The Freewater presentation of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" made a splash with about 450 students, as they made the sing-along a "part of their world" Friday night.
Students, some in various stages of inebriation, flooded the Bryan Center's Griffith Film Theater to sing along, with some help from subtitles, to the midnight screening of the classic animated movie, sponsored by the Duke University Union.
Those in attendance sang so loudly and projected so many editorial comments at the screen that they nearly drowned out the movie's characters. The energy of the crowd bubbled over during the song "Under the Sea," when about 50 students climbed on stage, some dancing and others shotgunning beers.
"It's like a party in my nostalgia and everyone's drunk and invited," said junior Adam Barron, executive marketing director for DUU, who led the on-stage revelry.
Audience members cheered like proud parents when Ariel stood on human legs for the first time, gasped in horror when Sebastian the crab scuttled away from the crazed French chef and, most notably, denounced sea witch Ursula as a "slut" when she seduced dream-boat Prince Eric.
Students attributed their enthusiasm for the event to the collective sentimentality Disney films inspire among members of their generation.
"Disney movies are something we've all grown up on, so they are something we all have in common," said Kousha Navidar, a junior who had previously attended four other Freewater Disney sing-alongs. "When you mix that with intoxication, it's like camaraderie on crack."
Navidar noted that the sing-alongs are an opportunity for him to meet up with old friends from his freshman dorm.
"We target the entire student population because we all have a strong connection to these movies regardless of what subsection [of Duke people] are in," said Aileen Liu, co-chair of Freewater.
Some students also mentioned they enjoyed watching the film now because they noticed new facets that they did not pick up on as children.
Freshman Rosie Phillips, for example, said she remembered the film from when she was four, but only now did she notice that Ursula refers to Ariel as a "tramp."
Several students said they ended up at "The Little Mermaid" for lack of anything better to do Friday night.
Section parties held by Mirecourt and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity were both shut down by campus police around midnight, prompting many students to trickle into Griffith.
Whatever the reason for their attendance, most students said they would come to another sing-along.
Friday's show marked the first Disney sing-along of the 2008-2009 school year. The sing-along tradition began three years ago and has become one of Freewater's most popular events. Freewater's next sing-along will be a presentation of Hercules Nov. 7.
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