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DVD The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Special Edition)
From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list and was responsible for ushering Beauty and the Beast to theaters. A modern Disney classic. --Keith Simanton
Review(s): DVD The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Little Mermaid (finally) the way she was meant to be seen
"The Little Mermaid" ushered in a rebirth of the animated musical which had been in a steady decline since even before Walt Disney's death in 1966. This was the film that the floundering Disney animation department had to prove themselves with... sink or swim quite literally.
And the movie is a beauty! Inspired animation by greats like Ruben Aquino, Andreas Deja, and the legendary Glen Keane (who is directing the upcoming "Rapunzel"). The effects are stunning including a riveting storm sequence comparable to the Monstro scene in "Pinocchio" and the final sequence with the towering Ursula as queen of the seas. Sure its formulaic now, but the musical scenes are timeless and though "Under the Sea" is not as sophisticated as later animated "showstoppers" it still makes you see why the film's first audiences described wanting to stand up and cheer after the sequence.
If you're any kind of animation buff (and even if you're not), the DVD's bonus features are great. The "Making of" featurette is quite thorough and takes you through the whole filmmaking process from the director's initial pitch to the studio bringing in Howard Ashman who fleshed out the characters with his witty lyrics to the final tense moments leading up to the premier in 1989. There's some great suprises here including interviews with John Waters (over Ursula being modeled on drag queen legend, Divine), and ex-Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenberg who stepped away from Dreamworks long enough to bring his insight on making "Mermaid" (and who, we find out almost nixed Ariel's anthem "Part of Your World" from the film).
This film is inspiring to any wanna-be animator out there. Even more so, its a great film. I only hope the current studio brass takes note that films like this are priceless unlike the uninspired sequels they've been throwing at us for the past few years.
Viva la Mermaid!
The Little Mermaid: Classic Disney
This movie is just as good as I remembered. It's a classic Disney fairy tale, full of love, longing, fear, action, and beautiful songs. And the scene with Sebastian and the chef is priceless! If you haven't seen it yet, you can't miss this film!
Truly deserving of it's reputation...
I'd forgotten how good this film was, I really had, I had vague memories of being sat down in front of a video, and there was a large scary lady in purple doing bad things. But that was it, I'd forgotten how heart-warming and beautiful the film was.
The first step toward making this film a true Disney masterpiece, is the fact that the story is so strong. I was totally engrossed by it, and didn't get bored for a moment. I had forgotten about the sweet scenes in the town and by the river, they are what a film needs, character development and just a slight expansion of the story beyond the basic bones of the tale. Sure, it's not a faithful rendition of the original tale, but it isn't about tragedy, it's about love and your dreams coming true.
The animation, whilst not as accomplished as some of their slightly later films (such as the Hunchback of Notre Dame) is a delight to behold, and it really makes the mer-people seem very believable in the movement and actions. The animators of Ariel must of been very pleased with themselves, she comes across as being real (well, as real as a cartoon can be) I can see in her facial expressions will genuine expressions, not pale imitations as is so often the case in animation.
The soundtrack really makes it, generally, I find Disney side-kicks obtrusive and annoying, but Sebastian makes the film, I never imagined reggae style music could manage to be romantic! The key song, is also beautiful, whilst I don't know the title (shameful I know) the words continue to soar through my mind, 'now we can run....etc.!'
The extras are also very worthwhile, a fascinating making of, some games for the children and deleted scenes (utilising unused storyboards.) There is also a commentary and a new music video for 'Kiss the Girl.' However the best of them all has got to be the beautiful and tragic, 'The Little Match-Girl,' I can honestly say that few other films have managed to move me so deeply, I couldn't remembered the last time I cried over a film, until I saw this one. I knew it would be special when I watched the introduction by the director, he mentioned how he use to read the story to his children - it made me remember my parents use to read me the story too. I really hope that it will be Oscar Nominated - it deserves it.
Equally satisfying for any child or film critic. A true classic.
- Rachael -
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