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Popular ‘Little Mermaid’ Satire Blatantly Ignores Halle Bailey

how it should have ended mermaid video and a grumpy ariel

These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Youtube-fluent millennial who is unfamiliar with the Youtube channel called “How It Should Have Ended.”

This longstanding Youtube series is famous for its humorous and spot-on parodies of classic or blockbuster films, ranging from Guardians of the Galaxy movies to the newest Jurassic World.

Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid

Halle Bailey plays Ariel the little mermaid in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1989 film. The Disney and Rob Marshall movie also stars Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Credit: Disney

These animated videos often point out enormous plot holes or inconsistencies in the films, breaking the fourth wall on many an occasion, and they also tend to combine slapstick humor with uncanny voice acting.

Now, the classic 1989 Little Mermaid movie has just gotten its own “How It Should Have Ended” video — and the newest addition to the series did not disappoint!

Sorry Halle, No Parody For You

The “How It Should Have Ended” Youtube channel inexplicably skipped the new live-action Disney version of the movie — perhaps due to its controversial status? — and focused only on the 1989 film about Ariel the mermaid and Ursula the villainous sea witch.

Surprisingly, Youtube viewers barely focused on the very-noticeable absence of the Halle Bailey live-action remake and commented almost entirely on the 1989 movie parody’s hilarious jokes.

halle bailey as ariel

Halle Bailey as Princess Ariel. Halle Bailey plays Ariel the little mermaid in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1989 film. The Disney and Rob Marshall movie also stars Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. / Credit: Disney

No Voice? No Problem!

One of the first scenes in the parody features the iconic “Poor Unfortunate Souls” interaction between Ursula and Ariel, when Ariel signs a contract to get human legs and essentially become human for three days (in an effort to win the love of her crush, Prince Eric, who lives on land).

Ariel desperately wants to be “part of [his] world” — and in the original Disney movie, losing her voice to Ursula was a huge obstacle for Ariel in the process of flirting with Prince Eric.

But in this parody, Ariel is well aware of her good looks and her attractive physique, so she sees no problem at all when it comes to signing the contract — particularly due to the next crucial point in the parody!

The Power of the Written Word

One of the most well-known plot holes in the original Little Mermaid involves Ariel’s obvious ability to write and her complete failure to use that skill when trying to communicate with Prince Eric.

Audiences watch in frustration as Ariel flails about on land, both metaphorically and literally, instead of simply grabbing a quill and some ink (or, in the case of this parody, some sand)!

Because this particular plot hole was a familiar one, many Disney fans seemed relieved to see it acknowledged.

Adulthood? Who Needs It?

In the happily-ever-after portion of the animated movie, Ariel marries Prince Eric on a boat as humans and mermaids (including King Triton, Ariel’s father) watch approvingly. But in this parody of the animated film, Eric balks when he learns Ariel’s age (which is 16).

The honorable prince then leaps off the boat dramatically, telling his pubescent bride that he can’t marry her…but that he’ll talk to her again “in two years” when she’s 18.

 

The Mystery of the Prince Eric Statue

The parody ends with a comical and somewhat dark finale following Ariel’s failed wedding!

Flounder brought the statue of Prince Eric into Ariel’s secret grotto of “neat stuff” as a gift in the film, and this parody provides an unexpected suggestion as to how the flounder fish managed to bring the statue in despite his small stature.

 

Take a look at the parody in the video shown above!

“I’m really happy that we’ve now gotten HISHEs for all the major films from the early years of the Disney Renaissance. It just goes to show how much of an impact they’ve had on people over the years,” one Youtube fan wrote.

Were you already familiar with the HISHE series on Youtube and its Disney parodies? Did you ponder any of these issues in the 1989 Disney movie, and are you a fan of the new Little Mermaid remake?

About Sharon

Sharon is a writer and animal lover from New England. Sharon's two main focuses in her work are Disney's correlations with pop culture and the significance of Disney princesses (which was the basis for her college thesis). When she's not writing about Disney, Sharon spends her time singing, dancing, and cavorting with woodland creatures!

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