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The Little Mermaid
 To
order this DVD, Click Here.
Disney finally releases one of
my most fave (modern) Disney animated features. Although some
potential bonus materials are absent, the DVD is a great gift
for any Disney fan!
The Film : When Michael
Eisner put Disney studios back on top, "the Mouse"
still had one task left to perform; one that many felt would
be impossible. The belief was that, while Touchstone films were
doing admirable box office business, as well as modern Disney
live-action films, it would be unlikely that modern animated
features would become as classic as the films Walt E. Disney
himself helped create. While such classics will always
be on the top of anyone's list, The Little Mermaid
proved one thing; Disney's pixie dust magic was back, in full
force.
The film succeeds on many levels, including the Disney standby;
exceed the quality of even the original fairy tale the film is
based on. As a result, Ariel the mermaid is joined by some of
the most adorable sidekicks ever seen under water; a way-cool
crab named Sebastian, a cowardly chubby fish named Flounder,
and a slightly dim-witted seagull named Scuttle. They must help
Ariel as she offers her beautiful voice to the sea witch, so
she can become human, and fall in love with a human prince. However,
wasn't her voice the only thing the prince was interested in?
Not if Disney Animation has anything to say about it!
This is the film that breathed new life into the animation
industry. Why shouldn't it? The scenes are practically epic,
including Oscar-nominated music moments like "Under the
Sea" and "Kiss the Girl." In fact, unlike most
other animated features, every musical moment is
perfect, thanks to song team Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Helping
to sing the songs is an excellently chosen bunch of voice actors,
including Jodi "Ariel" Benson and Pat "Ursula"
Carroll. Most notably, though, is the voice of Sebastian the
crab, Samuel E. Wright; his voice overs are perfect!
The gripes of this film were few. While some critics felt
it worth mentioning that Ariel is "semi-nude" in the
scene where she first gets legs, it's tastefully done and nothing
is shown (as if there would be, in a G-rated film!). Some Hans
Christian Anderson fans were also a little miffed at the changes
made to the finale, though who can blame Disney for doing so?
I sure can't; the altered climactic conclusion is far better
than having to hear the melodramatic "her tears forever
salt the ocean" hogwash again. It also helps to enhance
my choice of this film, as one of my all-time favorite animated
Disney classics!
The DVD : The first big
thing about this DVD is that it's widescreen. While some might
gripe that an option to see the film full-screen isn't present,
widescreen is in this case preferable. I was unable to see this
film in this format since it was first in theaters, in 1989!
I think many others have had similar difficulty in seeing anything
other than its VHS "pan & scan" format (unless
they owned a Laserdisc player). Given the colorful musical moments,
it's great to see the film the way it was originally intended
to be seen, finally. Frame by frame, the DVD, widescreen version
of the film is perfect, in color, picture, and of course sound
(Dolby Digital).
There are few bonus materials possible, so I can't complain
too much about the lack of "extras." However, there
was that cute behind-the-scenes special on the Disney channel
in '89, showing the animators, voice actors, and other members
of the behind-the-scenes crew. I would've liked that featurette
included on this DVD, particularly because of the amusing trivia
it included; for one thing, the animator who drew Ariel was the
actual son of the cartoonist who drew the classic comic strip,
"Family Circus." Perhaps someday Disney will upgrade
the DVD to include this featurette, or perhaps even an audio
comment track by the film's animators. With or without such features,
this is a spectacular DVD to own...
To
order this DVD, Click Here.
 For the latest VHS edition (limited release!), click here...
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