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THE LITTLE MERMAID (Dir: Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Based upon Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, The Little Mermaid was Walt Disney Animation’s first fairytale adaptation in three decades. It was their biggest critical and commercial success in years and is credited with starting a renaissance in Disney feature animation.
As I am sure you know, The Little Mermaid is the story of Ariel, the teenage mermaid who trades her voice for a man. Not the most feminist of plots but I don’t think it raised eyebrows back in 1989. Be thankful we are more enlightened now and don’t let it spoil your entertainment. Because The Little Mermaid is very entertaining.
The most cinematic Disney animation to date, thanks to inventive use of ‘camera’ angles; directors Ron Clements and John Musker and the talented Disney artists created a movie which felt simultaneously contemporary and classic Disney. Clichéd as it may sound, there is a sense of magic in The Little Mermaid that had been absent from Disney movies for some time.
As the voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson has the right amount of naive wonder and youthful determination while Pat Carroll’s lends her husky tones to Ursula, one of Disney’s most hissable villains. Comic relief comes in the form of Samuel E Wright as Ariel’s crustacean custodian Sebastian who brings a Caribbean vibe to musical numbers Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl.
Howard Ashman and Alen Menken’s excellent musical score is, arguably, what elevates The Little Mermaid from a good movie to a great one and in the modern Disney era has only ever been matched for greatness by Ashman and Menken’s Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991).
It is unfortunate that in subsequent years the Disney Company chose to market The Little Mermaid, and the ‘princess’ movies in general, almost exclusively to little girls. The appeal of great filmmaking should extend beyond age or gender and The Little Mermaid undoubtedly does; its status as a classic is entirely justified.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer more in-depth version of this review and reviews of other Disney classics! Link below.
THE LITTLE MERMAID II: RETURN TO THE SEA (Dir: Jim Kammerud, 2000).
Released 11 years after the original, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is the first of two sequels to Walt Disney Pictures The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Flipping the events of the first movie, The Little Mermaid II is the story of Melody, the tweenage human daughter of Ariel and Prince Eric. Knowing nothing of her mother’s past and longing to explore the forbidden ocean, Melody strikes a deal with Morgana, the equally villainous sister of sea witch Ursula. With the safety of Melody and the merfolk kingdom of Atlantica at risk, Ariel must ‘return to the Sea’ in a bid to save them.
What drives me to watch a movie like The Little Mermaid II? Let’s say morbid curiosity. Plus the fact that Disney is no longer churning out these straight-to-video cash-ins means I am not supporting their production.
Is it any good? Well, considering its made for the home market origins, this is not a bad looking movie. Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation (latterly DisneyToon Studios), it’s not up to the high standards of a Walt Disney Animation Studios production but it is a step up from usual television fare. Also in its favour is the return of much of the original vocal cast including Jodi Benson as Ariel and Pat Carroll as Morgana.
The returning cast members and the above average visuals suggest that Disney was wary of damaging a popular franchise. However, whatever qualities the movie has are scuppered by some doggedly pedestrian storytelling.
To be fair, I found The Little Mermaid II to be passable entertainment and better than many Disney sequels. Very young viewers, especially those with a penchant for mermaids, should enjoy it. Older children and adults, meanwhile, would do better to stick with the superior original.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of Disney classics and their sequels! Link below.
THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL’S BEGINNING (Dir: Peggy Holmes, 2008).
The third and to date final movie of Disney’s animated Little Mermaid franchise. As its title would suggest Ariel’s Beginning is a prequel to the original The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Following the death of his wife Queen Athena, King Triton bans all music from Atlantica. Ariel and pals set about showing him the error of his ways and returning music and happiness to the kingdom. Yes, the plot really is that silly.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning was to be the last of Disney's animated made for video sequels, a line of movies that began 14 years earlier with Aladdin follow-up The Return of Jafar (Toby Shelton, Tad Stones & Alan Zaslove, 1994). Yet while these movies brought in the big bucks, their lower quality animation and storytelling had a detrimental effect on the public perception of Disney animation, possibly contributing to the disappointing box office returns of the studio’s product in the early 2000s.
Considering its made for video origins, Ariel’s Beginning is a visually pleasing film. Unfortunately the quality does not to extend to the storytelling which is decidedly puerile and aimed squarely at the youngest of mermaid obsessives. The movie also suffers, as do many prequels, from the fact that we know the story’s outcome before it has begun.
Returning as the voice of Ariel is Jodi Benson. While her performance is undoubtedly the movie’s highlight it is a shame that no-one thought to write her any decent new songs. The movie as a whole suffers from an overall lack of original tunes, ironic considering its subject. Sadly, the few that are included are instantly forgettable.
With its impressive visuals and its abysmal storytelling The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning showcases the best and worst of DisneyToon Studios output simultaneously. I personally found it a chore to watch. The most undemanding of very young mermaid fans may disagree.
A longer version of this review is available to read on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com
The awkward moment when your favorite songwriting team rips itself off
