The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea

Product Information

A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic. Grebey, James; Nedd, Alexis (July 25, 2014). "A Definitive Ranking Of The Most Horrific Disney Villain Deaths". BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed, Inc . Retrieved April 26, 2016. I wanted to write a book that was for her, because at that time, there really wasn't much good escapist fantasy with big magic and big things happening that was centered around queer kids. So, that was the initial inspiration for it: to write a big sweeping fantasy that has a queer romance at its center, that feels the way that all the hetero offerings do, where you see them kissing from every angle, the camera swivels around, with big music and all that. When sea witches do make an appearance, they are often depicted as sirens, selkies, or mermaids with a desire to lure humans into the depths of the sea. Considering that sea voyages were historically perilous and shrouded in mystery, it’s unsurprising that the mythological creatures associated with the sea are also dangerous. @witchr0se

Honestly, I don’t know why I hesitated to give this book five stars. The only flaw I found in this book was that the pacing was slightly odd at certain times. I think the brutality and cruelty in certain parts could also put some people off, but I personally believe that glazing over that would have taken away from the impact of the story. But whatever the reason, I didn’t fall in love with book quite enough to merit a five star rating. TL,DR RecommendationIt is painful to me that Lila is more likely than Flora/Florian to be a character on peoples’ bookshelves as possibly their only example of literary non-binary representation. An utterly romantic and breathless adventure that wouldn’t let me sleep until I’d devoured every last word. It’s a journey of love, magic, and self-discovery unlike any I’ve ever read.”

A touch I loved that this author included was non-Imperial people taking on names to reflect those in power and try to better 'fit in,' much the same way non-European people take on European names to make things 'easier' for those who are their colonizers and just grease the wheels of social interactions. Hopewell, John (2023-06-13). "Disney Branded Television Greenlights 'Disney Junior's Ariel,' Inspired by 'The Little Mermaid' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 2023-10-27. Iacobucci, Jordan (May 27, 2023). "10 Best Performances in The Little Mermaid Live-Action Remake". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved June 7, 2023.

In the Disney+ short The Simpsons: Welcome to the Club, Ursula and other Disney villains welcome Lisa Simpson to "Disney Villain Land," and persuade her to become evil. Starting in this short, she is now voiced by Dawnn Lewis, due to Pat Carroll's sudden death happening during the short's production. [97] Books [ edit ] Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch [ edit ]

Min, Lilian (September 20, 2013). "17 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Little Mermaid' ". Yahoo! . Retrieved April 1, 2016. a b Schmeink, Lars; Böger, Astrid (2012). Collision of Realities: Establishing Research on the Fantastic in Europe. Germany: Walter de Gruyter. p.140. ISBN 9783110276718. Collins, Jim; Collins, Ava Preacher; Radner, Hilary (2012). Film Theory Goes to the Movies: Cultural Analysis of Contemporary Film. United Kingdom: Routledge. p.286. ISBN 9781135216450.

Davis, Amy M (2014). Handsome Heroes and Vile Villains: Masculinity in Disney's Feature Films. Indiana University Press. p.170. ISBN 9780861969074. Peter David( w),Bill Fugate( p),Dave Hunt( i). Serpent Teen,vol.1,no.1(1992).Walt Disney Magazine Publishing Group. In her book Tales, Then and Now: More Folktales as Literary Fictions for Young Adults, author Anna E. Altmann compared Ursula to Satan because both Ariel and Triton "sign a contract ... with her"; [10] James Plath of Movie Metropolis described Ursula's contract as "a Mephistophelean bargain." [68] Much like Satan, Ursula was banished from Triton's palace, similar to the way in which Lucifer was exiled from heaven. [44] Felix Vasquez of Cinema Crazed believes that Ursula "is evil just for the sake of being evil". [69] Writing for the Disney Archives, Dave Smith observed that Ursula "has the gross unsubtlety of Ratigan from ' The Great Mouse Detective' but substantially more brio." [70] Describing Ursula as "Bejeweled and lip-pouting like an overweight, over-rich, over-pampered, over-the-top society hostess gone mad," Smith perceived the character as "all flair, flamboyance, and theatricality mixed with a touch of con-artistry", citing wrath as her only genuine emotion. [70] Additionally, Ursula tends to act as though she is performing for an audience. [70] Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel compared the character's appearance to that of evangelist Tammy Faye. [71] At times, Ursula tends to demonstrate stereotypically masculine physical traits. [72] Describing the character as "A campy sea witch with an insatiable thirst for power", Rolling Stone's David Ehrlich believes that Ursula resembles a child of Divine and Donald Trump. [73] Some critics identify the character with body positivity. According to Michaela Glover of The Odyssey, "Ursula portrays a bold business woman, not being afraid to show off her curves and use them, which defies the typical standards of beauty by also being a full figured woman." [74] Appearances [ edit ] The Little Mermaid (1989) [ edit ] Nouryeh, Elizabeth (March 7, 2016). "The 10 Best (Worst) Disney Villains". The Odyssey. Olympia Media Group . Retrieved April 25, 2016.

Somebody please throw this book at V.E. Schwab and tell her to take some notes on queer, specifically genderfluid/non-binary representation. After trodding through the first two books of the desert that is the Shades of Magic series, this was like coming upon an oasis for my queer, Indigenous self. And yeah, I'm gonna directly compare Schwab's Lila to Tokuda-Hall's Flora/Florian, so strap in for some education on queer rep from your friendly neighborhood PoC drag king. My husband and I drove through South America for a year and a half, and that was when I finished the first draft. Traveling informed a lot of the mythology in the story, but also the different settings — like the Forbidden Isles is based very closely on the Galapagos. The way that the Floating Islands looks when you get to the top side is very much like parts of Northern Columbia.Crow, David (January 21, 2014). "6 Disney Villains Who Deserve Their Own Movie". Den of Geek . Retrieved April 27, 2016. In Andersen’s tale, she is known solely as the Sea Witch. When we meet her, the scene unfolds as thus: “In the centre of the clearing was a house built of the white bones of men: there the Sea Witch sat, making a toad feed out of her mouth, as we make a little canary bird eat sugar.” The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is a beautiful confrontation of a book. Maggie Tokuda-Hall explores the cost of violence from every conceivable angle, trusting the reader to follow her intricate story and the complicated characters who inhabit it. Everything has a price, and every adventure takes its toll. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea asks what parts of ourselves we’re willing to sacrifice, and who we’re willing to sacrifice them for.” Russell, Shania (27 May 2023). "Who Plays Ursula's Alter-ego Vanessa in The Little Mermaid? Director Rob Marshall on Casting Jessica Alexander". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 7 June 2023.