Since May, we’ve been perfecting our mermaid bath routine: our giant tale resting on its rim, watching bath salts shimmer as our fingers become prune-like. Minus the red locks, unless a click away from buying a wig count, it’s so locked and loaded that if Halle Bailey ever called us up on our shell phone to be her replacement now that she’s frolicking up on land, we’d be ready. We think it’s time as whispers have circulated the sea stating that The Little Mermaid is coming to digital retailers.
Yep! We’re moving onto step two of the routine, having our laptops resting on a bath mat so that we can visualize being there with her through watching the just over two hours spectacular play out on our home screen. Even though we’re so excited to watch The Little Mermaid anytime we want, we’re also counting down the days until September 19 because of Jonah Hauer-King. His portrayal of Prince Eric gave even the animated version a run for whatever they use as underwater currency! So to celebrate its DVD release and our mermaid title, we’ve decided to state our case through three reasons why Jonah killed it.
Harry Styles Coded
Maybe the particular artist chosen in our title was done intentionally, meaning we were close to seeing Harry live out our fairytale fantasies. If you’re asking us, though, we’re grateful that the role inevitably went to Jonah. With saying that, Eric’s got vocals in this reenactment. While the original only gave Ariel and her friends performance airtime, Eric has his own special melody this time around in ‘Wild Uncharted Waters.’ With the chaotic wind pushing him back and forth just like the sea’s current, the song’s lyrics speak to his inability to let Ariel go. He’s so smitten by her that he must see her again.
One’s voice is important in this film, acting as a tool to Ariel being noticed; it’s also a way for Eric’s feelings to be seen in the same way as they could’ve been kept quite otherwise due to the divide between the land and the sea. What’s beautiful, too, is that there’s a particular scene during this montage where Eric is on his ship, climbing at times to its sails that is the furthest you can be, and though the waves were unable to touch him moments before, they’re now billowing. They wet his dark locks, so sure, it’s acting as the “wild” portion of the song title, but it also represents his divide. Even though he’s back on land, his heart is at sea.
His Evolution
Eric swaps his sailor duties for heroic ones in the animated film by driving the ship into Ursula, thus saving Ariel, mermaids, and humans alike. Though there’s an entirely new way this resolution comes about in the 2023 adaptation, we still get a more fleshed-out version of him! He’s gifted his prince title through adoption for one rather than having it as a birthright, causing him imposter syndrome.
He’s a spokesperson for the underdogs as he sometimes feels like one, having more openness to the sea than those around him. We also see this when although he has yet to realize that Ariel is the siren who saved him this entire time, he’s kind to her after seeing her wash up on land just like he once was, only she’s having it a bit harder as she’s unable to speak. Add star gazer under his belt; there are many reasons to adore him!
Lovers Who Collect Trinkets
Although Eric is a three-dimensional character in the film, he’s also there to carry out the forbidden love story between him and Ariel. The animated version does a brilliant job of capturing the cute expressions between the pair. However, this one provides more substance. The two of them have a shared bond of collecting trinkets. Ariel has a treasure trove in a dark crevice of the sea, whereas Eric has an entire library with neverending shelves revealing his adventures. One of them is a little green marble mermaid statue that he adorningly calls “my little mermaid,” which we know has relevance to the film as a whole.
She teaches him how to use certain ones, like breaking a fossiled sea stone to reveal a crystal, while he outlines places she swims to but might not know the human name for through the ways of a map. Halle and Jonah’s chemistry is like sharing time with those couples that have been together for a while, only it really hasn’t, and it only feels that way because, you know, in some past life, they were soulmates, it’s in the mutual interests and shy smiles and the knowledge of the other person’s idiosyncrasies.
A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue
The DVD has so many special features that make this return to the sea easy and a bottled nostalgic flashback to the 90s and early 2000s when these perks were all the rage! We’ll start by participating in an ‘Under the Sea’ karaoke session featuring turtles, jellyfish, and other sea life, providing the backing track for your melodies. If you’re less likely to use a dinglehopper as a microphone, then no worries because there are also song breakdowns, our prince’s ‘Wild Uncharted Waters,’ ‘Under The Sea,’ ‘Kiss The Girl,’ and ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls.’
We’re switching swim strokes with Hotter Under The Water: this five-chapter documentary starring director Rob Marshall, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda alongside OG Alan Menken, and various cast members as the current whisks you into the behind-the-scenes process. Other features include The Scuttlebutt On Sidekicks, meet Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle, bloopers, and our treasured favorite, Passing The Dinglehopper that, shines a shared spotlight on Halle and Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in Disney’s animated version.
Although these features depend on the product and retailer, we know one thing for sure: The Little Mermaid is out on digital retailers on July 25, and then for those who prefer 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD on September 19.
What is your favorite characteristic from Jonah’s version? Let us know through our Twitter @thehoneypop, and have a flick through our other articles pertaining to the movie, including this ‘Part of Your World’ comparison piece that can also be found on our Instagram and Facebook pages!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DISNEY+:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LITTLE MERMAID:
INSTAGRAM | TWIITTER | FACEBOOK
