I found Regina Bendix's article very interesting as it provided a lot of comparison between Anderson and Disney's version of The Little Mermaid. Perhaps what was most interesting was not all of the differences that I already noticed after reading the tale, but all of the differences that I had not noticed. This article was informative at showing how each tale was extremely different from one another even though they both had the same plot. What confused me about this article was, where is Bendix's argument? Is this supposed to be an informative article?
Either way, I found it interesting how Bendix focused on the perception of sexuality in each of the tales. I did not notice that in Disney's version, there are barely any female characters compared to Anderson's tale. Also, I found it shocking how Anderson's tale had a symbolic reference to the loss of virginity. However, I can see why Disney neglected this in their version. As the article notes, Disney still keep a bit of sexuality in the movie by the way they dress Ariel. Her seashell mermaid bra is anything but prudish.
Overall, I can see why Disney had to change a lot about Anderson's tale before showing it to the public. There would be far more controversy and the "happy ending" that Disney is known for wouldn't be apparent. Honestly, I think Andersons tale is way too harsh and "peerlessly mythic" for an audience of such a young age (281).
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