treat it?  Notice the film's marketing--I don't
>think there are any Ariel toys, towels, lunchboxes, etc. that have her with
>*legs*--and she's usually with Sebastian and Flounder Under the Sea (and
>away from Daddy), not on dry land with the Prince.
 
 
There are Ariel dolls that can switch from fish tail to legs, and in
various games Ariel is depicted in both states, but with the
Ariel-with-legs version almost a secondary separate character.  My
five-year-old daughter Hannah is a fan of the TV series, which never shows
Ariel with legs, but she also insists on hanging onto the Ariel-with-legs
cards when playing the Little Mermaid card game, which, of course, then
makes the game impossible to play.  In any case, I would venture to guess
that most kids think of Ariel in her TV version--always a mermaid,
occasionally expressing a wish for legs or human interaction, frequently
rebelling against her father's authority and prejudice against humans, but
always reconciling with him at the end.  Anyway, when fantastic creatures
become human they also become ordinary and far less interesting, no matter
what their relationships with their significant others may be.
 
--Richard J. Leskosky
 
Richard J. Leskosky                     office phone: (217) 244-2704
Assistant Director                      FAX: (217) 244-2223
Unit for Cinema Studies                 University of Illinois
 
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