No, that’s not a boner in The Little Mermaid. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then your elementary school playground was a lot more prim and proper than mine. See, for a long while now, people have been alleging that he 1989 Disney animated film seems to include a hidden sex message. When the bishop is marrying Prince Eric and Vanessa/Ursula, he appears to be uh, rather excited about the occasion. However, as the film’s directors have recently explained to The Huffington Post, it’s only his kneecaps. This is the scene in question:
See what I mean?
The Little Mermaid directors Ron Clements and John Musker are also helming Moana, and while doing press for the new film (for which you can read our review here), they answered our long-held question about the lewd-looking moment, calling it a misunderstanding. “The minister has knobby knees,” Clements said. “He was designed with knobby knees by animator Tom Sito who was not thinking of anything other than this slightly weirdly designed character. That was never the intention.” He added you can see the bishop’s knees in a couple other fleeting moments and they corroborate his explanation.
While they were on the topic of hidden sex messages in Disney films, Clements and Musker revisited another film from their past: Aladdin. If, like me, you had the VHS tape, you were surely convinced you heard Aladdin say, “Good teenagers take off their clothes” upon first breaching Jasmine’s balcony. Clements debunked that one too, telling HuffPo what he insists is the actual line. Read the full interview to hear his explanation.
Do you buy their explanations, or are you still convinced there are subliminal messages and a conspiracy to cover them up? Tell me your take in the comments.
Image: Disney
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