The line that hits me every time I watch the 1989 animated version The little Mermaid isn’t one of the famous ones – a lyric from “Part of Your World,” Ariel’s defiant “But Daddy, I love him,” or even one of Sebastian’s mocking asides. It comes towards the end of the movie, when Triton finally realizes that Ariel will be happier on land and uses his magic trident to give her legs. Then he turns to Sebastian and says, “I guess there’s only one problem left: how much I’m going to miss her.”
That moment has more impact than any other line in the movie, because it disrupts the conventional “happily ever after” narrative. Unlike other Disney fairytale endings, the ending of The little Mermaid is deeply bittersweet. True love saves the day, and there’s a big wedding. But unlike Cinderella escaping her abusive stepmother or Beauty and the BeastReunited with her father after Belle, Ariel leaves her loving family for a new life – and she can never go back to the way things were.
The new 2023 live-action remake of The little Mermaid keeps that line intact, but shifts the ending around it a bit in a way that overrides the original film’s sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. But as it turns out, that’s not a bad thing.
[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the 2023 Little Mermaid, and also for Return to the Sea.]
Image: Disney
Triton is a stern, overprotective parent, but like many parents, he does what he does because he believes he is keeping his daughter safe. However, unlike many parents, he realizes the error of his ways and takes the opportunity to put them right. He has to let his daughter go to give her a chance to be happy. But still he is sad! It moves! It provides an opportunity for strict dads to be able to grow and recognize that what they want isn’t necessarily what their daughters want!
The idea that Ariel must permanently break away from Triton in order to fulfill her dreams is re-emphasized in the direct-to-VHS sequel, where she makes the difficult choice to cut off all contact with the undersea world in order to protect her daughter from Ursula’s vengeful sister. although The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is one of the better Disney direct-to-video sequels, which that era isn’t necessarily known for Good movies. But there’s a particularly poignant scene in this one, in which a grown Ariel walks down to the beach and dips her feet in the water, looking up at the sky and sighing that she misses her dad.
Image: Disney
While screenwriter David Magee and director Rob Marshall retain many things from the 1989 animated film in their live-action version, including giving the line “I’m gonna miss her” to Javier Bardem as Triton, who says it with as much tenderness and sadness as it deserves – they make a smart choice to modify the ending so it’s not so painful. And in doing so, they close the door on any potential adaptation of the direct-to-VHS sequel.
Ariel and Eric still get married in the 2023 movie version, but their wedding is much more low-key. Most importantly, they embark on a long sea voyage together, satisfying their mutual desires for exploration and hoping to expand diplomatic relations for Eric’s small island nation. While on a rowboat, about to head for their ship, Triton emerges from the water and looks gravely at Ariel and Eric. More and more people emerge from the water and Triton tells Ariel that they will always be there for her.
Image: Disney
It’s a small detail, but it changes the ending significantly nonetheless. Ariel doesn’t have to choose between worlds. She is happier and more comfortable in the human world, but part of her will always be a mermaid. But this time, rather than a goodbye, the ending feels more like a new chapter for Ariel and her relationship with the underwater world. Marshall and Magee sprinkle fantasy conflict between merpeople and humans in this version, without ever really digging into it or resolving it. But that conflict makes an ending where Ariel doesn’t have to choose between worlds resonate even more.
There’s one more lot to dive in (ha) into a possible sequel. (Potential sequels to these live-action remakes keep being announced.) And it shouldn’t have to focus on giving Ariel a child or cutting her off from the mermaid world. Ariel and Eric’s relationship represents something new for humans and merpeople alike, and their seafaring quest is sure to take them to uncharted waters, both literally and figuratively. Return to the sea may not happen in live-action form, but there’s a lot of ocean to explore. This time, Ariel knows that her father will always be there for her, now that he has learned to let go of her.