The Little Mermaid: Movie Adaptation (Fan-Fiction)

Ariel the daydreaming mermaid makes a wager with the sea-witch Ursula to obtain a temporary human body in time to win the heart of a human prince before the deadline.

I'm a big fan of Hans Christian Andersen's searing and haunting heartbreak-tale The Little Mermaid (which has been adapted into countless renditions and movies and cartoons!), which presents the tragic tale of a daydreaming mermaid (often named Ariel in various popular renditions) who makes a deadly and ultimately losing wager with a wicked sea-witch to obtain a temporary human body (at the costly trade of her beautiful singing-voice!) so she can court a handsome human prince who has caught her eye in time so she can remain a human and marry him.

In some recent versions including Disney's animated film, Ariel actually ends up winning the heart of the handsome prince (named Eric) and remains human, but in the original Andersen story, Ariel fails to capture the prince's heart and ends up committing suicide to avoid becoming a slave to the sea-witch.

Andersen's story is so unusual and poignant and since it's a popular folk-tale now, I wanted to make a movie-adaptation 'fan-fiction' and it's inspired by a full Hollywood casting idea (Gwyneth Paltrow, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Meryl Streep) and a potential director (Ang Lee). Paltrow would play Ariel the mermaid, and Reeves the prince Eric, and Connelly the prince's human princess fiancée, and Streep the wicked sea-witch.

I think such an Ang Lee film would be truly awesome, so I hope you enjoy this homemade fan-fic!

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Ariel stared at the vanity-mirror in her underwater hidden cave of treasures. Her mermaid father, King Triton, was concerned Ariel was too obsessed with collecting treasures found on sunken ships from human civilization but didn't know about Ariel's little treasure collection. Ariel started at the vanity-mirror in her treasure cave and daydreamed about marrying the human prince Eric, a dashing royal man she saw once while sunbathing on a rock as Eric's sailboat passed by one morning. Ariel wanted more than anything the chance to obtain a temporary human body so she could win the heart of the prince Eric. Ariel knew her father Triton forbade her to think too much about human civilization, but she resolved in the end to visit the dangerous wicked sea-witch Ursula and ask her for a special potion that would temporarily transform her into a human being.

Ariel went to Ursula and told the sea-witch of her fantasy and was given the special potion that would transform her temporarily into a human woman. Ursula explained Ariel would have only 2 weeks to win the heart of the prince Eric before she was once again transformed into a female mermaid. If Ariel failed to win the heart of Eric, she'd have to become Ursula's slave for life, and Ariel was willing to accept the deadly wager. Ursula delighted in the evil notion that if Ariel failed in her romantic mission, the sea-witch would have yet another slave in her dark underwater fortress, but this slave would be the cherished daughter of the mighty King Triton! Ariel took the potion and drank it, but Ursula told her that while she was temporarily a human woman, she'd be unable to sing. This shocked Ariel, since she was a wonderful singer, but she was willing to make the sacrifice.

Ariel transformed magically into a human woman and was carried by Ursula to the surface of the water and placed on the seashore. One day later, prince Eric's fisherman Willie found Ariel's body (almost nude but covered in a silk robe Ursula gave her) and carried the gorgeous 'woman' back to Eric's castle. Eric's father (King Remus) was told Ariel was found on the seashore randomly, and everyone concluded she must've been a survivor of a shipwreck who was washed ashore. Eric decided to go meet this salvaged woman and see what she was like, and he was immediately hypnotized by her charming beauty and long blonde hair. When Ariel awoke from her deep sleep, she saw Eric and Eric's butler Alfred standing over her body in the castle bedroom the maidservants placed her in under King Remus' strict orders. Ariel was delighted to see the handsome prince Eric for whom she transformed into a human woman.

Ariel and Eric spent night and day together for the next week. They went walking around the castle grounds, picked flowers, chatter, and even went on a little boat ride under the moonlight. They conversed about literature, music, the kingdom, and even how Ariel survived the shipwreck of a fishing-vessel (owned by her father the fisherman!) and ended up washed ashore. Eric told Ariel he was falling in love with her but he also mentioned that when he was a young boy, he had a strange dream he'd marry a beautiful woman with a wonderful singing-voice. Ariel was dismayed, since the transformation-potion given to her by Ursula the sea-witch removed her singing ability. Ariel told Eric she was not able to sing well, but Eric kindly told her he loved her anyway and was seriously entertaining the romantic idea that Ariel would become his ideal princess bride.

Ariel was thrilled and told Ursula that her plan was working. However, one day later, a visiting princess named Danica came to Eric's castle and told King Remus she was there for a wedding proposal. Danica was beautiful and wealthy and had an incredible singing ability. In fact, when the prince Eric heard Danica sing in front of the royal court (Ariel was present there too!), he was entranced by her skill. Eric immediately told King Remus that Danica was the woman of his dreams and he'd marry her as soon as possible. Eric then broke the bad news to Ariel and explained he just had to marry this beautiful princess Danica who sang like an angel. Ariel's heart broke, but she told Eric that she'd respect his ultimate decision. Ariel then broke the terrible news to Ursula the wicked sea-witch who informed her curtly that Ariel would now have to become Ursula's slave.

Ariel didn't want to become Ursula's slave. She didn't want to remain alone and live with the idea that Eric fell in love with another woman, a princess who had a great ability to sing. Ariel longed to tell Eric she was actually a mermaid who transformed into a human woman to win his heart and that she had a terrific singing-voice which was only temporarily impaired. However, she couldn't tell him and decided to escape the cruel fate Ursula had designed for Ariel. Ariel decided to walk into the sea late at night in the silk robe she was found washed ashore in and drowned to death. She committed suicide! As she drowned, Ariel remembered her fond days singing and how she ultimately failed in her romantic mission to win prince Eric's heart and hand for marriage. Ariel considered her continuing enchantment, however, with the haunting beauty of human treasures.

THE END

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Film Concept: The Mermaid (Director - Ang Lee)

Gwyneth Paltrow - Ariel

Keanu Reeves: Prince Eric

Jennifer Connelly: Danica

Meryl Streep: Ursula