Mermaid Signage Gruesome?

[Avenger117]

Personally, I would really prefer that Ariel wasn't the figurehead of the ship. It makes no narrative sense, and it robs the scene of a certain authenticity. JMO.

I understand that. I just didn't think it was weird or disturbing.

 

[Gabe1]

Knowing me I would have just looked up at Ariel on my way into the attraction and would have never thought anything more about it. Now I wonder how many years I will have flashbacks to this thread when I pass Ariel/Ship. lol.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Because that's not Ariel herself, is that so hard to understand? Ariel is in her grotto right next door.
Just like that isn't Gaston in the center of the village.

These are statues.

I don't know the backstory, but probably, Eric built a ship honoring Ariel. Just like Gaston made a fountain/statue honoring himself.

Seriously, stop with the broken record thing.

Only it is *not* an Ariel statue in that they *were* going to have a bronze Ariel statue outside the ride, but the shipwreck Ariel is painted just like the versions of Ariel in the show scenes.

If you look at Gaston's statue . . . it is metal and clearly a statue.

Below is concept art showing Ariel as a statue on the outside, but even then she is depicted in her "natural" environment, so to say, not something she isn't, and she isn't a figurehead for a shipwreck.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Knowing me I would have just looked up at Ariel on my way into the attraction and would have never thought anything more about it. Now I wonder how many years I will have flashbacks to this thread when I pass Ariel/Ship. lol.

It is pretty prominently displayed, I'm guessing a majority of guests will give it a good look. Sorry for the potential flashbacks, but the thing really irks me!

 

[Timothy_Q]

Only it is *not* an Ariel statue in that they *were* going to have a bronze Ariel statue outside the ride, but the shipwreck Ariel is painted just like the versions of Ariel in the show scenes.

It's painted like wood, just the rest of the ship. If you looked before you started your usual rambling you would notice.

But sure, if you want to believe it really is Ariel, suit yourself.

 

[JenniferS]

I didn't see it as disturbing at all. Shes smiling! I looked at it more as her swimming around the ship like she does in the movie. She is an inquisitive character that likes to explore ships and things from the human world.

Is it just me or are people becoming really cynical?

I also thought she looked like she was swimming.

 

[Gabe1]

It is pretty prominently displayed, I'm guessing a majority of guests will give it a good look. Sorry for the potential flashbacks, but the thing really irks me!

Funny! I really would have likely walked right on bye without thought. I get the irks, that is me and the American Pavilion new Cast Costumes, Irked though is too mild for my emotion on that one!

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I didn't see it as disturbing at all. Shes smiling! I looked at it more as her swimming around the ship like she does in the movie. She is an inquisitive character that likes to explore ships and things from the human world.

Is it just me or are people becoming really cynical?

She's actually the ship's figurehead, too high up to be swimming around. In the concept art, it is supposed to be a more realistic figurehead which is faded and is a generic mermaid, most certainly not Ariel. Below is Columbia's figurehead, (in Disneyland), which they obviously haven't replaced with Wendy from Peter Pan or another Disney character as the figurehead isn't supposed to be a real life person, unless Blackbeard decided to make a point with somebody.

 

[Ignohippo]

I don't know, I get your point completely, but I don't think too many people will look at it that deeply.

To me, it's simply a funny take on the figurehead of the ship. I don't see it as disturbing at all and the sculpt is fantastic. That said, I do see your point.

It just goes right along with Gaston holding barrels instead of a gun, Belle's Ballroom without a dome, a train with a fence around the engine, gypsies instead of circus performers, and a circus without a circus.

It's like they got everything 90% right, and then had brain freeze on some of the most basic things.

 

[maryszhi]

um ? is her fin attached to the ship, or is she swimming under it????

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

It's painted like wood, just the rest of the ship.

Actually, the ship is cement work painted to look like decaying wood, IMHO. And the Ariel figure was added later and is made of some sort of plastic composite. Doesn't look like wood at all to me, though I guess I'll have to wait to see it up close.

