Disney Film Predictability
Disney films have happy endings. It’s what makes them appealing to families. Disney was founded on fairy tales with happy endings.
I loved the Little Mermaid as a child because Ariel yearned to be human.
Before I had the words to express internal ableism, I struggled to fit in. I fought hard against the assumptions that I was “special” and dealt with being talked down to.
As much as I loved the Little Mermaid, it may have strengthened the belief that I am lesser because my legs work differently.
Micheal Giday, in an article entitled “Ableism in Fairy Tales,” states, “Despite having all the things a human has and being a princess, Ariel still obsesses over becoming human and considers herself as less than one just for lacking legs.” (5)
“The grass is always greener” comes to mind because Ariel wants the one thing she can’t have. Besides legs, she checks everything else off the traditional Disney princess list. The song “Under the Sea” is a plea to embrace where and what she is. The path she is choosing instead is much harder for a mermaid.
But despite everything, she gets a happy ending. She gets legs.
Meanings of Disabilities in Fairy Tales
Giday says, “It is also common to see authors of fairy tales utilize disabilities
as a way of isolating characters and making them feel unloved by anyone.” (6).
The Little Mermaid does not fall into this stereotype. Ariel alone wants to change, and she gets her wish.
The film reinforces that the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.
Ariel finds love and belonging “up there” as a human.
I wanted to belong despite all the messages that I am “special” and not on the same level as my peers.
Fairy tales and science fiction using different species and creatures to represent minorities is nothing new. Mermaids are just one example ingrained in me from childhood.
Photo by Linus Nylund from Unsplash
Personal View
It seems to be”normal”comes at a cost.
This is what I subconsciously learned from Ariel. However, along with that, I also internalized that risking it all will end happily.
As Giday says, “most fairy tales in which the protagonist is afflicted by some kind of deformity or disability, they must have their condition magically removed before going on to live happily ever after.
This, in turn, creates false expectations in the minds of young children with disabilities and also makes them feel like they are not “normal.” (7).
The Little Mermaid affirmed that normalcy comes at a price when you’re different, but it ends happily.
Source List
Giday, M. (2021, May 4). Ableism in Fairy Tales. http://breadcrumbs.lmu.build. http://breadcrumbs.lmu.build/fairy-tales/ableism-in-fairy-tales/