From: gjg@ACPUB.DUKE.EDU (GEARY GRAHAM)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Little Mermaid vs. Beauty and the Beast
Date: 13 Apr 92 23:26:31 GMT


 
I've been following the debate between TLM and B&B for a while, and coming
from the perspective of someone who prefers The Little Mermaid, here come a
few reasons why.
 
Belle vs Ariel : This is probably the hottest topic, so I thought I'd hit it
first.  Ariel seems to get one hell of a bad rap here, so I think someone's
gotta stand up for her.  Ariel is a character of action.  The enitre movie TLM
is dominated by her actions simply because it is HER story.  She is independent
and headstrong to the point of being self-centered.  She acts independently
of her father, Sebastion, and just about everyone else in the movie.  Where
people got the "go forth and be a submissive wife" message is beyond me.  Ariel
sees what she wants, and she goes and gets it.  It just happens to be marriage
because this is, after all, a fairy tale and that's what Ariel WANTS.  It would
be one thing if her father wanted her to get married (see Sleeping Beauty) and
she went along with it, but Ariel is definately the strongest personality a
Disney heroine has ever had (IMHO).  Belle gets all the credit for brains between
the two, but I disagree again.  Ariel exhibits extreme curiosity and 
a determination to seek out new knowledge (and new civilizations, to boldly go...)
If there was such a thing as an Under the Sea library, I suspect Ariel would be
a member in good standing.  Since there isn't, she herself goes out to learn
about the "topside" world, putting herself at great risk in her searching
expeditions.  Compare this to Belle.  If her father had never gotten lost, odds
are Belle would still be in her provincial villiage.  She may read about the
wonders of the world, but she does NOTHING to go and explore this herself.  A
sense of duty to her father perhaps?  Hmm, sound patriarchially freudian to me.
Belle's great act of moxy is to go and leave the castle after she's been scared
out of her wits, and she would have wound up wolf chow if not for some further
Beastie intervention (Contrast this when Eric offs Mega-Ursula (a moment of
silence, please) it is not only to save Ariel, but also a matter of self
preservation.  Besides, they had to give him SOMETHING to do).  Ariel has a
far greater reserve of courage than Belle.  Ariel herself initiates her 
adventures, and even when she makes mistakes (cutting deals with Ursula) it is
within her character, and makes her more three dimensional.  Ariel is someone
I think would be interesting to meet at a cocktail party.  Meeting Belle would
be like meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, very pleasant and all, but hardly fun.  Just
because Belle is a better "role model" of duty and reserve, does not make her
a more interesting, or even likable, character.
 
Altered the story-line : I've also heard it complained that TLM takes great
liberties with the Anderson original.  All I can say to that is THANK GOD.  TLM
as written by Anderson is a heavy handed, moralistic monolith.  And besides,
the "happy ending" of Anderson's TLM is a heavy Christian one that really
could not be termed a happy ending for today's audience.  Killing yourself and
then getting three hundred years of pseudo-purgatory service, with possible
extensions for kids who don't behave, is hardly what one would look for, and
rightly so, in a Disney movie.  Besides, B&B takes similar liberties with its
story.  Going back all the way to Snow White you can trace the often very heavy
"Disney Treatment" as Richard "I hate Disney" Schnickel calls it.  But for the
most part, the changes strengthen the story, and become ingrained into the
story thereafter.  (Editor's note : This is what irks the French Fascists about
Euro-Disney and Disney in general.)  The two exceptions for "Disney Treatment"
being good that beg to be mentioned are The Sword in the Stone and The Black
Cauldren.  Alice in Wonderland is also a pretty weak adaptation, and has nothing
on the original.
 
