9 Movie Plot Holes Confirmed By The Creators
8. Why Didn't Ariel Write Prince Eric A Note? - The Little Mermaid
The Plot Hole
In Disney's classic animation, mermaid Ariel makes a deal with sea witch Ursula to receive a human form for three days, at the expense of her voice.
If she can receive true love's kiss from Prince Eric within this period of time, she'll become a human forever, but if not, she'll revert to mermaid form and belong to Ursula forever more.
Naturally, winning someone's heart is much more difficult without the ability to speak, but did it never occur to Ariel to, you know, write things down for Eric?
It sure would've streamlined her quest, and given that we see Ariel write her name when she signs the initial pact with Ursula, we know that she's not illiterate.
The Confirmation
Former Disney animator Tom Sito eventually chimed in on the matter, stating that shortly after the movie's release, a child asked him the very same question, prompting the animators in attendance to all nervously smile at one another and swiftly move things on.
That's as glaring an admission of guilt as you've ever going to get from the production itself. Ultimately it comes down to "because movie", which given the film's considerable charm is basically fair enough.