Prince of Song & Sea

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Like I said, this was mostly nothing new but that doesn't mean it wasn't satisfying as a read/retelling. I actually quite enjoyed everything and I'm only putting it at 4 stars because it follows SO closely to the movie that it didn't feel like it was very original a few times. The new twists and characters we meet make this worth reading though. I actually wish they'd pushed those into the movie because I loved seeing Eric like this. Moana: Moana • Maui • Pua • Hei Hei • Gramma Tala • Tamatoa • Baby Moana • Te Fiti • Kakamora Chief • Te Kā • Voyager Moana And for me, it didn't quite work. Ursula is the main villain here, but Miller revises her character in a way that doesn't quite fit her portrayal in the animated film. There, Ursula is hell-bent on revenge against Triton for some perceived slight and subsequent banishment (of which we know very little) and could really care less about humans except as a way to needle Triton.

Where I struggled / had a time moving past was when the story caught up to the film: Ariel washes up on shore after she makes her deal with Ursula in the afternoon of Day #1 (*ish -- could be morning, point is, we don't see her have a full day with Eric, because they share dinner together and then go to bed.) So that leaves half of Day #1, all day Day #2, and that's it, because Ursula-as-Vanessa enchants him overnight before Day #3. That's A LOT of plot to cram into a day and a half. In the 2000 direct-to-video sequel, Eric is a supporting character. Due to his marriage with Ariel, Eric is promoted as the new king of his kingdom with Ariel as his queen consort. Despite their happy marriage, the couple has a problem in protecting their daughter Melody from Ursula's sister, Morgana, who has sworn to avenge her sister and finish what she started. Fearing she will use Melody as leverage, Eric and Ariel erect a sea wall around the castle and raise her as an ordinary human girl unaware of her Atlantican roots. Melody distances herself from her parents as she grows up due to their rules against going into the sea. You know, for what’s supposed to be a dashing adventure at sea, this came across as surprisingly dry ha ha (I know I’ve said this about a book called Out of the Blue, but I only have one joke). This book ran into a lot of the same issues that the live-action versions of the Disney animated movies did (I actually liked live-action Aladdin and Cinderella), in that it endlessly added extra filler on a story that didn’t need all that much expansion. Instead of a concise story, the whole thing just seemed bloated. Simplicity is key, you know? I found that whenever we were with Prince Eric for an extended period of time, I couldn’t help but wonder what Ariel was up to. Probably busy being in a more entertaining story, singing fun and catchy tunes. And while I did enjoy the secondary characters and appreciated the addition of more representation in this book, it was still at its best when it was just directly adapting The Little Mermaid.

There were also some little things that didn't quite line up -- mainly, Ariel's being able to swim out to the dinghy and help the ship. At the end of the animated film, when Ariel dives in the water, her leg muscles are so underdeveloped she can barely swim, and Flounder has to literally drag her to the wedding ship. She's physically unable to swim in the movie, and here, she's coordinated enough to swim during a storm and choppy water. Er.... Toy Story: Woody • Buzz Lightyear • Alien • Jessie • Bullseye • Bo Peep • Forky • Rex • Duke Caboom • Hamm • Mrs. Nesbit • Zurg • Lotso • Platinum Woody • Bunny • Stinky Pete • Fluorite Buzz Disclaimer #2: I will also say that it was LIGHT-YEARS better than the Villains series. Which is why I may end up rounding up, because I think I gave at least one of those books 3-stars, and that's not fair. There's a lot to like here, but I wish Ursula hadn't been the main villain, and that Miller hadn't had to fit the story into the original film so much. The more progressive updates with regards to diversity and the romance between Ariel and Eric (which, if canon, offer a nice "take that" to critics who call Little Mermaid sexist and harmful) do end up outweighing those, for me.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Snow White • Dopey • Magic Mirror • The Evil Queen • Grumpy • The Prince • Sleepy • Doc • Winter Snow White • The Witch • Obsidian Snow White Once Upon a Time: Once Upon a Time (Book) • Snow White's Glass Coffin • Red Riding Hood • Maleficent's Staff • Magic Wand • Glass Slipper • Poisoned Apple • Spinning Wheel • Magic Lamp • Dark One's Dagger • Chipped Cup • Jefferson's Hat • Magic Beans • Captain Hook's Hooks • Enchanted Candle • Pixie Dust • Dreamshade • Salad Fork • Pandora's Box • Silver Slippers • Sorcerer Hat • Enchanted Broom • Trident • Enchanted Shell • Heroes and Villains (Book) • Merida's Bow • Magical Rose • Excalibur • Olympian Crystal • Cinderella's Dress • Golden Scarab Beetle • Rapunzel's Frying Pan • Magical Golden Flower • Shrinking Potion • Floating Lanterns • Tarot Cards • Maui's Fish Hook

Eric is a prince on the surface land of Atlantica. In all his life, he has been living in ignorance about the mysteries of the sea world. Prince Eric has yet to make an appearance in the Kingdom Keepers books, but he is mentioned by Ariel in the fourth book. Here she says she spends her days at Disney's Hollywood Studios very lonely for they keep Eric at Magic Kingdom, in the current show at Cinderella Castle. Queen Eleanora: Eric's mother, who went out to sea to find answers to Eric's curse in the hope of breaking it, and had gone missing since.

Peter Pan: Tinker Bell • Peter Pan • Captain Hook • Wendy • Nana • Smee • John Darling • Slightly • Holiday Tinker Bell • Topaz Tinker Bell • Captain Pan In Fantasmic!, Eric joins Ariel and other Disney couples during the princess-themed medley. He also makes an appearance riding Steamboat Willie during the show's finale. Here's the deal: for this inaugural installment, Linsey Miller gives you the story of Disney's The Little Mermaid (primarily the animated film, but there are also nods to the Broadway musical) from Eric's POV. I guess the best thing I can say is that this give me the same feelings as watching the movie, and that's all I could ask for.Just finished it and even though it has some recognisable moments in which I've experienced ALL THE FEELS because prince Eric and Ariel!, it felt like some things were forcedly written into it to create some forced -feels like it anyway- diversity and several story elements definitely needed more polishing writing wise as well. A new subplot in the stage musical is a singing competition where the eligible princesses in all the land are invited to sing for Eric. The princesses perform in the song "The Contest", which is set to the tune of Ariel's song "Part of Your World".