Happy 25th Birthday The Little Mermaid!

Or should that be 41st Birthday Ariel? A character which began the championing of fabulous female characters in Disney movies!

Not only am I a huge Pixar fan, but I also love it's parent company, Disney, just as much, with Ariel easily being my favourite character. It only seemed fair to celebrate the 25th anniversary, of the movie that practically saved Disney, and brought it into a new era: the Renaissance.

Fun fact: the CEO of Disney back in 1989, Jeffrey Katzenberg, believed the movie was going to be a big flop because it was a "girl's movie" (wtf), and that Oliver & Company was going to be the big success... The Little Mermaid then went on to gross $84 million, whereas Oliver & Company grossed only $53 million. Ariel was a clear advocate for females at the time.

In fact, that's one of the characteristics, that makes me love her so much! Although a fairytale, if you translate the movie into realistic comparisons, there's some powerful, coming of age themes built in.

She spent many years wishing to be part of a new world, and unlike many of her predecessors, she goes and makes her own luck. Many people criticize her for leaving behind her family (p.s. let's be real about this, it wasn't for a guy), but don't realise that in some ways they were psychologically abusive: she saw a better life and leapt at the first chance. That brings us onto her flaws, another attribute Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White lacked. I definitely can relate to her, whether that's her wanderlust to explore a further world, or to grow independent.

Ariel opened a gateway for new female characters, even more diverse  than her, for example: Tiana, Elsa and Merida. I'd like to thank the creators (especially Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman), for giving a mermaid and millions of people around the world, a voice.

Here's a video of Peter Andre singing Kiss the Girl from the 1997 edition of The Little Mermaid, purely for nostalgic and humorous purposes, enjoy!