Do we like them?

Do we like Ariel?

A character from The Little Mermaid (1989)

Our score: 7 out of 10. Impulsive and a bit careless, but brave, kind and loyal. We'd back her, though we'd read any contract she signs first.

Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton, ruler of the undersea kingdom of Atlantica. She is sixteen, has a great voice and is endlessly curious. She collects human objects in a secret grotto, with her fish friend Flounder and the seagull Scuttle (who is often wrong about what they are). Her father forbids any contact with humans, and her anxious court composer Sebastian is meant to keep her in line. He mostly fails.

Her curiosity turns into something bigger when she sees a human prince, Eric, and ends up saving him. She is stubborn, romantic and quick to act. She trusts too easily and doesn't read the small print when the sea witch Ursula offers her a deal. Those flaws cost her and the people around her. They also come from a good place: she wants to see more of the world and to treat people kindly.

We score her a 7. She is brave, loyal, funny and willing to put herself on the line for others. She is also a teenager who sometimes acts before she thinks, and that keeps her from being a flawless hero. When it counts, she fights hard for the people she loves.

By the end she gets what she wanted. Ursula's scheme falls apart, and Triton finally accepts that his daughter has grown up. He lets her go and live on land with Eric.