Top 10 Differences Between The Little Mermaid (1989) & (2023)
#10: Ariel’s First Time on the Surface
Our introduction to Ariel remains virtually the same as the titular little mermaid explores a sunken ship with Flounder. They also encounter a shark, although this time, Ariel gives Jaws the slip using a mirror trick right out of “Jurassic Park.” Clever, girl. Instead of going to the surface to ask Scuttle about dinglehoppers, it’s established that Ariel has never been above water, although she longs to be where the people are. In the animated film, Triton condemns his sixteen-year-old daughter for repeatedly swimming to the surface. The remake’s Ariel (whose age is left ambiguous) is more hesitant to defy her father. After seeing fireworks from up above, though, Ariel can no longer contain her desire to be part of that world.
#9: New Songs
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The remake brings back most of the classic songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, albeit with some adjustments. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” cuts the verse about “idle babble.” “Kiss the Girl’s” lyrics receive a few minor tweaks to erase any notions that Eric would “force himself on [Ariel],” as Menken put it. Menken teamed with Lin-Manuel Miranda for three additional tunes. Eric gets an “I Want” song, “Wild Uncharted Waters,” which echoes “Her Voice” from the stage musical. Taking another page from Broadway, Ariel sings a new song, “For the First Time,” through an inner monologue. Scuttle and Sebastian also share a rap that’s pure Miranda, “The Scuttlebutt.” “Les Poissons” sadly gets left out to sea, although that song would’ve been more grotesque in live-action.
#8: The Daughters of Triton
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“Daughters of Triton” is another song that’s removed from the remake. Part of that’s because the daughters are all given new names: Caspia, Indira, Karina, Mala, Perla, and Tamika. Ariel is now the only sister whose name begins with A. Instead of a concert, the sisters are gathering for a meeting with Triton about an upcoming moon ceremony. Of course, Ariel is naturally absent. The filmmakers felt the “Daughters of Triton” song wasn’t necessary for this version, wanting to build more anticipation leading to “Part of Your World.” As such, “Fathoms Below” is shortened and heard later in the film, making Ariel’s “I Want” song the film’s first number. Triton’s daughters are also more diverse, as is the rest of the cast.
#7: Scuttle
Scuttle remains the birdbrain we all know, unable to tell a fork from a dinglehopper. The comedic character undergoes more than a couple of changes, however. Buddy Hackett injected a lot of his personality into the 1989 Scuttle. Awkwafina does the same with her take on the character. This casting comes with a gender swap, but the tweaks don’t end there. Scuttle isn’t a seagull in the remake, but rather a northern gannet. Being a diving bird, Scuttle is now able to interact with Ariel underwater. Awkwafina aimed to put a unique spin on the character with the filmmakers allowing her to adlib. At the same time, she also sought to honor the late Hackett by incorporating touches of his portrayal.
#6: Prejudice Between Worlds
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King Triton makes his feelings about humans abundantly clear in the animated version. In the remake, it isn’t just Triton who has a prejudice to work through. There are preconceived notions on both sides with sailors accusing mermaids of drawing them to watery graves. Eric’s mother believes that the people of the sea are responsible for creating the storms that sink their ships. Meanwhile, the merfolk don’t appreciate having to clean up the sunken ships that humans leave behind. Triton’s hatred of humans is personal because one killed Ariel’s mother. Although this detail wasn’t in the 1989 film, we do see what happened to Queen Athena in the direct-to-video “Ariel’s Beginning.” She went out a lot like Ursula: between a boat and a hard place.
#5: Eric’s Backstory
Eric is perhaps fleshed out the most in the remake. It’s revealed that Eric was orphaned as a baby and the local royalty took him in after he washed ashore. The king has since passed away, although Eric’s adoptive mother, Queen Selina, continues to rule over the kingdom. While there isn’t an urgency for Eric to marry in this version, his mother still wishes to see him settle down. Eric’s goals go beyond searching for the mystery girl who rescued him. Like Ariel, Eric possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure, wishing to see other parts of the world. It’s a nice contrast with Ariel wanting to be on land and Eric wanting to be out at sea, yet both essentially desire the same thing: freedom.
#4: Ursula is Triton’s Sister
The remake takes the beef between Ursula and Triton a step further, making them siblings. This plot point was actually in the storyboard stages of the animated film with the sailors telling Eric that Triton’s sister is the sea witch. In the final film, Ursula mentions that she used to live in the palace, although it’s never canonized that she’s Ariel’s aunt. The 2023 remake isn’t the first interpretation to incorporate the sibling rivalry. “The Little Mermaid” stage musical delves even deeper into Ursula’s history with Triton. Each was given half the sea when their father died, but Triton banished Ursula as she went mad with power. Another version of the stage show gives Triton several older siblings, who Ursula kills to seize the throne.
#3: Bonding Over Human & Mermaid Stuff
Following the animated film, it’s love at first sight for Ariel and Eric in the remake with their romance playing out over three days. It may be the same time frame, but with a longer runtime, more moments are dedicated to them bonding. In one of the best new scenes, Ariel stumbles upon Eric’s treasure trove that he’s collected from his voyages. It’s a welcome parallel with Ariel and Eric both being fascinated by each other’s worlds, although some details have gotten lost in translation. Just as Ariel isn’t sure how to properly use a fork, Eric finds that his collection is full of surprises hiding in plain sight. The two also connect over astronomy, helping Eric to piece together Ariel’s name.
#2: Ursula’s Art of the Deal
The remake’s Ariel is slightly more hesitant to strike a bargain with Ursula, but she ultimately gives in. Ariel seals the deal with blood rather than by signing a contract, addressing the “Why didn’t she just write Eric a message” plot hole. Ariel still sacrifices her voice, but it’s called a siren here. Ursula also throws in an extra detail that she neglects to tell Ariel. The witch puts a memory spell on Ariel, who forgets that she needs true love’s kiss to remain human. That’s why Ariel isn’t quite as eager to pucker up during “Kiss the Girl.” This addition lines up with Ursula’s deceitful ways, although it might’ve been more effective if she erased all of Ariel’s memories. Then Ursula definitely could’ve won!
#1: Climatic Role Reversal
The animated Ariel is notably the first Disney princess to save the prince. She not only rescues Eric from a shipwreck, but also prevents him from getting zapped with the trident during the climax. Eric returns the favor, defending Ariel with a harpoon and impaling Ursula in the end. Much of this remains the same in the remake, although the roles are reversed during Ursula’s demise. This time, Eric is caught in the whirlpool while Ariel winds up on a ship, which she steers in Ursula’s direction. This change is similar to the stage musical where Ariel also saves the day. Instead of running a ship through Ursula, though, the stage version sees Ariel destroy her Nautilus shell, in turn defeating the sea witch.
