Buzz
Few are aware that the original story of The Little Mermaid by Andersen is dark and concludes sadly.
Fairy tales and animations are an integral part of every person's childhood. We have become accustomed to Disney princesses and their adventurous stories, as well as finding their dream prince charming.
In the 1989 animated version of The Little Mermaid by Disney, Princess Ariel, a young princess, dreams of exploring life on land. After overcoming many hardships, Ariel finally defeats evil and lives happily ever after with Prince Eric.
However, in the original 1837 tale of The Little Mermaid by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, Ariel and the prince have a completely opposite ending from the animation, creating a one-sided love story full of sadness and tragedy.
The story begins with a sea creature named Ariel saving Prince Eric's life after an accident and falling in love with him. In order to be with her beloved, she seeks the sea witch Ursula to make a deal, trading her voice for a pair of legs.
For Ariel to remain human forever, she must win the true love's kiss and heart of the prince before he marries another. If she fails, Ariel will never return to the sea as a mermaid but must accept the price with her own life.
The animation doesn't depict Ariel's pain when she first steps with her human legs
After gaining human legs, Ariel can walk on land, but each step feels like sharp knives stabbing her, and she can't reveal her true identity to anyone. As for the prince, despite Ariel saving his life, he falls in love with and decides to marry the girl he mistakenly believes saved him, abandoning Ariel.
Due to unbearable agony, Ariel makes another deal with the witch: to kill the prince if she wants to return to being a mermaid and the sea. However, unable to harm her beloved, the mermaid chooses to cast herself into the ocean, her body slowly turning into sea foam.
Andersen's tale also touches on Ariel becoming the daughter of the air spirit after turning into foam, serving diligently in the underworld for 300 years before gaining a human-like soul she once dreamed of.
Due to the darkness and tragic ending of the story, Disney filmmakers almost entirely altered the latter half of the narrative, turning it into an animated film about good triumphing over evil, bringing joy, laughter, and an optimistic message to young audiences.
Source: En Vols