Thematically : It has been stated that B&B has the stronger thematic unity.
Granted, but that's because it is an integral part of the story and practically
bashes you over the head.  Who doesn't know what the theme to B&B is even before
you see the movie?  Theme in TLM is a secondary issue (to the point of the
theme almsot disappearing) to the telling of a good and entertaining story.
TLM doesn't make any grand thematic strides, but as a story it is at least as
good as B&B, and in my opinion, of course, better.  (Editor's Note : Since I've
seen this mentioned here before, I'll comment that the reason The Fisher King
had box office and Oscar problems because while it had excellent themes within
it, the plotting and story were pretty weak.  Critics say the same of Baron
Munchausen (one of my all time favorites) and just about every movie with
Terry Gilliam even remotely connected to it.)  A strong theme is one of the
reasons B&B recieved an Oscar nomination and TLM did not.  But a good theme does
not better entertainment make, and I think this is the case with TLM, which has
the strong characters and story to make it superior (IMHO).
 
Song Integration : I've heard this one before as well, and I don't get it.  The
songs in TLM do much more to advance the story than B&B songs.  Let's take a
rundown.  Belle's Song and Part of Your World both do not add to plot development,
but rather characterization.  Belle's Song is more entertaining, but I think
both do a good job of letting you see what the character's are thinking.
Gaston's Song contributes little to plot, and how much development can you add
to Gaston?  I would compare it to Les Poisson, in that both are hilarious
comedic moments that are set apart from the rest of the film.  Beauty and the
Beast and the Mob Song are the two songs that advance the story most in B&B,
since I would group Something There under the introspective but little plot
category.  Compare these to Kiss the Girl and Poor Unfortunate Souls, both of
which mark major points of story development.  KtG and PUS are both much more
(another IMHO) climactic songs, and are more necessary AS SONGS than the Mob
Song and B&B song in terms of story development.  In terms of each movies'
"show stopper", I find it hard to believe any one would prefer Be Our Guest to
Under the Sea, but both songs are really just matters of opinion since neither
contributes much to story or character.  Not much, but maybe a little.  I've
left out a song or two, but I think you get the idea.  TLM's songs are much
more involving, and I find myself humming them after the movie.  That makes them
more memorable to me, and I stand by the fact that they are better in their
respective story.
 
Animation Quality : Granted, B&B does some nice things with computer animation.
But I found the ballroom scene jarring (much like the crashing cars in Rescuers
Down Under) and thus found it detracting.  On the whole, B&B is better from a
technical standpoint, but  that's to be expected from the tech gap two years
can make.  Frankly, I don't think better animation makes a better story, since
RDU has some excellent animation but hardly rates as one of Disney's best.
 
Aimed at kids : Says who?  I've seen both TLM and B&B in theatres packed with
adults, and I never heard one of them comment that it was aimed at kids.  I've
seen TLM play before a packed college audience, which cheered wildly thruout
the movie, and I would expect to see B&B recieve the same treatment.  Neither
one is aimed at kids, IMHO, and I think the large number of adults who have
seen both bears this out.
 
In conclusion (aren't you glad I said that?), which you prefer will always boil
down to a matter of opinion.  I found Ariel to be a much more interesting, and
yes, even more 3-d character than Belle.  I think the charges of sexism are
largely the result of some people's attitude's, since I don't see Ariel or
Belle really falling into rank and file with any "patriarchal unit" (Wow, check
out the unit on that guy - Wayne Cambell).  Anyone can read sexism into anything
if they really try, as can be seen in any number of today's college English
classes.  I think if you go in with an open mind, both movies come out very
well in this category.  After all, who do you really think is going to control
the Ariel/Eric marriage?  And when did it become a matter of control, anyways?
Ah well, the fruits of the PC movement.
 
As long as I've typed for this long, a few thoughts on Disney's tendency to
over-merchandise.  Huh?  Why is this "bad"?  No one forces you to buy Disney
merchandise, or even listen to/watch/read their advertisements.  If enough
people didn't buy, they wouldn't make it.  There are those people (guiltily
typed while looking the other way) who enjoy buying Disney's beads and baubles,
and consider it money well spent.  Feel free to turn your nose up and not buy
the stuff, but those who do buy like the wide variety of trinkets available, and
often wish for more (when are they going to make an Iron Vulture?).  If you are
actually OFFENDED by the Disney merchandise, then you offend way too easily and
should ask Jesse Helms about career opportunities.
 
- Geary, who thinks this post is like the Energizer Bunny