On the surface, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a story about true love and defeating villains in the form of an evil sea witch, but if audiences were to dive in, they would find plenty of life lessons to be learned from the film. From Ariel's impulsiveness to Scuttle's lack of research in the proper usage of human things, there are plenty of moments in which the audience can learn from the character's mistakes.
Disney is famous for providing life lessons in its films, but there are some life lessons to be unearthed that may not have immediately appeared on the audience's radar.
10 Impulsiveness Isn't Always A Good Thing
Take for instance when King Triton destroyed everything in Ariel's grotto, or when she made her deal with Ursula. Doing something in the heat of the moment doesn't always pay off. King Triton's impulsiveness drove Ariel away, where she made her own impulsive decision that could have had dire consequences not just for her but also Atlantica, her home.
Unfortunately, both King Triton's and Ariel's decisions were made based solely on emotion, and the pros and cons were not weighed seriously enough. Luckily, everything turned out okay, but both father and daughter certainly learned their lessons and likely refrained from impulsivity afterward.
9 Always Research
Scuttle is a good friend, and he tries to help Ariel by telling her about the items she finds and informing her about how humans use them. For all intents and purposes, Scuttle is a great friend. However, he lacks the proper research, and he misleads Ariel by telling her that a fork is what humans use to comb their hair.
It leads to quite an awkward moment for Ariel at the dinner table! From that embarrassing moment, audiences are reminded to make sure that they've done their research, whether it's for a paper or how to properly use something, to avoid bad grades, accidents, or embarrassing moments.
8 Be Aware Of Your Surroundings
Ariel and Flounder were lucky to escape the shark while they were searching the shipwreck for human artifacts. Ariel thought Flounder was being a worrywart in regards to his concern for sharks, and she was a little overconfident in thinking that nothing was going to happen.
As it turns out, something did happen, and she should have been more aware, especially since the area they were in was creepy-looking and abandoned. Her surroundings were a good clue that danger was present, but Ariel's interest in humans overshadowed her better judgment.
7 The Importance Of Listening
Father and daughter certainly had problems with communication. King Triton refused to listen to Ariel regarding her curiosity in the world above, and Ariel didn't heed her father's warnings, no matter how many times he issued them. Ariel felt misunderstood, and King Triton was frustrated and annoyed with his youngest daughter for not listening to him. Had they sat down and had a real talk, Triton and Ariel could have worked out several kinks in their relationship, at least to the point of being able to freely communicate without either side shutting down or otherwise disregarding the other.
Hence, the power of really listening to someone means a lot.
6 Appreciate True Friends
Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle go to great lengths to help Ariel receive a kiss from Eric before Ursula's deadline. They truly care about her and support her, especially Flounder and Scuttle, who didn't judge her for her interest in humans. Flounder accompanied her to find and collect human items, and Scuttle would tell her what they were, or at least, what he thought they were.
Friends like that don't come along every day; true friends will be there in good times and bad, and Ariel's friendships are a good reminder to audiences to appreciate the friends that would do anything for them.
5 Don't Make Deals With Suspicious Characters
Ariel longs to be human and to be united with Eric, but she goes to extreme measures to make this dream come true. She makes a big mistake in making a deal with Ursula, who Ariel already knows is a sea witch, and presumably, is aware that Ursula is bad news.
Unfortunately, Flotsam and Jetsam caught her at a time when she was vulnerable and managed to persuade her to see Ursula before Ariel could rethink what she was getting herself into. As it is, Ursula double-crossed her and nearly took over the sea; had she been successful, the consequences would have been far more dire. Suspicious characters are best avoided, and Ariel certainly learned her lesson.
4 Evil Gets Its Comeuppance
Unfortunately, the world is not always merry and bright. One of the things that audiences love about Disney films is the fact that they contain happy endings, and that the villain is defeated at the end of the day.
While the bad things in the world may not get their karma right away like Ursula, it usually catches up to them sooner or later.
3 Keep An Open Mind
King Triton absolutely forbids merpeople to be in contact with humans, at all times. He refuses to see any other perspective, especially when it comes to Ariel's interest in humanity. He believes humans are dangerous, and that's that. Triton wasn't open-minded in the least, and it nearly cost him his daughter and his kingdom.
Had he been more open to seeing humans as anything more than dangerous, a lot of the heartache and problems in the film may have been avoided. Open-mindedness is important; even if someone doesn't understand something, it doesn't mean they can't keep an open mind and learn.
2 What Is Meant To Be Will Be
Ariel made things happen with Eric by striking the deal with Ursula so she could be human, but she couldn't force Eric to love her. Just by being herself, even without her voice, Eric was definitely falling for her. He even went against a sea witch to save her!
Obviously, the two were meant to be together, and Ariel found a way to be with him long enough for him to get to know her, and vice versa. It really was true love, and thankfully, King Triton could see it and had accepted that by the film's conclusion, and gave his daughter the gift of humanity so she could be with Eric.
1 Believe In Yourself
Ariel had to have a lot of confidence to secretly look for and find out more about human things. Plus, she had to possess a hefty amount of confidence, and really believe in herself, in order to uphold her end of the deal she made with Ursula. Relying solely on body language and facial expressions, given the loss of her voice, in order to get Eric to fall for her and kiss her takes a lot of self-confidence.
Clearly, audiences can see from Ariel's example that believing in themselves, whether the task at hand is big or small, is always important, and it really works.
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