Well, maybe you noticed that, concerning the video at least, we’re through with the Disney princesses. But maybe you also noticed, that the video covers the princes, too, at the end. And of course, we won’t just skip that 🙂 I originally planned to write about all of them in one post, but while writing the text about Prince Eric, I realized that this might get a little long… So I decided to split them in groups of two. First up: Ariel‘s Prince Eric and Aurora‘s Prince Philipp.
So, first of all, let’s have a look at what they supposedly teach us according to the video.
Prince Eric: “Be rich, famous, charming and good looking..”
Prince Philipp: “Be rich, famous, charming and good looking..”
And I guess those are supposedly the qualities that got the princes their girls. But is that so now? Well, let’s have a closer look and find out.
First we’re gonna have a look at what makes Ariel fall for Prince Eric.
The first time we can tell that Ariel likes him is when she mentions to Scuttle how handsome he is. So obviously, yes, his looks do play a role. Then again, she says that after she’s seen him interacting with his dog Max. And if you rewatch the scene and pay close attention, you might notice that Ariel only gets that really dreamy “I’m hopelessly in love”-kind of look on her face, after Eric gives his dog an incredibly warm “how could I ever be mad at you? I love you”-kind of look. The expression on his face in this short moment speaks volumes and it tells us a lot about his character.
That look implies that he’s kind and caring, not only to humans, but also to other living creatures like animals. If I may remind you, one of the reasons King Triton doesn’t trust humans, is that they are barbaric “savage, harpooning fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling of…”
Eric’s behaviour in that scene shows that he’s nothing like that. At that point Ariel doesn’t even know he’s a prince, so I don’t think the facts that he’s rich and famous do count for her.
She learns of his royal status a few moment later though, when Grimsby presents the statue of Eric, a birthday present for him. And once again, Eric’s reaction is pretty insightful. He quite obviously does not like the present, but he tries to hide it and tells Grimsby that he’s impressed.
That kind of reaction tells us that Eric is not a self-centered, self-aggrandizing, arrogant prick, but a polite, down-to-earth young man.
This is also shown by his behaviour in general by the way, I mean… Instead of walking around stiffly in royal attire and ordering everybody about, Eric wears normal, comfortable clothes and behaves like everybody else on the ship, celebrates with them.
Furthermore, the way he talks to Grimsby also implies that he’s more the laid-back, easy-going (and again: down-to-earth) kind of guy.
Another thing that Ariel witnesses is when Eric talks about finding the “right girl”, which lets her know that he’s not interested in superficial relationships, but instead looking for love.
We already know a lot about Eric – impressive what just a few moments can tell us about people, huh? There’s still more though.
Another reason why King Triton mistrusts the humans is that they are, according to him, “spineless”.
Well, when Eric gets back on the burning ship and risks his own life in order to save his dog, he shows that he’s also nothing like that. Instead he’s brave, caring, kind to animals, and would do everything for the ones he loves.
Qualities worth admiring, if you ask me.
And after Ariel’s seen all of that, she states that she’s fallen for him. Well, who wouldn’t fall for a man with those qualities? Wait – which ones? That he’s rich, famous, charming and good looking? Umm.. No. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that the only of the latter qualities that had some importance in making Ariel fall for Eric, was that he’s good looking.
I mean, as I said before… she took a liking to him already before she knows he’s a prince and when she gets to know about that fact, she’s not freaking out like: “Oh Scuttle, did you hear that? He’s handsome and a prince, too! I think I’m in love with him!” – No. So you can cross out at least his financial and social status, because these aren’t what gets the girl to fall in love with him. It’s his admirable character traits, shown through his behaviour. If you’re male, you should take a leaf out of his book – there might just be a cute mermaid watching you.
If you’re more into actively courting your girl, Prince Philipp might be the right example for you.
Aurora has already fallen for him after their first encounter in the woods. Why though? Because he’s a prince, huh? Oh wait – she doesn’t even know he’s a prince when she meets him! Sorry if you got your hopes up, but also in this case we can cross out being rich and famous as qualities that make the girl fall in love with the guy. Well, good looking maybe? I guess nobody can deny that Philipp is quite the attractive young man. But is that enough to make Aurora fall for him? I wouldn’t say so. After all, when she sees him, she wants to run away at first. Can you believe it? She really wants to run away from this incredibly handsome young man! Although he’s so handsome! Alright. I guess you get the point. Philipp is persistent though. He gently takes Aurora’s hand and excuses himself for scaring her.
