Outline

I.                    Introduction - Ariel experiences two different worlds when following her heart in The Little Mermaid.  Daily actions and reactions are exaggerated to make the film more enjoyable to the audience.

II.                  Body

A.      Gravity Under Water

1.       After Ariel and Flounder visit Scuttle above water Ariel realizes she has missed the concert and franticly swims back. Her tail is stiff and the end part of her fin moves. The speed in which she is swimming does not add up with her movements.

2.       Ariel’s stylized hair with bangs stay in perfect shape under water as she moves about.  

3.       During the song, Under the Sea, Sebastian pops a bubble with a large fish inside. The fish falls at a high speed landing as if a bowling ball hit the ground.  

4.       During the song, Kiss the Girl, Eric and Ariel are in a wooden row boat floating as a few dozen fish circle the boat under water which causes the row boat to spin.

B.      Gravity on Land

1.       The famous scene when Ariel is on the rock singing as waves crash behind her show cases the power of unrealistic wind. There is no other sign of huge gusts of wind during this scene which keeps Ariel’s whole body of hair afloat for many minutes.

2.       When the French cook is preparing dinner he chops off the head of a fish with much force. The head fly’s several feet from where he was.

3.       During Eric and Ariel’s horse buggy ride they come upon a cliff in the road and the horse pulling them carries the couple and buggy to the other side with no effort or strain.

C.      Size and Weight

1.       During the opening concert Sebastian composes the show, but as he does his job of waving the music stick about he says frozen in mid water not sinking or floating up.

2.       When Sebastian follows Ariel to her grotto he gets stuck in the rock door. He uses the leverage of seaweed and pulls on that to get free without ripping the seaweed out of the sandy floor bottom.

3.       During the song, Under the Sea, Sebastian and several starfish ride on bubbles as they float to the surface.

4.       When Ariel becomes human under water, Sebastian and Flounder puller her up to the surface as she does not know how to swim with legs.

5.       Towards the end of the movie Flounder has to drag Ariel, who is staying afloat on a wine barrel, towards the ship that is several miles away from shore.  

III.                Conclusion – The laws of physics are broken several times in this movie to give a more pleasing effect to its young audience. The rule breaking causes the enhancement of the fantasy played throughout this Disney film.