Speculating "The Little Mermaid"

[kfchimera]

I have special phobia for things with tentacles, chiefly the octopus, but also not a fan of squid or jellyfish.

Sorry, I have to finish the rest of your post but having a Kanye moment here (I’mma let you finish) but fried Calamari is the best snack of all time!

Ok now on to the rest of your points…I would love them to get the legend of the Kracken in there, especially with a pirate in the mix.  You did do a very good job avoiding Hookriel too, you get cookies AND a seaweed cracker. Unless you don’t like seaweed too! (More for me….!)

Another direction they could potentially take would be to make Ariel their LGBT character, taking their lead from the suggestion that Anderson wrote the story about his frustrations over having feelings for another man, who had just got engaged around the time the story was written.

I never knew that, fascinating. Though Disney is releasing Little Mermaid from the  “Vault” so I think they’d want to cross promote the whole deal of their version as much as they can –and there’s a trilogy of movies for them to sell (2 direct to DVD, a prequel and sequel).  Then again, like you said, that blows a hole in Hookriel too.  So they could do it, this show is its own universe, but most likely it’ll go closer to Aurora/Phillip or to Mulan.Mulan’s romance isn’t quite as prominent as Cinderella’s/Aurora/Snow–its not her entire happy ending/resolution, but it is a big plot point all the same.

Now to read the other posts, and wish I had some fried calamari to eat.

[RumplesGirl]

I’ve seen Little Mermaid be tossed around as the LBGT storyline. While I totally ship Hookriel, they could very easily make Prince Eric into Princess Erica and still keep most of the Anderson/Disney story.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[runaroundmacy]

Edit: Should have quoted RG on this one

 

Yay! As soon I it occured to me I had the same reaction. It keeps Eric in the story, but not necessarily in the way we think. Maybe he was kind of a jerk? I mean, he was pretty quick to fall in love with an evil seawitch in disguise, that always bothered me. Plus it gives Ariel some backstory that would fit within the timeline we already know, but gives opportunities to write a new tale for her (pun intended). And they’re not cornered to make her very young, and I think it would give her character a bit of depth.

 

I’m so proud that I actually had a coherent theory for once.

Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection

[RumplesGirl]

Given that they’ve made PP a 17 yr old, Ariel will be at least the same age (I can’t see them casting anyone younger) but if they go with Macy’s idea of a more mature Ariel, she could be between 20-30, which I would be totally fine with. None of our other Princesses are their original 16 yrs old.

And yes, if they plan on making her a romantic partner for someone (anyone) then they do need to flesh out her character as more than just “the mermaid.” For OUAT that typically means some sort of troubled past, family or relationship wise. Perhaps both in order to work Triton and her sisters in.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[runaroundmacy]

No matter what the story, or how old she is, or who Ursula is… I’m just really excited to see Ariel finally! Her and Belle were always my favorites growing up. I have faith in A&E so I have a feeling I’ll be OK with any way they spin it although I definitely want references to dinglehoppers and poor unfortunate souls. And a cavern of human things. And a scene on a rock with the waves crashing around her. But that’s not too much to ask right?

Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection

[obisgirl]

I’ve seen Little Mermaid be tossed around as the LBGT storyline. While I totally ship Hookriel, they could very easily make Prince Eric into Princess Erica and still keep most of the Anderson/Disney story.

but I like the idea of Tom Welling as Prince Eric. 🙁

One of my favorite theories, although probably isn’t likely to happen now given spoilers was that Ariel was Hook’s bio-mom.  which would have made Eric his dad.

[RumplesGirl]

Tom Welling does look like Prince Eric, doesn’t he??

I get the feeling they are going to cast Ariel as younger than a “mother” but closer to the rest of the gang. I have no evidence to support this. 🙂

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[obisgirl]

Tom Welling does look like Prince Eric, doesn’t he??

I know right? He would be perfect for the role.

I get the feeling they are going to cast Ariel as younger than a “mother” but closer to the rest of the gang. I have no evidence to support this.

yeah, most likely they will.

[Phee]

If they are indicating that we will see Ariel in Neverland, does that mean we will see her as a mermaid and that the story we know hasn’t actually happened yet so we’ll see it play out in present day?

