The live-action “The Little Mermaid” movie, which hits theaters May 26, remains almost completely faithful to the original animation that came out in 1989. Still, it made minor changes. In addition to the four new songs added to the film, some notable changes to Prince Eric’s story made his and Ariel’s love story more meaningful.
Read on to analyze how the creators behind the new live-action Little Mermaid brought the character of Prince Eric into the 21st century.
The Backstory of Prince Eric in the Original “The Little Mermaid”
In the original “The Little Mermaid,” Prince Eric’s backstory is pretty one-note. He is a handsome, courageous prince in search of a wife when he is saved from drowning by Ariel in the midst of a shipwreck. When he wakes up to Ariel singing to him, he is immediately enamored of her and her voice, but his story (and thus, the characters’ relationship) essentially begins and ends there.
While their love story is sweet, it’s arguably shallow, and the new live-action film remedies that.
The Backstory of Prince Eric in the Live-Action “The Little Mermaid”
In Disney’s 2023 retelling of “The Little Mermaid,” Prince Eric (now played by Joanna Hauer-King) and Princess Ariel bear a lot in common from the get-go, thanks to some much-needed developments in Eric’s backstory.
It is revealed early in the film that Prince Eric was not a prince by birth. Instead, it turns out, he was rescued from a shipwreck (which killed his birth parents) and adopted by the queen of the island (played by Noma Dumezweni). While he’s living a happy life with his mother as a royal, he feels like Ariel that another world calls him: the sea.
Prince Eric and the Queen constantly butt heads over Eric’s desire to explore the seas, as do Ariel’s conflicts with King Triton over his love for the land of men. So Eric and Ariel bond through their knowledge of land and sea. In a new scene added to the film, Eric enthusiastically teaches Ariel about the various lands he has visited on his adventures, while Ariel teaches Eric about the various sea life she has collected over the years .
While these changes are minimal, they add more color to Eric and Ariel’s love story, which will make you love the Disney princess movie pairing even more.
