The Little Mermaid is the reason I wanted to become a filmmaker. When I was three years old, my mother put me The Little Mermaid VHS. I was bemused by the video. Then I saw Ariel, lying on the sand, sing “Part of your World” (Reprise) to Eric. I felt Eric’s urge to learn about this creature. Only my creature was the film itself. I wanted to become one of the film’s many pupils. I hung tightly to the floor as I was captivated by Glen Keane’s creation of Ariel who sings to her prince her desire to be a part of his world. I was influence by Ariel’s altruism as she believes the world could never be an evil place because humans like Eric exist. As a child, adult, and film lover, we want to believe that good still exist even when we are among such cruelty. John Musker and Ron Clements created such a serene world where humanity has not been tampered. What really inspired me and sealed my fate as a filmmaker was when Ariel kneel before the rock and sang from her heart the words:
I don’t know when
I don’t know how
But I know something’s starting right now
Watch and you’ll see
Some day I’ll be
Part of your world
The words of Howard Ashman and the composition of Alan Menken and the beautifully innocent and venerable voice of Jodi Benson made me cry as I sat in awe, watching the beauty of the movie. Alongside Ashman, Menken, and Benson is the extraordinary animation of Glen Keane. Keane’s animation of Ariel’s eyes was what influenced me to become a filmmaker. The eyes are the windows of one’s soul. Ariel’s eyes are filled with determination. She was going to be heard. She knew her dreams to live above the ocean was where she was meant to be. It made me realize that dreams occur when we fight for them. Keane drew hunger in Ariel’s eyes and that made me hungry to be the best filmmaker in the world. As I got older, I saw other influences that I never understood when I was a child. In the first “Part of your World,” song Ariel swims towards a French Baroque painting and sings,
And ready to know what the people know
Ask ’em my questions and get some answers
What’s a fire and why does it – what’s the word?
Burn?
The painting was The Penitent Magdalene by Georges de la Tour. It made me realize to art derives from something you see. As I see the painting, I see the similarities between Mary Magdalene and Ariel. Both of them are rebellious women looking for a savior. Magdalene sees that in Jesus. He saves her from her pain. Ariel confides Eric because believes he will save her. The same can be said with Eric. Eric is a delicate wallflower who is a mere puppet for his handlers. Ariel is his escape from this limbo he has created for himself. In essence, they needed each other for salvation.
I am 26 years old. I feel like Ariel. I have nothing to show for it and this is the world I want to be a part of. I will do everything in my power to make this happen. This isn’t for some boy. This isn’t for some absurdist romantic dream. This is about me— about my time to rise above the currents of the ocean and follow my dreams because after all the pain I’ve gone through, I have to make it. It’s now or never. And on my time. It’s my turn now.
Obscura 