User:GroovySandwich/Ariel

 Ariel is a fictional character and lead protagonist of Walt Disney Pictures' twenty-eighth animated film The Little Mermaid (1989). She later appears in the film's prequel television series, direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and direct-to-video prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. Ariel is voiced by Jodi Benson in all the above animated material and merchandise. She is the fourth official Disney Princess and the only Disney Princess to be a mother.

Her distinct appearance consists of long, flowing red hair, blue eyes, a green tail and a purple seashell bikini top. In the context of the films and television series, Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena. She often acts rebelliously and, in the first film, longs to be a part of the human world. She marries Prince Eric and they have a daughter, Melody.

The character is based on the protagonist of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" story, but was developed into a different personality for the 1989 animated film adaptation. Ariel has received a mixed reception from critics, with some reviewers such as Time criticizing her as being and devoted to being with her man. Other reviewers, such as Empire have praised the character for her personality and for being more modernized than previous Disney Princesses.

Development
Ariel was based on the protagonist of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid but co-director and writer Ron Clements felt that the character was too tragic and rewrote the character, resulting in Ariel.

Jodi Benson, who was predominantly a stage actress when she was cast, was the choice to voice Ariel because the directors felt "it was really important to have the same person doing the singing and speaking voice". Co-director Ron Clements stated that Benson's voice had "sweetness" and "youthfulness" that was unique. Prior to recording, Benson would look into a mirror and talk to herself in character to prepare for her role. When recording the vocals for Ariel's theme song "Part of Your World", Benson asked that the lights in the studio be dimmed, so to create the feeling of being deep under the sea.

Ariel's theme song, which is referred to by Disney crew as the "I Want" song, is "Part of Your World," which she sings in her secret grotto proclaiming her fascination for human things. The song was originally going to be cut from the final film, due to the claim that it slowed the story down, but Howard Ashman fought to keep it in. Glen Keane decided he wanted to animate Ariel after hearing Benson sing the song.

Ariel's original design was developed by animator Glen Keane, who stated in an animation lecture that her appearance was based on that of his wife. Ariel's appearance was also based on actress Alyssa Milano, who was 16 at the time, and female model Sherri Stoner, who provided live-action references for the animators during the development of the film. Many of Stoner's mannerisms were incorporated into Ariel's animation.

A challenge in animating Ariel for the 1989 film was the color required to show Ariel in the changing environments, both under the sea and on land, for which the animators required thirty-two color models, not including costume changes. The blue-green color of Ariel's fin was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab; the color was named "Ariel" after the character. The choice of red as Ariel's hair color was the subject of dispute between the filmmakers and studio executives who wanted the character to have blonde hair. It was noted that red hair contrasted better with Ariel's green tail and that red was easier to darken than yellow so it was ultimately kept.

In an interview, Jodi Benson stated that for Ariel's Beginning, the writers revised the script multiple times to make sure Ariel retained her relevance in a more modern context. Benson complained to the writers that the way they wrote Ariel out of character and suggested they bring her back to her roots.

Characteristics
Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena and has six older sisters. In the television series and first film, Ariel has a fascination with the human world and often goes off to find human artifacts that she would display in a secret grotto. Ariel often acts rebelliously, wandering off on her own to explore her surroundings and often disobeys the orders of her father or Sebastian, causing conflict between the characters. The filmmakers described her as being a typical teenager, prone to making judgmental errors. In The Little Mermaid, Ariel is depicted as being willing to do whatever it takes to be with Prince Eric, even giving up her voice to become human.

In Return to the Sea, Ariel has become an adult and gives birth to a daughter named Melody. Ariel is protective of her daughter, as Triton was of her in the first film, as seen after Morgana threatens Melody, Ariel refuses to let Melody in the ocean. Ariel's Beginning depicts her similar to the original film, as Jodi Benson had advocated returning the character to her roots. Ariel retains her rebellious personality from the first film and disobeys her father's orders when he decrees music to be banned in Atlantica by running away with Sebastian and his band.

The Little Mermaid
Ariel first appears in The Little Mermaid (1989) where she is shown as being adventurous and curious about the world of humans, a fascination which angers her father, as merfolk are forbidden from making contact with the human world. Ariel falls in love with a human prince named Eric, and visits the sea witch, Ursula, to trade her voice to be human for three days in order to get a chance to win Eric's heart.

