There’s something that really irks me about The Little Mermaid to this day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun movie and a modern Disney classic.
But doesn’t anyone think it’s a little odd that the film celebrates the fact 16-year-old Ariel abandons her family and everyone she knows for a man she just looked at once?
Seriously, she looked at him once, decided she was in love with him–LOVE–and then made a deal with a literal sea witch to get her man.
Oh, did I add that she didn’t even bother to read the contract she signed?
Read the contracts you sign, people. You’ll avoid a lot of uncomfortable circumstances later. Actually, you should make a habit of reading the contracts you don’t sign, too.
But that’s not Ariel! No, sir.
The Little Mermaid isn’t the only film out there bound to raise your eyebrows.
I mean, have you seen most Disney films?
We heard all about other movies with questionable morals after Redditor sakurachan asked the online community:
“What’s a movie that teaches a really bad lesson?”
Limitless (2011)
“Limitless basically ends with the protagonist winning and succeeding in everything he ever pursued in life while getting back together with the woman who previously wanted nothing to do with him because he did enough super Adderall to be high all the time.” ~ zilde
My take:
Yeah… what was up with that. I remember when this came out. I saw it on a bootleg DVD. I didn’t think the film was all that great to begin with, let’s be real, but the writing was all over the place.
Jackass: The Movie (2002)
“Didn’t want to let the kids see Jackass. Gave in. Ńext day, the very next day, they were sliding down a staircase in a laundry basket.” ~ mediaman54
My take:
I think I was definitely the opposite. I saw this movie as an impressionable kid and thought that all of those stunts looked like they would hurt.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was pretty hilarious at the time, but I had no desire to do anything the crew did in the film.
Cats (2019)
“Cats. It teaches impressionable Hollywood producers that it’s a good idea to make a movie like Cats.” ~ flychinook
My take:
Cats isn’t even funny to watch. I tried to watch it with some friends some months after it was initially released and we ended up turning it off about halfway through. It merely succeeded at making us angry.
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
“Christmas with the Kranks teaches us that adults should not be allowed to spend Christmas however they like, and they must bow to peer pressure and do what other people want them to do.” ~ QuietlySmirking
My take:
Does anyone actually LIKE Christmas with the Kranks? I remember reading the John Grisham–yes, THAT John Grisham–novel that it was based on and thinking the story was woefully thin.
Oh, and the characters were morons. Each and every single one of them was a total moron.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
“Fifty Shades of Grey.“
“It’s a movie about a guy who was abused perpetuating the cycle of abuse with the thin veneer of “it’s okay because he’s rich and this is how BDSM works.” The f*ck it does; almost all the characters are all s****y people. Period.” ~ Lentra888
My take:
This film–and the subsequent series–are probably single-handedly responsible for a lot of misinformation out there about the BDSM community.
Ask anyone in the scene and they’ll tell you that aftercare is essential. Christian Grey is just an abuser, it’s really that simple.
Love Story (1970)
“Love Story. ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry!’ What the hell were they thinking?” ~ NutsAndOrBerries
My take:
This film continues to baffle me. Even for the time, it was ridiculous. Nothing about it has aged particularly well. And who can stand the wooden Ryan O’Neal outside of Barry Lyndon, especially?
The Intern (2015)
“The Intern – It teaches that if your boyfriend cheats on you because he can’t stand how successful you are, it’s your fault and you should forgive him.” ~ misskitten1313
My take:
A part of me feels like this film came and went. Maybe it was the lazy screenwriting. Audiences, especially these days, aren’t going to be so kind to behavior like that on screen.
Sierra Burgess is a Loser (2018)
“Sierra Burgess is a Loser It’s ok to catfish a guy because you’re not cool and he seems to really like you anyway. He’ll fall for your true self so it’s all good.” ~ JackiewiththeO
My take:
Nothing about this plot made sense. In reality, Sierra Burgess would be more than just a loser – she’d be run out of town for that sick stunt.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
“Raya and the Last Dragon made no sense!”
“The story ‘teaches’ that you should learn to trust people. Literally everyone they meet gives them a reason not to trust them. Makes absolutely no sense.” ~ Reddit
My take:
Yeah… none of that particularly worked, did it?
No one thought that script through all that well. Want to write a movie but are interested in how to undermine your own premise? Just watch Raya and the Last Dragon.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
“Sweet Home Alabama’s lesson is that you’ll always be trash no matter how good your new guy treats you so go back to your trash ex and trash town.” ~ Razor1834
My take:
How true! There was a huge push for this film, too. The trailers were everywhere at the time.
It’s rather funny to watch this movie nowadays knowing how Reese Witherspoon’s career has developed. She’s made a career as a producer bringing stories of strong women to the screen.
it’s safe to say that Sweet Home Alabama would not fall under this umbrella.
We could go on, obviously.
But just to beat a dead horse… have any of you ever watched any Disney Channel original movie aimed at teen girls?
All of the protagonists are mean and do whatever they want–to hell with everyone else–in the name of “empowerment.”
I remember I used to watch everything that came out on the channel as a kid and I don’t think I could stomach a single minute now.
The lesson here, people?
Your tastes will change. It’ll be interesting to revisit this topic in another ten years or so and hear what movies people are complaining about.