What is freedom and how do we obtain it? Disney has demonstrated the value of such a desire in the forms of princesses who spend their lives wondering what it would be like to live another life, a life of love and freedom far away from the life they've known. Some of these princesses are captives, locked away by evil stepmothers and witches. Others are extraordinary women forced to live mundane lives. They are beautiful girls with men at their doorsteps begging for their hand. Girls who are put down, hidden away, and misunderstood by everyone.
Ariel: The Grass Is Always Greener
Ariel lives her life under the sea. It's a life that we mere humans can only dream of. Her father is the king, she lives in a magnificent undersea castle. Yet she isn't happy. Ariel longs to live among people, she wants legs, she wants to dance, and she wants the handsome guy she saw on the boat. She wants her freedom from the world that she's always know and loved but does not fulfill her. She has the love of her kingdom, but it doesn't matter to her. Her Utopia is a world that she does not have access to, but would sacrifice almost anything to be a part of.
So many people would think that as the daughter of a king she would have everything she could ever want. But, riches and admiration can't give you freedom. Rather, they can bind you, they can hold you back from what you really want. Ariel says herself "I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty. But who cares? no big deal. I want more." Ariel is telling the world that she isn't happy with material things. she doesn't care. She shows true wisdom in seeing that love and freedom are more valuable than anything that can be bought or borrowed.
You may be wondering what is so philosophical about "The Little Mermaid" but the story goes deeper than you may think (No pun intended)
The Little Mermaid deals with Ariel's own idea of a Utopia. To her it is the world that we live in.
Take a moment to consider what a Utopia truly is. Is it the perfect world or is it simply each person's individual idea of happiness. When we look at Marx, Bacon, or Skinner's utopias in the classless society, New Atlantis and Walden too, the plots are simply each man's interpretation of harmony and completion in human life.
Therefore, I don't know that there is one singular utopia conditioned to work for everyone, although I do think that Francis Bacon came the closest in New Atlantis. But instead, I find that Ariel represents the fact that every person has their own Utopia, and it's up to them to find it.
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