Thalía Compares ‘Little Mermaid’ Scenes to ‘Marimar’— And Now We Can’t Unsee It

Do you remember watching the Mexican telenovela “Marimar” after school or hearing about the deliciously-dramatic plot from your abuela?

The 1994 novela “Marimar” starring Thalía was a treasure. Following the main character’s journey from poverty to riches — while always keeping Sergio Santibáñez in her heart, we were at the edge of our seats.

Even though Marimar grew up in a beach hut and was tortured by her lover’s mother, Angélica, she beat the odds and became rich and powerful by herself. And yes, (spoiler alert!) Marimar and Sergio ended up together and lived happily ever after. Was Marimar our own Disney princess all along?

Now that the live-action “The Little Mermaid” is playing in theaters, some fans are noticing its eerie similarities to “Marimar.” Well, at least one scene in particular, which has many novela lovers taken aback. Interestingly enough, even Thalía is getting in on the commentary and fans are here for it.

Why are Thalía and some fans comparing “The Little Mermaid” to “Marimar”?

Thalía posted a side-by-side comparison of an iconic fight scene from her 90s novela “Marimar” and a similar scene in this month’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Both protagonists wear light blue gowns in the two scenes and race toward their lovers. Why? Well, both Marimar and Ariel get a glimpse of their beaus in the arms of other women. And in this under-the-sea multiverse, neither of them is too happy about it.

Still, it’s important to note that the reasons behind both scenes are startlingly different.

Let’s do “Marimar” first: in the 90s novela, Marimar actually rushes to her husband Sergio when she sees him hugging Evelin Beltrán at a party.

As seen in a longer clip of the moment, the other woman tells Sergio, “It was a surprise to know you got married.”

She says, “I hoped I would be your wife, I always liked you.” On the side, Marimar exclaims, “That descarada is trying to get with my husband,” and then gives her a piece of her mind (or fist).

The scene is pure drama, absolutely iconic, 10-out-of-10, no notes. It makes sense that “The Little Mermaid” creators may have based their own film on it — or at least that’s what fans seem to think.

Both fight scenes have many similarities

As Thalía’s side-by-side comparison shows, that “Marimar” fight scene is near-identical to one in “The Little Mermaid.”

In the new live-action remake, Ariel runs towards Prince Eric at a party just like Marimar rushes over to Sergio Santibáñez with the descarada. Similarly, Prince Eric embraces another woman named Vanessa, who is actually Ursula in disguise.

Here, Ariel grabs Vanessa and fights her, just like Marimar fights Evelin Beltrán. But the reasons are very different. Vanessa — A.K.A. — Ursula uses Ariel’s voice to enchant Prince Eric and ensure the two lovers never kiss.

Why? Without true love’s kiss, Ariel reverts into mermaid form and falls under Ursula’s power forever. So let’s say the sirenita had a bit more at stake than Marimar. Still, we’re obsessed with this comparison.

Even more interesting? Thalía seems to have been a fan of “The Little Mermaid” longer than anyone thought. Yesterday, the “Equivocada” singer posted a TikTok video showing she actually played Ariel in a theater production in Spain.

In the clip, a younger Thalía sings “Under The Sea” in Spanish, dancing alongside several backup dancers. And yes, she seems thrilled with her mermaid tail.

This is how fans are reacting to the comparisons between “The Little Mermaid” and “Marimar”

On social media, fans can’t stop reacting to the “Marimar”-“The Little Mermaid” similarities. As one Twitter user wrote, the comparisons make her “very happy”:

Other fans joke both protagonists live in the same “cinematographic multiverse.” Another said the “real ‘Little Mermaid’ was Marimar”:

Yet another wrote, “I saw ‘The Little Mermaid’ but I feel like I actually watched ‘Marimar'”:

Meanwhile, several others say all this “Marimar” hype is making them want to watch “The Little Mermaid” even more now:

Still, others aren’t so convinced. While one questioned how so many people are talking about this would-be comparison, another joked, “I keep thinking about the parallelisms between ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Marimar.’ In both stories they teach them how to use stairs” (LOL):

On Thalía’s Instagram, one fan chimed in, “I knew I had seen that scene before 🤣🤣 Of course Marimar 🙌.”

No matter your opinion on the similar scenes, as one IG user put it, “Seeing ‘The Little Mermaid’ scene with the audio from “Marimar” is on another level.” Agreed!