Why does Ariel have a belly button?

Question

In the movie "The Little Mermaid", Ariel and the other merfolk have belly buttons. Why would mermaids and mermen need belly buttons? Most aqautic mammals do not have umbilical cords upon birth.

Answer 1

Because they are trying to humanizes as much as possible... So people will not see her in a evil way................

Answer 2

Easy!

You know how old fishermen confused manatees with mermaids?

Well manatees are mammals, and mammals have bellybuttons!

So if a mermaid was inspired from a manatee half way up, then they should be mammals half way up, thus having a bellybutton!

But, yes, Arial and her mer-people, are the only mer-people, with bellybuttons (that I know) so I can see why someone would ask that question...

Answer 3

I'm guessing that, like a great many posters here, the animators found themselves amidst a room full of smoke from the stickiest of the ickies and felt it to be either a "frickin mind blower!" or simply brushed the remnants of their Totino's pizza from the rim their own munchie-filled belly button and thought it best to add it. It is also possible that we have all put to mind a querie that is beyond the collective here at yahoo answers due to...um, metaphysical complexity of the issue?

Answer 4

It says no where that they were born by an egg for all we know mermaids (if they were real . . .) can be born similar to they we are and need the umbilical cord.

:o)

It could also be that she would look funny with out one.

Lots more people would have said something if she did not have a bellybutton.

Verus the handful or two that would have said something about her having a bellybutton

Answer 5

Aerial, like all mermaids, is part human, part fish, so it makes sense that reproductions could be 'human' like.  On the other hand, the Disney character Aerial was modeled after Alyssa Milano, of 'Who's the Boss' and 'Charmed' famed, so maybe they just decided that since they modeled characters after humans, they should use as many human characteristics as possible..

According to Wikipedia:  "The character's body shape and personality were based upon that of Alyssa Milano, then starring on TVs Who's the Boss?"

Answer 6

Because its a freakin cartoon for kids!!!!!  

Answer 7

Real mermaids do not have belly buttons. They are given belly buttons for character in the animated films.

Answer 8

they arnt aquatic mammals, there mythical and they where created diffrently... besides, there half human so ofcourse they would have belly-buttons

Answer 9

fictional characters do funny things like that......

Answer 10

Maybe animators tried to make it more human-like...