*edit. You have a point, if you look at the photo below, there is some weathering, but I don't think they pull it off so that it looks like the rest of the wood, in fact, looks like plastic that was weathered as there is no wood grain. IMHO, they don't want shipwreck Ariel to look that bad, so they sort of compromise and we got something that is very close to the show scene versions of Ariel in apperance.

I guess after Eric married Ariel, (and after she got her legs), he told the ship builder to make him an Ariel figurehead for his ship to mess with Triton's mind, p.o. Ursula's relatives if she has any, or something like that.

 

[Kuhio]

If you have a five year old Ariel fanatic living under your roof . . . you're all to well aware of the continuing adventures of the Little Mermaid and her daughter Melody.

So, are you saying that five year old girls, who love Ariel and know of her continuing adventures by heart, don't matter when it comes to the design and construction of a ride which supposedly is targeted to them?

But what about the expectations of all the five-year-old girls who care about the sanctity of quality animation, and despise the unnecessary continuation of a classic fairy tale with watered-down sequels and prequels that were made primarily as a cynical cash grab? Don't they matter?

 

[Avenger117]

She's actually the ship's figurehead, too high up to be swimming around. In the concept art, it is supposed to be a more realistic figurehead which is faded and is a generic mermaid, most certainly not Ariel. Below is Columbia's figurehead, (in Disneyland), which they obviously haven't replaced with Wendy from Peter Pan or another Disney character as the figurehead isn't supposed to be a real life person, unless Blackbeard decided to make a point with somebody.

I guess you are right. Figureheads just usually seem so rigi, but Ariel on that ship looks more lively, happy, and less like a part of the ship to me.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I guess you are right. Figureheads just usually seem so rigi, but Ariel on that ship looks more lively, happy, and less like a part of the ship to me.

True. I think the imagineers obviously wanted the figurehead Ariel to be Ariel, and hence a more traditional looking Ariel would be too disconcerting to fans.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I don't know the backstory, but probably, Eric built a ship honoring Ariel. Just like Gaston made a fountain/statue honoring himself.

If Eric did build the ship, it wasn't very ship worthy. Apparently, it washed ashore after a disaster, or crashed, on Eric's doorstep. Maybe one day he'll recover the statue to put in his palace somewhere.

 

[ellie-badge]

Gruesome? Don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration? :/

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Oh, dear God. Gruesome? Really? Could your pathetic desperation to complain about everything involving this ride possibly sink any lower?

Like, seriously... Did the Mermaid ride steal your lunch money or something? I highly recommend that you just avoid this entire area altogether. I'm afraid the stress levels might take a deadly toll on you.

You really thought this warranted its own thread? Really?

I'm sorry, but anybody whose child is dense enough to look at that and somehow think that it's actually Ariel and that she's been bludgeoned by a ship and placed out front for display just really has no business procreating.

You were afraid to show her the pictures? Was that a legitimate statement? I really think that speaks volumes more about you than it does Disney.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Hm. Just asked three different children at the preschool where my mother is the director when I stopped in to drop off some paperwork. They saw the picture and understood it completely. One even used the term "figurehead" to describe it, because kids are much smarter than you give them credit for. All three were much more excited about visiting Ariel's house than they were worried about the figurehead.

Guess that settles that. Thank goodness we can go on with our lives.

 

[danlb_2000]

Gruesome? Don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration? :/

It fits right in with his exagerated hatred of everything having to do with the Mermaid ride. The OP simply doesn't like the ride and is trying to find anything possible wrong with it.

With that said, I can't totally disagree with him on this point, it does look a little odd to me. Personally I would have prefered Ariel on the rock like the original artwork. I think even the full color Ariel would have looked cool in that setup. For the figure head I think it would have looked less odd if it looked more like it was made of wood, with a lot more of the grain showing and lots of cracks.

Of course my feelings also may be a result of those disturbing pictures of the workmen installing Ariel on the ship

 

[Weather_Lady]

On a rock, on a ship,
on attractions, hair "Dole whip,"
bolted to a wooden derrick,
waltzing with her husband Eric,
With a bra that's made of clam,
She looks fine to me, Sam-I-Am.