3.8 The Little Mermaid: Fish Out of Water with Kali
Welcome back to The Community Library!
This is the third episode in a series on fairy tales and Disney Princesses. This week, my friend Kali and I are talking all about that fiery red-headed fish, The Little Mermaid! We discuss the tragedy of the original fairy tale, talk about the portrayal of disability, and gush over our icon: Ursula the sea witch.
Listen to the episode here
Content warning: we discuss ableism and the harmful portrayal of disability from 22:05 to 26:25, and from 46:20 to 47:55.
Download full transcription of the episode here
This month’s book club pick is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao! It’s an East Asian fantasy reimagining of Snow White, and I’ll be discussing it on Monday the 31st of August.
Interested in more Disney Princess / fairy tale content? Listen to the first two episodes in this series: Snow White and Cinderella. You can also hear me read the full Little Mermaid fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen for you here.
Follow Kali on Instagram here: @kalishanthi
Versions of The Little Mermaid I used as reference
‘The Little Mermaid’ by Hans Christian Andersen, 1836
The Little Mermaid, 1989
Texts Quoted
‘Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space’ by Amanda Leduc – Coach House Books, 2020
Articles I used in my research
‘The Feminist Legacy of The Little Mermaid’s Divisive, ‘Sexy’ Ariel’ by Lenika Cruz – The Atlantic, 13th November 2014
‘How Does The Little Mermaid Hold Up?’ by Willa Paskin – Vulture, 27th July 2011
‘Why My Kids Will Not Be Watching The Little Mermaid’ by Hilary Sheinbaum – Huffpost, 23rd July 2012
‘Consuming Pop Culture While Feminist: Disney’s The Little Mermaid’ by Chloe Angyal – Feministing, 2010
Videos I used in my research
‘History of The Little Mermaid - Disney Princess Analysis’ by Shannon McCarter for Network 1901 – YouTube, 23rd August 2017’
‘Why “The Little Mermaid” is a feminist film’ by Gwynne Watkins for Yahoo Entertainment – YouTube, 14th June 2019
‘Is The Little Mermaid Feminist? | Hannah Witton’ by Hannah Witton – YouTube, 21st July 2015
Aboriginal Lives Matter resources
My Instagram, Twitter, Blog, Goodreads and StoryGraph
The Community Library’s Instagram
Cover artwork is by Ashley Ronning
Ashley’s Instagram, website, and printing studio website
Featured image: Kali is dressed as Ursula, I am dressed as Ariel!