12 Horrifyingly Dark Tales Behind Your Favourite Disney Movies

12. The Little Mermaid

You've got to love the ending to The Little Mermaid. Ariel quite literally sails off into the sunset with her Prince. Unfortunately, Hans Christian Anderson had another fate for her.

The story begins the same, she saves the Prince from drowning and makes an agreement with the Sea Witch to trade her tongue for legs, but if she doesn't convince him to fall in love with her she will be turned into sea foam (because it turns out mermaids don't have a soul).

With her new legs, the Little Mermaid feels like she is walking on knives with each step. Despite her amazing dancing ability, the Prince is all set to marry a Princess from a nearby town. Although the Prince does like the Little Mermaid, he believes that this other Princess saved him from drowning, so marries her instead.

It is then that a different deal is struck with the Sea Witch - she can keep her life if she kills the Prince and lets the blood drip on her feet. The Little Mermaid refuses and she turns into foam, but rather than fading away, she becomes a daughter of the air as she refused to kill the Prince to save herself.

A pretty bleak ending for our favourite red-headed mermaid.