Unbeknownst to Ariel, this agreement is part of Ursula's bigger plan to trap Ariel's father, King Triton. After being transformed, she is soon found by Eric and is taken back to his castle. Ariel almost manages to win the agreement by getting the "kiss of true love", but is stopped by Ursula's underhanded tactics. On the third day, Ursula transforms herself into a human and uses a spell on Eric to make him marry her. After learning from Scuttle that the woman is Ursula in disguise, Ariel disrupts the wedding and regains her voice but the sun sets as Ariel and Eric are about to kiss, transforming Ariel back into a mermaid. Ursula takes Ariel back into the ocean where she is met by King Triton and Sebastian.

Triton trades himself for Ariel, enabling Ursula to claim the trident. In the battle that follows, Ariel is trapped at the bottom of a whirlpool. Before Ursula can kill her, Eric kills Ursula by ramming a derelict ship's splintered prow through her enlarged torso. At the end of the film, Ariel is permanently transformed into a human by King Triton's magical trident and she leaves to live with Eric.

Television series
The series, set an unspecified amount of time before the first film depicts Ariel's adventures as a mermaid still living under the sea with her father, Sebastian and Flounder. Various episodes highlight her relationship with her friends and family, expanding upon their roles in the film. Many episodes involve Ariel foiling the attempts of various enemies that intend harm to her or to her kingdom. In an episode of the series, Ariel encounters Hans Christian Anderson, author of The Little Mermaid. The fictionalized encounter has Ariel save Anderson's life, inspiring him to write the story.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
InThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), Ariel, now the new Queen of Eric's kingdom, has given birth to a daughter named Melody. When Melody's safety is threatened by a sea witch named Morgana, sister of Ursula, Ariel and her husband Eric decide they must keep Melody from the sea, and to this effect, build a large wall separating the castle from it.

Melody's love of the sea proves too strong, however, and when Melody goes to see Morgana, who turns Melody into a mermaid temporarily, Ariel is forced to temporarily resume her mermaid form in order to rescue her. Melody is tricked into stealing her grandfather King Triton's trident and bring it to Morgana. She subsequently meets Tip the Penguin and Dash the Walrus and they go to Atlantica where Melody steals the trident. As they go to give Morgana the trident, Ariel arrives and attempts to convince Melody to give back the trident. Morgana captures Ariel, tightly wrapping her tentacle around Ariel's body. She then seals Melody behind a block wall. Tip and Dash rescue Melody and Ariel manages to free herself. Morgana then forces everyone to bow before her using the trident's magic.

Melody manages to stop her by grabbing the trident and returning it to King Triton who then sends Morgana to the bottom of the ocean frozen in a block of ice. The wall separating the kingdom from the sea is torn down and humans and merfolk are allowed to coexist.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
In The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008), an opening prologue shows Ariel as a five-year-old young mermaid, living a happy life with her father, King Triton, mother, Queen Athena and her six older sisters. After Athena is killed, a devastated King Triton bans all music from Atlantica. Ariel and her sisters grow up forgetting music and living under their father's strict rules.

Ariel eventually discovers a secret underground club where music is played, and there she sings the song "I Remember", which helps her remember her distant past surrounded by love and music, and to remember her mother as well. Ariel brings her sisters but eventually they are caught thanks to Marina, their caretaker. Ariel breaks the band out of prison and runs away with them.

Later, with assistance from Sebastian, Ariel finds her mother's music box and after they have a showdown with Marina, wherein Ariel is injured. Triton changes his ways and allows music back into Atlantica.

In other media
thumb|right|150px|Sierra Boggess as Ariel in the stage musical. Ariel is an official member of the Disney Princess line, a prominent franchise directed to young girls. The franchise covers a wide variety of merchandise, including but not limited to magazines, music albums, toys, video games, clothes and stationery.

Ariel appears in the Broadway adaptation of the 1989 film. The character of Ariel for the stage adaptation was originated by Sierra Boggess, and later by Chelsea Morgan Stock who previously played Andrina as one of her sisters and by famous broadway actress Michelle Lookadoo who previously played Adella, another of her sisters. Jodi Benson, the original voice actor for Ariel, attended the musical's opening night.

