The Roster of Princesses is Growing...

[jeremy88]

My Friend Vicki: ARIEL IS AN IRISH MERMAID! HER HAIR IS RED!

Myself: WHAT DOES RED HAIR HAVE TO DO WITH HER BEING IRISH! SHE'S FRIGGEN DANISH!! OR SOME TYPE OF EUROPEAN DESCENT! MAYBE SHE IS IRISH IS DUNNO I DIDNT MAKE THE MOVIE!! LMAO

[Fantasmic]

YES, but THINK: They make the movie, and then the TV series. They decide to make Hans Christian Anderson a character in one episode of the TV series. That doesn't change it from where it was originally intended to be located; that was just a decision to add something for the original story's fans, and to add a tribute to the man who wrote the fantastic story that is The Little Mermaid. Surely you don't think they sat around and said "hmm... we'd better place it in Denmark in case it's a popular enough movie to spawn a tv series with the Danish author in it" ? No, they didn't. Logic, not semantics (sp?).

[jeremy88]

Well since they(The Directors) did read it and knew it was Danish fairytale...Im sure they went along and decided to make it take place in Denmark...I think that would be more logical heh.

Oh and my last post was totally irrelevent...sorry about that lol.

I don't really follow the T.V show compared to the movie because there are things in the T.V show that kind of Contradict the Movie.

[jeremy88]

Ah forget it...I've come to the conclusion that maybe it doesnt even take place anywhere...perhaps the country and style and culture was completely made up to go along with the story...It could take place in Burbank California for all I know lol.

[Fantasmic]

Well since they(The Directors) did read it and knew it was Danish fairytale...Im sure they went along and decided to make it take place in Denmark...I think that would be more logical heh.

Just like Aladdin was changed from Chinese to Arabian?

[jeremy88]

Wasnt Aladdin based on the Arabian Nights tales or something?

Oh waite it was Chinese...

But since they were long after based in Arabic...does it even matter anymore If it was based on the Chinese or Arabic one?
*since there basically the same story*

And what does this have to do with where the little mermaid took place..and the directors directing it?

I think we should just drop it Fantasmic heh

[The Little Merboy]

Disney's Cinderella is based of the French version of Cinderella...so Im guessing their all French as well

Snow White hmm not sure...I think German? i dunno

I always thought Cinderella was dutch because of those wooden shoes, that she put on. Thats just my theory

and Snow White always seemed Swiss to me.

As for Prince Eric, he sooo wasn't french. The town seems like Denmark to me

[jeremy88]

Ah you hit it on the nail merboy!

Snow White is Swiss!! and So is Cinderella! Or is it Dutch? THEY BOTH HAVE THOSE INTERESTING SHOES!! HOORAY!

Dear God, 1:31 am...I shouldnt be trying to discuss origins at this hour lol I don't even know what im typing anymore...

I'l probably read this tomorrow and be like...what was I thinking?

[The Little Merboy]

Snow White seems swiss to me because of all the hills, and the Seven Dwarfs yodel

[SpringHeelJack]

You keep forgetting that even if Disney borrows a character from elsewhere, that doesn't mean that everything is the same about them. Just as not all the facts about the gods were the same in Hercules, Han Christian Anderson's ethnicity may not be the same (or relevant -- he could be a Danish man who is travelling, no?) as is factually correct.

Perhaps, but still it is never stated in the movie that the locale is French. There is nothing "inherently French" about the movie, if anything, it's simply European in style (though Portugal aesthetically seems a plausible response, too). Assuming Eric lives in that castle, as is implied in the sequel, it cannot be in Paris.

As for the Hans Chrisstian Anderson, it seems just as relevant as using the sequel in the argument like you did, as neither was thought of when the film was initially being created.

[Aladdin from Agrabah]

Hm, that conversation about the Princesses' heritage is really interesting!
Here's my theory for the princesses that we're not sure where they are from;
Ariel: First and foremost she comes from Atlantica, which is actually a legendary underwater city so I can't say she's Danish. She's simply an...err, Atlantican, I guess! Eric is from Denmark to me though, since it makes sense to me as the movie is based on a Danish fairy tale. As for Atlantica it can't be analyzed more I guess...it's a whole new civilization. Well King Triton's name is the name of an ancient Greek mythological creature which was half fish and half human and Atlantica's name comes from the Titan Atlas. Also, Ariel's mother will be called Athena in TLM3 which is the name of the Greek Godess of Wisdom. On the other hand Ursula's and Morgana's names are not greek at all, while Sebastian comes from Jamaica. So Atlantica is to me an intercultural underwater city!
SnoWhite: I think she's German. The Brothers Grimm who wrote that tale were, I think, German. Everything on her or the landscapes or the house or the palace seems to me like it could be German.
Cinderella: Definately French, because of the names that guy in the palace announces to the Prince while the girls are being presented to him. Their names are French. In addition to this, Charl Perrault who wrote this version of Cinderella was French.
Aurora: Everything in that movie screams England. Of the Medieval period, that is. It's like a part of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as for the stylization of the film. I can't explaint in an other way, it's just so English to me!

[Fantasmic]

As for the Hans Chrisstian Anderson, it seems just as relevant as using the sequel in the argument like you did, as neither was thought of when the film was initially being created.

YES, but in The Little Mermaid II, they specifically SAID that they were King and Queen, thus making it a continuation of the story. When Hans Christian Anderson was on the TV show, they simply said that that was his name, not that he was Danish. Please, people. Keep up.

