She Was Both Blonde And Brown: What The Little Mermaids Looked Like In All Andersen’s Fairy Tale Adaptations

She Was Both Blonde And Brown: What The Little Mermaids Looked Like In All Andersen’s Fairy Tale Adaptations

The upcoming film adaptation of The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey is one of the major cinematic events of 2023. However, not everyone is happy with the choice of actress. We decided to recall what the Little Mermaids looked like in other adaptations – films and animations.

Cartoon “The Little Mermaid” (USSR, 1968)

The cartoon was created by director Ivan Aksenchuk, and the Little Mermaid was voiced by Nina Gulyaeva. The cartoon was created in an expressive artistic technique and struck by its beauty. The heroine appeared as a sophisticated girl with big eyes and long curls with woven crowns.

Magical Mako anime series (Japan, 1970)

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Although the title has nothing to do with a fairy tale, the animated series is based on Andersen’s plot. Mako is a mermaid and the youngest daughter of the Sea King, who also seeks to enter the human world. Certainly, unlike the original, the ending here is not tragic.

Cartoon “Princess of the Underwater Kingdom” (Japan, 1975)

But in the second Japanese film adaptation, on the contrary, they strictly adhered to the original – there is no happy ending here. The Little Mermaid here does not look like the canonical Disney image at all (it will appear, by the way, later) – here she was blonde.

The film “The Little Mermaid” (USSR – Bulgaria, 1976)

The film was shot at the M. Gorky film studio and is dedicated to the memory of Andersen himself. According to the plot, it all started with a conversation between travelers in a stagecoach. The storyteller decides to entertain the girl and begins to tell her the story of the Little Mermaid. The young woman and the fairy-tale heroine were played by Victoria Novikova. The film also involved Mikhail Pugovkin, Galina Volchek and other famous artists.

The Little Mermaid (Czechoslovakia, 1976)

In the same year, another adaptation of Andersen’s fairy tale was released. The original title of the film was “Little Sea Fairy”. Although the film also ended sadly, in this film adaptation the Little Mermaid did not turn into sea foam at all, but into pink flowers on the surface of the sea. Czech actress Miroslava Shafrankova.

Cartoon “The Little Mermaid” (USA, 1989)

One of the most famous adaptations of The Little Mermaid, giving us an image that has spread the best in pop culture. It is he who is copied for Halloween and other costume parties. Here, the role of the mermaid princess named Ariel was voiced by Jodi Benson, and in the official Russian translation, which was released in 2006, Svetlana Svetikova sang and spoke for the Little Mermaid. The cartoon was such a hit that the story was turned into a cycle with a sequel, a prequel, and an entire anime series.

“Stories of the Little Mermaid” (US, 2018)

A looser version of the classic story. Directed by directors Chris Bouchard and Blake J. Harris, the story begins with a reporter and his niece on a quest to find a mermaid for a traveling circus to perform. The role of the fairy-tale heroine was played by Poppy Drayton, known for the television series The Chronicles of Shannara.

The Little Mermaid (US, 2023)

The latest and perhaps the most controversial film adaptation, which has caused such public turmoil. The film became resonant due to the fact that for the first time a dark-skinned actress, Halle Bailey, was cast in the role of the Little Mermaid.

Read also: Time-Turner: These young Harry Potter characters have already become parents themselves – and when did they!

Source: The Voice Mag

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