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The Little Mermaid

Episode - 92

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June 4, 2013 Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

Craig and John spend an entire episode discussing and dissecting 1989’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, looking at both its structure and scene work.

The first of Disney’s modern animated musicals, The Little Mermaid established the template for how these films are supposed to work. While it’s not perfect, it’s an ideal film for looking at how heroes and villains articulate their goals, and how screenwriters quickly establish a world and its conflicts.

Join us as we discuss useless sharks, lovable dogs and possibly the best I Want song ever written. (And don’t underestimate the importance of body language.)

LINKS:

  • Scriptnotes, Episode 73: Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • Wikipedia on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and Disney’s 1989 version

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 6-10-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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