It makes sense that Eric and Ariel would become King and Queen; that is called progression of the original story (not completely changing the story). I am not overlooking the fact that HCA was on the tv show, I am simply saying that his cameo does not change the location of the whole original film.

[Fantasmic]

But since they were long after based in Arabic...does it even matter anymore If it was based on the Chinese or Arabic one?
*since there basically the same story*

There is only one Aladdin story! In the original Arabian Nights book, the Aladdin story is set in China. They changed this for the film.

[SpringHeelJack]

As for the Hans Chrisstian Anderson, it seems just as relevant as using the sequel in the argument like you did, as neither was thought of when the film was initially being created.

YES, but in The Little Mermaid II, they specifically SAID that they were King and Queen, thus making it a continuation of the story. When Hans Christian Anderson was on the TV show, they simply said that that was his name, not that he was Danish. Please, people. Keep up.

It makes sense that Eric and Ariel would become King and Queen; that is called progression of the original story (not completely changing the story). I am not overlooking the fact that HCA was on the tv show, I am simply saying that his cameo does not change the location of the whole original film.

...How can he NOT be Danish? He's a real life person. The character is the show is quite plainly meant to be him. There was a voice-over even where Kenneth Mars gave a brief history about HCA. Saying otherwise is absurd.

And again, there is no evidence mentioned anywhere in the film that this is France. Just looking at the kingdom doesn't imply that. Just because Michael Eisner at once point mentioned that it was in France does not convice me. People can make mistakes. There's nothing that seems so obviously French about the setting. Again, were Eric a prince in France, he would not live a castle by the sea, Paris being so nicely centrally located. Copenhagen is right by the ocean, Libson is right by the ocean, any of those simply aesthetically make sense. Please, people, keep up.

[Fantasmic]

...How can he NOT be Danish? He's a real life person. The character is the show is quite plainly meant to be him. There was a voice-over even where Kenneth Mars gave a brief history about HCA. Saying otherwise is absurd.

I'm not saying he isn't Danish. Obviously, he was. But just because a group of writers decided to give him a cameo in the television series, doesn't mean that every single aspect of Disney's Little Mermaid canon is changed. I'm not 100 % convinced it was France, I'm just saying that HCA being Danish and his appearance in the TV series doesn't mean it's placed in Denmark. It may very well be, but Anderson's appearance in the spinoff tv series doesn't make it so. The Little Mermaid is set wherever the filmmakers intended it to be, regardless of later fan service cameos.

[jeremy88]

Im wrong, your right. Hooray! Aladdin is originally based in China...but it still isnt relevant as to why the little mermaid is in france or denmark? Plus Im sure Aladdin is like a lot older then the mermaid story since that one is only 171 years old so different renditions of that original story is approprate since no one was sure if it was chinese or arabic? I dunno...for myself if I was reading Arabian Nights...I would think its all Arabia or something lol. But it really doesnt matter since there both amazing movies.

Not going on from what TLM t.v show is since thats on completely different route...Im most certain HCA was Danish....

King and Queen in TLM II? who cares about DTV sequels!
That still wouldnt make sense...Ariel and Eric the Queen and King of France? Im surprised I didnt see that in my history book Im just going with that...Eric is the Prince of some random made up place by the sea and thats it...now that I think of it...is theres not really any mention in the Original Little Mermaid story about the Prince living in Denmark? Perhaps HCA also made up a random place....

Aladdin from Agrabah is right! Ariel is Atlanitcan! And in Greek mythology Triton was actually Poseidons son that lived in a Golden Palace at the bottom of the Sea. So perhaps Atlanitca is a multicultural underwater city!

[Fantasmic]

Im wrong, your right. Hooray! Aladdin is originally based in China... Plus Im sure Aladdin is like a lot older then the mermaid story since that one is only 171 years old so different renditions of that original story is approprate since no one was sure if it was chinese or arabic? I dunno...for myself if I was reading Arabian Nights...I would think its all Arabia or something lol. But it really doesnt matter since there both amazing movies.

No, the Arabian Nights is a novel, not so much a fairytale. It's about an Arabian woman on Death Row saving her life by entertaining the king every day with a new story, the ending of which she'll tell him the next day, along with the start of the next story. So, one night, she tells him the story of Aladdin -- a story that takes place in China. I'm pretty sure there aren't multiple versions as there is for other fairytales like Cinderella or Snow White.

but it still isnt relevant as to why the little mermaid is in france or denmark?

Yes, it is. It shows that Disney isn't hesitant to re-locate stories.

[jeremy88]

Yeah but I would guess every movie does something a little different lol.

And either way we stil arent sure where the heck it takes place.

[jeremy88]

No, the Arabian Nights is a novel, not so much a fairytale. It's about an Arabian woman on Death Row saving her life by entertaining the king every day with a new story, the ending of which she'll tell him the next day, along with the start of the next story. So, one night, she tells him the story of Aladdin -- a story that takes place in China. I'm pretty sure there aren't multiple versions as there is for other fairytales like Cinderella or Snow White.

Oh that sounds familiar actually time to head to Barnes in Nobles since it sounds interesting and I need a new book. But anyway for Disney's Aladdin...we still are sure it takes place in the Middle East...or Arabia or something "Agrabah" so that story all in itself is a no brainer as to where it takes place even if it isnt true to the original story. For Disney's little mermaid we cant say for sure.

[Fantasmic]

Yes, noone doubts that it takes place in the Middle East. I was simply pointing out that the original story took place in China, proof that Disney isn't scared to shy away from the original story's setting.