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Seven Life Lessons from The Little Mermaid

October 9, 2013 By Lena

Regular readers of my blog will know that we waited for this one. Ten very, very long months, to be precise.

It all started last December at our media trip for the New Fantasyland, where Reid met Ariel, and promptly fell in love with her. His first crush – on a Princess, no less! And all of a sudden, he wanted everything to do with the world of The Little Mermaid. In fact, at the Art of Animation’s gift shop, my husband and I were both surprised when he walked straight to the Ariel figurine and pointed – “Her.”

And that’s when it happened. The colossally bad move on my husband’s part.

“We’ll buy you the movie when we get home!” he promised excitedly. “Then you can watch her all the time!”

I frantically made arm gestures at him, signalling to zip it, shut up, no, no, NO! There’s a little thing called the Disney Vault, and I happened to know that The Little Mermaid was securely locked inside. Translation: unless we were willing to shell out $200+ for a copy on eBay, there was no way Ariel was making it to our home. Sigh.

Until now. We waited patiently. Oh, how we waited! And on October 1st, The Little Mermaid splashed its way into homes for the first time ever on Blu-ray – for a limited time only. Now, viewers can experience Ariel’s adventures like never before with sparkling high definition picture and sound, and explore the making of this modern family classic with all-new bonus treasures.

Now I’m sure y’all know exactly what The Little Mermaid is all about, but for those newbies:

“Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson), is a free-spirited mermaid, who is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder (voiced by Jason Marin), and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father’s (voiced by Kenneth Mars) beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll).”

Since receiving The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition for review, we’ve watched the movie at least a dozen times (or more). For one, Reid is united with his lady love! It is an utter joy to see his eyes riveted to the screen, clapping along with all the songs or shielding his eyes at the scarier parts. Ryder, a boy’s boy, also loves the movie for its adventure, intrigue and of course, Ursula’s maniacal laugh :)

However, in addition to the sheer entertainment the movie provides, there are so many understated values and life lessons that are reinforced throughout the movie, including finding your own voice. But what does finding your own voice mean? Here are Seven Life Lessons from The Little Mermaid:


As I spy on my boys, curled up on the couch and smiling to themselves as Ariel swims with independence, confidence and a fiery determination, I can’t help but think that The Little Memaid has taught them a lot about finding their voice. And that is what made The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition worth the wait, and more.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: family entertainment, film review, The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tricha

    October 10, 2013 at 9:56 am

    This is both a sweet and funny story. Aww, glad Reid is finally united with Ariel. Definitely some great lessons to be learned in this story.

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:56 am

      Thanks Tricha :) We’ve watched it every day for a week!

  2. Anne Taylor

    October 10, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Lol what a great post! I’m so glad your wee boys now can watch The Little Mermaid over and over and that she has taught us all some great lessons!

    thanks

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:56 am

      Ha, they’ve certainly been doing that, Anne!

  3. Lisa H

    October 10, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    Wonder if this is the start of your little mans interest in girls? Partial to redheads Id say!

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:57 am

      LOL I agree! I’ll keep an eye out and let you know!

  4. Marissa

    October 10, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Lovely post Lena and I’m sure Ryder and Reid are enjoying this movie thoroughly. No matter what age, there are definitely great life lessons to be learned in this movie.

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:57 am

      Too true! Thanks Marissa!

  5. Judy C (Cowan)

    October 10, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    Can’t wait to get this for my niece. I agree there are many great lessons to be learned in this movie!

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:57 am

      I’m sure she’ll love it, Judy!

  6. Heidi C.

    October 10, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    Love the lessons! Such a sweet movie!

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:58 am

      It is! I can almost recite every word by now, LOL!

  7. Flora M

    October 11, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    Have to find out if my daughter and son-in-law bought this already. If not it will be the perfect Christmas gift for all my grandchildren ;) Had to laugh when I saw the “Knowing when to wing it” picture – that’s me in the mornings !!

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Ha, love it! Agreed, I think it’s the perfect gift too!

  8. Lynn M

    October 14, 2013 at 12:13 pm

    Great lessons,I love this movie!

    • Lena

      October 16, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Me too!

  9. Victoria Ess

    October 16, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    You did an amazing job making up those seven lessons! This movie was my favourite Disney movie, and I totally needed a reminder to sing my heart out and focus on the important things tonight :)

    • Lena

      November 3, 2013 at 11:39 am

      Sending you hugs! Sing your heart out!

  10. Debbie Bashford

    October 17, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Never thought about it in this way, but it is so true!

  11. Darlene Schuller

    November 4, 2013 at 6:54 am

    What a different view! Thanks Lena!!

  12. kathy downey

    August 31, 2017 at 9:11 am

    Nice to see positive messages in children’s movies,i’m still watching this one will the grandkids !

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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