Ariel makes regular appearances in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, having a special location called Ariel's Grotto at most of them, but has since been torn down at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Ariel may also be seen intermittently at Adventureland Veranda at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. She has a major role in Mickey's PhilharMagic and stars in her own live stage shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Tokyo DisneySea. A dark ride based on the movie was designed for Disneyland Paris but never built. A re-designed version of the attraction, called Ariel's Undersea Adventure, was built as part of the major expansion for Disney's California Adventure.

In addition to appearances in television series such as Disney's House of Mouse, Ariel also appears in various video games based on the films, including the video game adaptation of the first film as well as the popular Kingdom Hearts series. In the first Kingdom Hearts, Ariel's story is similar to the 1989 film. Ariel can be one of Sora's party members in Atlantica. Ariel also makes an appearance in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II.

Ariel is an official "ambassador" for the "Keep Our Oceans Clean" campaign by Environmental Defense, The National Maritime Sanctuary, and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Hipster Ariel" has become a popular internet meme, utilizing a screenshot of Ariel with photoshopped glasses accompanied by a humorous caption.

Reception and legacy
Since her introduction, Ariel has received a mixed reception by critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the character, writing that "Ariel is a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently, even rebelliously, instead of hanging around passively while the fates decide her destiny." James Bernardelli of Reelviews wrote that Ariel can be viewed as a template for future Disney heroes and heroines. He also praised Jodi Benson's vocal performance for the character. In an article for Empire, Levi Buchanan stated that Ariel is "powerful and self-reliant." Janet Maslin of The New York Times complimented Ariel, stating that "teenagers will appreciate the story's rebellious heroine" and went on to praise Ariel's wit. Josh Tyler of Cinema Blend wrote favorably about Ariel though he believed that the character was eroticized, stating, "The scene where Ursula rips out her throat and gives her extremely naked parts below the waist is almost titillating, though I'm sure to little kids it seems entirely innocent." Similarly, reviewer John Puccio said that "Ariel is perhaps the sexiest-looking animated character the Disney artists have ever drawn." In his review of Ariel's Beginning, James Plath of DVD Town wrote, "For Little girls, Ariel is one of the most beloved of Disney princesses, and she holds a warm place in the hearts of parents as well." Rory Aronsky of Film Threat praised Jodi Benson's vocal performance in Ariel's Beginning, writing that "Benson adds more to the appeal of Ariel for older fans, and younger girls just learning about her, as well as generations not born yet who will undoubtedly become attached to her, ensuring the continued existence of the franchise.

In their review of The Little Mermaid, the staff of TV Guide wrote that Ariel resembled a "a big-haired, denatured Barbie doll, despite her hourglass figure and skimpy seashell brassiere." Tamara Weston of Time wrote that while Ariel is less passive and more strong-willed than her predecessors, she still "gives up her voice to be with a man" who comes to her rescue at the film's climax. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote that it would be difficult for children to relate to Ariel's "feelings of disenchantment and longing for another world" and that she "doesn't have much personality." However, Hinson also wrote a positive statement about Ariel, saying it was "refreshing ... to see a heroine who has some sense of what she wants and the resources to go after it." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media had a mixed view of Ariel, praising her for being "adventuresome, rebellious, and brave" but also criticizing that she "gives up everything — her family, her home, her voice —- for love, even though her trust in the sea witch puts everyone she loves in danger." Daphne Lee of The Star called Ariel "annoying" and went on to state that Ariel "is a silly girl who gives up her voice and her family for a man she knows next to nothing about."

Despite her mixed critical reception, Ariel remains popular amongst audiences, and is considered one of Disney's most iconic animated characters, with her specific color combination of red hair, purple sea shells and green-blue tail making her distinctly identifiable. A poll in the Internet Movie Database showed Ariel to be the second most alluring animated character next to Jessica Rabbit. The Nostalgia Critic rated Ariel as the second most attractive animated woman along with Princess Jasmine on his Top 11 Hottest Animated Women review. A bi-annual convention called ArielCon is dedicated to the character.