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The Little Mermaid
Movie

The Little Mermaid

2023 • Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.

Overall Series Review

The film updates a classic fairy tale into a modern parable about overcoming systemic division and patriarchal restriction. The core story of a young mermaid trading her voice for legs to pursue a human prince remains, but the motivations are significantly altered to align with contemporary cultural themes. The casting of the lead and her sisters is deliberately multi-ethnic, explicitly overriding the traditional visual representation of the animated classic. The King, the established authority figure, is portrayed as a xenophobic patriarch whose rigid rules and fear of the outside world must be defied and dismantled to achieve a new era of harmony. The princess's main drive is redefined as self-determination, autonomy, and the discovery of the world beyond her restrictive home, shifting the emphasis away from romance and toward a 'Girl Boss' narrative of personal fulfillment. The human world is framed as a diverse, welcoming culture that stands in moral contrast to the insular, fearful world under the sea.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics9/10

Ariel, an iconic character, is 'race-swapped,' and her mermaid sisters are cast as a highly diverse, multi-ethnic group, which is a conscious choice prioritizing visible representation over fidelity to the source material. Commentary from the filmmakers frames the narrative as an 'antidote to what was happening in the world' by having characters 'build that bridge' between communities, directly injecting an intersectional lens onto a simple fairy tale. King Triton, the white patriarch of the sea kingdom, is explicitly depicted as having 'xenophobia and hatred towards humans' that must be overcome for progress.

Oikophobia8/10

The traditional, established world of King Triton is explicitly framed as an insular and fearful culture that practices prejudice against the 'other,' or surface dwellers. The King's long-standing rule is the problem that must be solved, positioning the daughter's defiance and the adoption of the diverse, open human culture as the moral good. The narrative deconstructs the established ancestral home as fundamentally flawed by its xenophobia.

Feminism7/10

The main character's motivation is deliberately shifted away from 'purely for love' to one of self-assertion, autonomy, and a desire to bridge cultural divides. The plot actively minimizes the romantic motivation, making Ariel's quest primarily one of personal exploration and self-determination. King Triton is a restrictive father figure, embodying the patriarchal constraint that the female lead must defeat to achieve fulfillment.

LGBTQ+4/10

The core plot adheres to a traditional male-female romantic pairing and a simple quest narrative. However, the film's villain, Ursula, remains visually and thematically based on the famous drag queen Divine, carrying an intentional, though subtextual, connection to queer culture. There is no overt foregrounding of sexual or gender identity issues or direct deconstruction of the nuclear family beyond the father's restrictive parenting.

Anti-Theism2/10

The primary moral conflict revolves around social and familial dynamics (prejudice, control, self-determination) rather than spiritual or religious dogma. The film features a clear struggle between good and evil, but there is no specific hostility toward traditional religion or Christianity, nor is there a strong emphasis on transcendent morality.