Prince Philipp: I’m awfully sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.
Very considerate of him, don’t you think? But still, Aurora has her qualms about him and turns away. Once again though, Philipp stays persistent.
Aurora: Oh, it wasn’t that. Is just that you’re a… a…
[Aurora tries to run away again, Philipp takes her hand]
Philipp: A stranger?
Aurora: Mm-hmm.
Philipp: But don’t you remember? We’ve met before.
Aurora: We… we have?
Philipp: Well, of course. You said so yourself. [He lets go of her hands] Once upon a dream. [Aurora walks away]
[Philipp starts singing ‘Once upon a dream’ and slowly walks after her]
Ahh.. now isn’t that romantic? Oh, yes. It definitely is. But not only shows Philipp how romantic he can be here, he also shows that he’s quick-witted and intelligent. Furthermore, the fact that he remembers the whole text of ‘Once upon a dream’ shows that he actually listened to what she sang, what she said and therefore implies that he’s genuinely interested, not only in her beauty but also in her thoughts and dreams. And only after Philipp sang the whole chorus of the song, Aurora stops walking away, lets him take her hands and dances with him.
Besides, the fact that he sings Aurora’s song, in a genuine, not a mocking way, also shows her that he is capable of love, of returning love. I know, you think that’s completely ridicolous. I think you should take a look at the song Aurora sings before:
I wonder, I wonder,
I wonder why each little bird has a someone
To sing to, sweet things to,
A gay little love melody
I wonder, I wonder,
I wonder if my heart keeps singing,
Will my song go winging
To someone, who’ll find me
And bring back a love song to me.
She wishes for someone who brings back a love song to her after her love song reached them. And her love song is sung by her heart. So what it actually means that she wishes for someone who is capable of understanding and returning her feelings. And when Philipp sings her love song, he shows her that he is.
Let’s get back to the dancing though. I personally believe that the way you dance can also tell a lot about your character. When Philipp dances with Aurora, he always keeps a decent distance and his hands in proper places. He doesn’t invade her space, he doesn’t try to touch her in improper places. It shows that he’s well-mannered, he’s respectable and he respects her. And no, this kind of behaviour is sadly not to be taken for granted.
After the dance, Aurora walks ahead to the branch of a tree. Philipp approaches her slowly with his arm extended and very, cautiously puts his arm around her waist. Again, he proves to be very considerate, because with the way he’s doing it, he gives her a chance to make an objection and stop him. When he’s put his arm around her, he tilts his head in her direction, but waits for her to lay her head upon his shoulder first. He lets her decide what she’s comfortable with. And since Aurora does lay her head upon his shoulder, she obviously feels comfortable with him, safe, secure.
Then Philipp asks for Aurora’s name, which makes her qualms from earlier about him being a stranger surface again, so she runs away from him.
Philipp doesn’t press her about her name any longer, but calls after her to ask when he will see her again.
Aurora: Oh never, never!
Philipp: Never?
Philipp sounds seriously shocked in that moment. But when Aurora offers him a small gleam of hope, when she answers that they’ll maybe see each other again someday, Philipp gets back his determination.
Philipp: When, tomorrow?
Aurora: Oh no, this evening!
Philipp: Where?
Aurora: [while running away] At the cottage… in the glen.
So once again, Philipp shows Aurora that he’s genuinely interested in her, that he really wants to get to know her. But he also shows that he’s determined and that he goes for what he wants. So Aurora finally decides to really give him a chance.
And here their encounter ends. Again, we learned that a few moments can already tell a lot about somebody’s character. And again what makes the girl fall for the man, are not the facts that he’s rich and famous. Instead it’s what Aurora got to know about his character during their time together. It’s also not the fact that he’s good looking. Or rather, being good looking isn’t enough. It’s certainly a bonus though. So if you want to court the woman of your dreams, do take a leaf out of Philipp’s book. Be persistent, show interest, be attentive, listen, be respectful, be considerate, be gentle. Not as easy as being rich and famous, huh? Well, winning over a girl’s heart just isn’t.
I’m tired of rolling my eyes every time some schmo with a liberal arts degree strikes up the oh-so-original Disney Movies Are Sexist conversation. So no more eyerolling. Here is my well-argued and completely irrefutable feminist defense of Princess Ariel fromThe Little Mermaid. The film might not pass the 
What Disney Movies Teach Us 