Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in The Little Mermaid

Despite brief appearances, this chef makes quite the impression with his French accent, curly mustache, oh, and terrifying personality. As emphasized while singing “Les Poissons” - a detailing of his extreme love for cooking fish - Louis takes disturbing pleasure in turning sea creatures into meals. Children might find the song comical, but adults realize that the chef’s attempts to boil Sebastian are actually pretty insane. He destroys his kitchen while trying to get the crab cooked and is enraged when he fails. He reaches a new level of crazy when he chases Sebastian around again wielding a knife. The vengeful moment solidifies Louis as a sadistic character whose catchy song doesn’t distract us from his savage nature.

As Ariel’s BFF, Flounder is well aware that the mermaid loves Prince Eric. So when a hurricane hits and sinks a ship holding a statue of the prince, Flounder sees an opportunity to give a perfect gift. After finding the statue on the seafloor, Flounder puts it in Ariel’s secret grotto. But there’s one problem—how the heck does he get it there? You’re telling us that Flounder weighs practically nothing and yet somehow brings the ginormous sculpture elsewhere? We don’t buy it. And the fact that he also manages to work it through a minuscule grotto opening? No way. We love to see the kind gesture, but the logistics don’t add up.

Paralleling “The Tempest,” “The Little Mermaid’s” Ariel was named after a character in Shakespeare’s play. Even more than the titular character’s name, Ariel’s storyline is also inspired by the fairy tale of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen. And Ariel isn’t the only one whose origins come from somewhere else. King Triton mirrors “The Tempest’s” Prospero, a strict and involved figure. And we can’t forget to mention the tempest magically created in the film, just like Prospero’s. Without a high school education, these connections between Shakespearean work and the film’s character portrayals are near impossible to make.

Kids might admire Prince Eric’s mission to find the love of his life and marry. Adults would see nothing inherently wrong with this, though they would certainly question the way Eric goes about it. We understand that the prince is pressured by his kingdom to find a wife, but does he really have to get engaged to a stranger he’s known for less than a day? It’s not entirely his fault, considering he’s under the spell of Ursula’s alter-ego, but some of the blame belongs to him nonetheless. Those with more life experience would typically hold that the decision to get hitched shouldn’t be rushed, so Eric’s race to the altar leaves us rather pessimistic—and for good reason.

Throughout most of the film, Ariel is rarely fully covered as she sports a seashell bra with her mermaid tail. There are a few instances where Ariel bears even more skin, which prompted producers to get creative in terms of ensuring that things remain G-rated. The scenarios include Ariel’s transformation into a human with legs when she tries to stand with her new limbs, and when she takes her first human bath. The nakedness makes sense in all of these cases, though shadows, edits, and bubbles keep the scenes Disney-appropriate. To innocent minds, the hidden nudity would likely go unnoticed, but things like this don’t get past the more attuned, older crowd.

While annoyedly watching Ariel from her lair, Ursula mentions the luxuries she enjoyed when she “lived in the palace.” It’s a passing quote and a minor detail in the bigger scheme of things, but it makes us wonder about the backstory. We’re left with burning questions like: was the villainess not so evil before? What caused her to become so antagonistic? Why is she no longer in the palace? Was she banished? Children understandably aren’t as concerned with what transpired, but we nosy adults are definitely interested in learning about Ursula’s past. What beef does the kingdom have with the sea witch?! Answers are uncovered in “The Little Mermaid” Broadway musical, but not in the movie.

Ariel proves to be not-so-bright and extremely naive, but she can read and write. This is evidenced when she signs her name on Ursula’s contract—in rather impressive cursive, we should add. But as we see later in the film, Ariel loses her voice, making communication with Prince Eric supposedly impossible. But the mermaid doesn’t actually NEED her voice—she could just pen a letter to the prince! Using her skills to sign her voice away but not to connect with Eric is equally baffling and frustrating for those who notice the plothole. Putting her literacy to use would have made things much simpler. Though we do admit that watching Ariel try to communicate through charades is pretty hilarious.

Some might not have been aware of this before watching the film, but those who were would certainly notice similarities between Ursula and the real-life star who shaped her character. Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine, was an iconic performer and drag queen with an influential stage presence. The film’s creators drew on that presence when designing the villainous character, mimicking the drag queen’s eye makeup, jewelry, and figure for Ursula. Divine’s talent is also referenced in the legendary number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls, ” a phrase said nearly verbatim in one of the star’s past performances. Without Divine’s electric persona serving as inspiration, “The Little Mermaid’s” villain probably wouldn’t be so unforgettable.

Atlantica’s ruler exhibits rather unkingly behaviors early on in the film, evidenced by his cruel destruction of his daughter’s most prized possessions. Aside from Triton routinely being short-tempered and harshly demanding as a royal father, adults notice that he’s pretty much let his merpeople down. His subjects are held captive in fear of Ursula’s magic, and it also seems that their freedom is compromised by actual shackles. The prime example is when Triton enters a concert hall on his chariot being pulled by chained dolphins. Chained fish pulling Triton’s right-hand man Sebastian follow. As kids, we probably didn’t even realize what the chains imply, but as adults, it’s not hard to conclude that Triton treats some sea creatures as slaves.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Flounder Doesn’t Resemble a Flounder
The Incredibly Cute, Animated Character Looks Nothing Like His Real-Life Namesake

Ariel’s Tribute to Hans Christian Andersen
With a Pose on a Rock, Ariel Pays Homage to the Fairy Tale That Inspired the Movie

The Painting in Ariel’s Grotto Is Real
The Artwork by Georges de la Tour Is Known as “Magdalene with the Smoking Flame”

Upon rewatching the film as adults, it’s evident that Ariel isn’t really a good friend. Just take a look at Flounder, the loyal BFF who isn’t given a special name. Why is he referred to as “Flounder?” Sebastian isn’t called “Crab!” Even worse, Ariel frequently takes advantage of Flounder and makes fun of his fears by calling him “a guppy.” Perhaps worst of all, Ariel is so obsessed with her own desires that she puts her buddy in serious danger. She pressures Flounder into skipping the kingdom’s concert—knowing he would face consequences—and pressures him into a mission that puts the tiny sea creature face-to-face with a shark. Having your friends risk their lives for your own selfish agenda? Not cool, Ariel!