I Love Mermaids

Artistic depiction of a mermaid underwater

As the title implies, I love mermaids! In my article, Mermaid Inspiration I discuss what inspires me so much about the mythology of mermaids and sirens. Let’s discuss movies that inspired me as well.

This is the scene from Ron Howard’s Splash that came out in 1984 that I always remember and find so cool. In this scene, the mermaid Madison played by Darryl Hannah, wakes up at night and sneaks into the bathroom. She begins to fill the bathtub with warm water and Morton Salt. You then see Madison’s legs begin to develop scales! It was such a cool effect! You then see Allan, played by Tom Hanks, begin to ask where she went and goes to look for her. When he arrives to the bathroom door he knocks and asks if she’s okay. This is when Madison panics, as she only has a few moments to gather herself together to ensure her tail rescinds back to human legs. When he finally breaks into the bathroom, which looking back now seems kind of odd, she tries to explain away what happened.The whole scene is charming and hard to forget. The movie was then nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

This is the endearing song by Rita Coolidge at the end of the movie Splash. In this scene, Allan and Madison decide to stay together. They are seen swimming back to her home, which is made possible by the magical mermaid kiss which allows Allan to breath underwater to avoid drowning. As the credit rolls you see her showing Allan her world as the credits roll. It’s a very romantic scene.

Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan was probably the first movie I saw that featured mermaids. It’s a very cute scene. You see the mermaids combing their hair, splashing, relaxing, playing music, and sunbathing under a waterfall.

With Disney’s 1989 The Little Mermaid, I couldn’t stop doing the hair flip at the beach. I have a picture somewhere in my mom’s from when I was 13 in which you can see me doing hair flips. I’ll try to find it. If I do, I’ll share it.

I fell in love with the recent release of the live adaptation of The Little Mermaid! The way all the scenes were crafted together to capture all the magical moments of from the animation was magical! The characters were all perfectly cast.

I recently saw a documentary about “mermaiding” while on vacation at St. Augustine, FL. It was very enlightening to see how mermaid mythology served to inspire these five women in the film. It reminded me of my love for mermaids and the power of myth. The movie talks about how the mermaid myth can be used to transform and empower women in such a way it reaches below the surface. I definitely recommend watching it.

And finally, I leave you with a clip from the beautiful mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. The documentary I just discussed, “Mermaids” also explores how mermaiding played a big role in the lives of these women from Weeki Wache. Weeki Wachee has been around since October 1975!! That’s 75 years of mermaiding! Talk about dressing for the job you want. Weeki Wachee Springs features an amazing performance of shows that take place underwater. Mermaids can be seen through a glass window swimming toward you and waving at you. The place is well-known and has been visited by Hollywood movie stars. The Weeki Wachi springs is also on the National Register of Historic Places