I’ve always had it in my head that she’ll be human in present day NL, possibly even having shacked up with the Lost Ones. (In my Hookriel ponderings, I’ve dreamed up that they knew each other in NL, he’s maybe even the one who found her right after she’d transformed, and knowing how dangerous NL is, he took her back to the ship and let her stay. Then it became a whole unrequited love situation, and then came the day when Hook left NL, and Ariel was left behind, and ended up with the Lost Ones because she couldn’t survive there on her own. In this scenario, when she sees him again in present day, she gives him a death stare and a slap for having abandoned her, and he takes it coz he knows he deserves it.)

I really want her to be the lone voice of reason among the merpeople concerning PP. Maybe her family made a deal with PP; he gets the island and they get the ocean and together they get to live forever because of the magic of NL, but Ariel has a weakness for humans and joins the JR6.

That’s an interesting idea which could have a cool backstory, if there was some dispute that was settled with a truce. Of course, there’s the whole question of which land are merfolk native to in the first place? They were in NL at the time Wendy was there, but there was also at least one in FTL around the time of Skin Deep. Was it just that one mermaid popping between worlds, or did the whole population relocate at some point? Again, there’s the question of the trident, and also the question of how/when has Rumple been in NL before. Did he go to NL to steal Triton’s trident? Or was Triton in FTL at the time, and Rumple’s experience with NL is something else entirely?

Cracks me up that Hook is being shipped with a character that we haven’t even met yet.

And it’s been going on for quite some time, too. It was mid-season 2 when I first looked into the idea, and the ship was already out there sailing around with a name and fanfic and art and all. Even if it doesn’t end up as canon, it’s still been fun to indulge in.

I don’t know if I want to see Peter Pan actually disposed of. I know they are playing him as the big bad, but still- he’s *Peter*! Maybe they will just defuse him?

Defused is a good word for it, I reckon. I can’t really see them killing him, but could see his state of mind and magical-ness (technical term) being altered so he’s no longer a threat to anyone.

I’m really hoping they follow the Anderson version where she doesn’t get her happy ending. I’d love for her to be banished to Neverland instead of turning to sea foam, though. She doesn’t get her Prince, but she’s also banished for her punishment. I want to see her sassy. Part of that is my dislike as a tween/teen for the fickle Prince Eric and the other part is Anderson’s tale is much more interesting and fits into the Once-verse much better.

I’m fine with her being made to suffer like in the Anderson version, but hope she doesn’t die like in the Anderson version. This show is about hope, so I’ve gotta believe that somehow she’s gonna get her happy ending.

If water is so magical and flows through everywhere, I can see it as a connector between Neverland and Storybrooke. Interestingly, I’ve just read a book, non-Once related, about how the fae (fairies) get to our world through a portal in water and they can only cross over during a certain type of moon. That would be an interesting twist. Say the mermaids can travel, but only during certain times. Kind of like how the souls of the dead only walk on All Hallow’s Eve. That kind of thing.

That would be interesting! The moon controls the tides which changes the depths of the ocean, so maybe only at a certain point during the tide would the gateway between worlds be open? I like the whole idea of merfolk being able to cross over without the need for a portal. If the Shadow could cross over just by flying to a certain point that was high enough, then it stands to reason that merfolk could cross over just by swimming to a certain point that’s deep enough.

A thought did just occur to me in regards to the original tale, versus the Disney version and then Once’s twist. I think it would be quite interesting if Prince Eric did exist in the tale *in flashbacks*. Ariel made a deal with Urusla/Rumple/Regina in order to become human, but Eric *does* fall in love and marry someone else, keeping with Anderson’s original story. Instead of turning into sea foam, there is some other consequence, ie. no voice, stay a human, return to being a mermaid, banished to Neverland, etc. And maybe she doesn’t like humans anymore. Maybe she’s not necessarily going to be the most helpful to our heroes at first. Maybe she’s a little bitter at the circumstances she was left with. Not to say that she’s evil mind you, just maybe not the kind, innocent girl we all know. She’s a little bit more grown up now, and she’s loved and lost. And maybe it takes someone to make her change her mind… a handsome, charming, swaggering pirate that has also loved before, and thought he would never love again?

I do like this! Though I reckon if they have an Eric and he doesn’t end up with Ariel, it’ll be that he dies instead of marrying someone else. Disney’s Eric is a sweet, noble guy, and having him reject Ariel for someone else would probably come across as a bit douchey and a bit of a character assassination, especially to people who love the character of Eric as Disney wrote him.

