The
Little Mermaid
Relive
the under the sea tale of a girl that just wants to live on the land and
meet her prince.
Back
in 1989 Disney Animation Studios had really hit a low after such poor
releases like the forgettable “The Black Caldron” and “Basil – The Great
Mouse Detective” they were looking for a new animated blockbuster to
bring back the magic to the house of mouse. They found it in a mermaid
with dreams to be up where they run, up where they stay all day in the….
Ok I’m breaking into song. But that’s what the little mermaid does to
you.
If you
were a kid in the 80’s like me you no doubt have seen this but if by
chance you lived in a box I’ll give you a quick rundown. A teenage
mermaid named Ariel along with her best friend Flounder (a talking,
well…Flounder) has dreams to have legs and get out of the water and meet
her Prince Charming, but those dreams have been beyond her reach until
the day she befriends the evil sea monster Ursula who trades her a pair
of legs in return for Ariel’s voice.
The
little mermaid is written in the same vein of the entire Disney princess
back catalogue namely Cinderella and I think it’s that recipe that made
this Disney movie an instant classic. Most girls want to be a princess
and most want to meet their Prince Charming and get away from their
parents. So as the saying goes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Ariel
voiced by Jodi Benson, is the perfect modern day princess, she’s
independent, she’s courageous and very much a teenager. Minus the fact
she has fins she is truly a believable character but Disney never relies
simply on their main character there is always a great supporting cast.
The little mermaid is no different. Tagging along in the journey is
Sebastian the Reggae singing crab that not only snags one but two of the
best songs of the film, Flounder, Ariel’s scaredy cat best friend,
Scuttle the wise cracking seagull and King Triton Ariel’s father.
The
Little Mermaid is one of Disney’s Musical pictures and contains over 7
songs but rather than just having one or two great songs like most
others basically every song is great and more than likely will stay in
your head for days to come. The 7.1 Disney Digital transfer is
immaculate. The music fills the room but never over does it with heavy
bass or treble.
The
transfer of the Remastered Blu-ray is incredible. The film comes out as
crisp as can be. The colours are vibrant and quality is top notch. Yet
it’s somewhat apparent in the film scratches that are scattered
throughout the transfer that not as much care was taken with this
release as the flawless Beauty and the Beast. However it has to be taken
into account that the Little Mermaid is 2 years older.
The
Blu-ray release is pack with bonus features. One of my favourites was
the” The Real Little Mermaid: Live
Action Reference Model” which by the title suggests takes a quick yet
in-depth look at how using an actor for reference, the animators acted
out and drew over a lot of the scenes from the movie. It was very
interesting to see how the process happened and the little things that
actress Sherri Stoner brought to the character. It made me wonder how
many other movies used this method and how much of the character comes
for the actor that is used for the reference rather than the voice actor
that will normally take the credit. If you get a chance check it out.
The
Little Mermaid is a great Disney release perfect for the kids that grew
up on it and want to relive the tale or new kids that need a little gem
to watch. Unlike so many other animation studios the Disney classics
always manage to hold up over the years. So don’t miss out, pick up The
Little Mermaid on Blu-ray before Disney closes the vault once again on
this classic.
BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES -
-
All-New Music
Video
-
The Real Little
Mermaid: Live Action Reference Model
-
Part of Her
World: Jodi Benson's Voyage To New Fantasyland
-
Howard's Lecture
-
Classic DVD Bonus Features
-
@ Disney
Animation
-
Deleted Character
-
Disney
Intermission
