125 – The Little Mermaid

08/23/22 • 127 min

After a longer break than anticipated, Disniversity is back with the Renaissance era – bigger, better, and in this episode, wetter. Film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are here to take you under the sea in 1989’s The Little Mermaid. In a bumper-sized episode, we explain where we’ve been for the last few months, before getting stuck into a Walt Disney Animation Studios classic that takes Hans Christian Andersen’s weirdly foam-centric fairytale and stuffs it with calypso bops. We dispute the studio’s worries about the film being ‘just for girls’, explore its queer themes and legacy, and the impact of legendary songwriters Howard Ashman and Alan Menken – plus, we pick our favourite fishes from the hot crustacean band, fight it out over the best song in the movie, get into a disturbing discussion of all the undersea creatures Sam would happily eat, and break down perhaps the greatest song lyric of all time: “Les poissons, les poissons / Hee-hee-hee, hon-hon-hon.” Boy, is it good to be back. Next up: The Rescuers Down Under Disniversity is brought to you by Ben Travis (@benstravis) and Sam Summers (@samsummers0), with art by Olly Gibbs and music by Nafets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @disniversity. This podcast is not affiliated with Disney. — Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Encanto. Watch along with us, and listen as we explore each film’s historical context, advances in animation and lasting legacy, and talk about how they stand up today.

Previous Episode

BONUS: Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers

Okie dokie, Artichokies! There’s not long to go until Disniversity returns for more regular classes – but first, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers have a little extra treat for you. Having just discussed Chip ’N Dale: Rescue Rangers in The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective episodes of this very pod, the good folk at Disney saw fit to drop brand new original meta-reboot movie Chip ’N Dale: Rescue Rangers on Disney+, stacked with cameos, in-jokes, and all kinds of deep-cut animation references. Dig into it with the Disniversity duo, talking the delights of Captain Putty, Pooj the Fat Honey Bear, and Ugly Sonic, the film’s approach to 2D-3D hybrid animation, Sam’s obsession with forgotten ‘80s anti-drug mascot McGruff the Crime Dog, and the future of Disney’s cartoon series. Oh, and Ben brags about his recent adventures in Disneyland, California. Next up: The Little Mermaid. We promise! Disniversity is brought to you by Ben Travis (@benstravis) and Sam Summers (@samsummers0), with art by Olly Gibbs and music by Nafets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @disniversity. This podcast is not affiliated with Disney. — Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Encanto. Watch along with us, and listen as we explore each film’s historical context, advances in animation and lasting legacy, and talk about how they stand up today.

Next Episode

126 – The Rescuers Down Under (w/ Beth Webb)

Following their deep-dive under the sea, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are back on dry land to explore the very first canonical Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel: 1990’s The Rescuers Down Under. In this episode, we’re joined by Empire Magazine’s news editor – and huge Down Under fan – Beth Webb as we dig into Bianca and Bernard’s long-awaited second adventure, talking the film’s environmental themes, exhilarating opening sequence, the revolutionary CAPS system that catapulted the studio into a 3D future, and why it’s a vital puzzle piece in the Renaissance era. Plus, Sam takes a special field trip to the British Library, Ben reveals his love of mythical birds, there’s much discussion of two horrible lizards, and we find out why Sam particularly related to Bernard’s calamitous proposal attempts. Oh, and a warning: there are some truly terrible Australian accents on this episode. Our apologies to the entire nation of Oz. Next up: Beauty & The Beast Disniversity is brought to you by Ben Travis (@benstravis) and Sam Summers (@samsummers0), with art by Olly Gibbs and music by Nafets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @disniversity. This podcast is not affiliated with Disney. — Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Encanto. Watch along with us, and listen as we explore each film’s historical context, advances in animation and lasting legacy, and talk about how they stand up today.