In Anderson’s, the consequence of not getting the guy when someone else did was that she died. In Disney’s, the consequence of not getting the guy when someone else did was that she reverted to being a mermaid and became Ursula’s prisoner. There’s gotta be some consequence in the Once version if she doesn’t get the guy when someone else does, but perhaps the outcome gets altered if he dies instead of choosing someone else? Maybe, if she’s the lone mermaid in FTL, that’s where she loses her love, and then she finds a way back home to NL, but she can never return to being a mermaid, so she’s stuck so close to her family living below, but still so far away.

One other thing that’s in Anderson’s is that there’s a dagger, given by the sea witch, and the mermaid can get out of her deal if she just uses this specific dagger to kill the newly married Prince. Would K&H be able to resist including something about this dagger in their story that already involves a magical dagger in the mythology? PP traditionally carries a dagger too. Magical daggers for everyone?!

Sorry, I have to finish the rest of your post but having a Kanye moment here (I’mma let you finish) but fried Calamari is the best snack of all time!

No lie, even the thought of eating calamari squicked me out for so long. I do like it now, (as long as it’s cooked properly and not all rubbery), but I have to not think of where it came from as I’m eating it. Had a recurring nightmare as a kid that involved a big, angry octopus, which is what the whole phobia stems from.

Ok now on to the rest of your points…I would love them to get the legend of the Kracken in there, especially with a pirate in the mix.

When I thought a bit more about the whole Kracken potential, I got to thinking about how in PotC, it’s controlled by Davy Jones. Which led me to thinking about that old chestnut of how there has GOT to be some sort of Davy/Killian Jones connection, and maybe they’ll tie it all together somehow…Rumple getting the squid (Kracken) ink, mermaids being involved, Killian’s backstory, and then the Squid ends up attacking in present day and Davy Jones comes back by association and Killian is all “O____O” and it’s daddy issues ahoy as he’s battling his past and reconciling it with his wannabe step-dad issues with Nealfire and how that affects the development of his relationship with Emma. Prime scenario for angst and drama. So “Release the Kracken,” I say!

You did do a very good job avoiding Hookriel too, you get cookies AND a seaweed cracker.

😆

I never knew that, fascinating. Though Disney is releasing Little Mermaid from the “Vault” so I think they’d want to cross promote the whole deal of their version as much as they can –and there’s a trilogy of movies for them to sell (2 direct to DVD, a prequel and sequel). Then again, like you said, that blows a hole in Hookriel too. So they could do it, this show is its own universe, but most likely it’ll go closer to Aurora/Phillip or to Mulan.Mulan’s romance isn’t quite as prominent as Cinderella’s/Aurora/Snow–its not her entire happy ending/resolution, but it is a big plot point all the same.

This is true. With the DVD re-release, Disney might have them on a bit of a leash so the Little Mermaid fans don’t tune in to get a fix and end up horrified by how the story has been messed with. That could extend to all parts of the story though, and I doubt K&H would agree to just toe the Disney line if they have their own vision for where they want their story to go.

No matter what the story, or how old she is, or who Ursula is… I’m just really excited to see Ariel finally! Her and Belle were always my favorites growing up. I have faith in A&E so I have a feeling I’ll be OK with any way they spin it although I definitely want references to dinglehoppers and poor unfortunate souls. And a cavern of human things. And a scene on a rock with the waves crashing around her. But that’s not too much to ask right?

I want all those things too! Also want a shot of her springing up out of the water and doing the EPIC hair flip. One of the reasons I’d be cool with Regina filling the role of Ursula is that Lana would totally rock, “Oh, you pooooor unfortunate soul,” with a devilish sneer. I’d actually be a bit bummed for Lana if she missed out on the opportunity, knowing what an Ursula fan she is.

[obisgirl]

I was thinking the other day about the curse of the mermaids and souls. What if the curse of the mermaids meant, if you were a human and accidentally touched a mermaid or became ensnared by one, you lost your soul?

Let’s face it.

Neverland has already been introduced as a place you don’t want to be and from Hook, we already know that the mermaids are deadly creatures.

The problem I have with my own theory though, is that I love The Little Mermaid so much, it’s my favorite Disney story and I don’t want to end up hating my favorite Disney character if she turns out be a soulless mermaid.

Also, I’m not sure how I would feel about Regina also being Ursula. This is Once, they’ve meshed characters before but I would actually like Ursula to be her own character.

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