The Little Mermaid (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Disney's animated 'The Little Mermaid' (directed by Ron Clements & John Musker) is loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fable. Princess Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson) is a precocious teen mer-daughter of Triton, King of the Sea. She's is dissatisfied with life in the sea. And she's also obsessed with the culture of humans (who live on land), & keeps a secret treasure trove of objects recovered from shipwrecks (remember, this is supposed to be the 19th century). In fact, she's often in argument with her father who refers to humans as 'barbaric fish eaters'.
One afternoon, while swimming with her fish pal, Flounder, & her chaperone, Sebastian the Crab (Samuel E. Wright), Ariel finds a sinking ship, journeys to the surface, & saves a man, who winds up being a handsome prince named Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes), from drowning. Ariel falls in love with him, but when her father becomes privy to her excursions at water's top, he becomes mightily angry. Sad & desperate, Ariel foolishly falls into a trap of the unscrupulous sea-witch Ursula (Pat Carroll), who offers her a deal: she'll transform Ariel into a human, but Ariel must make Eric fall in love with her in less than 3 days, or else her soul (and wonderful singing voice) will belong to her forever. What Ariel doesn't know is that Ursula has made it so that Ariel couldn't possibly come out victorious. But differing from the source material, this version ends on a much happier note and, a big climactic showdown btwn. Triton & Ursula is fantastic.
'The Little Mermaid' may not be the best animated film I've ever seen. It's not groundbreaking. But the animation IS gorgeous. And this is one of the 1st animated films to incorporate a string of songs into the narrative; almost making it a musical! 2 of the biggest & best songs in the film include Oscar-winning Under the Sea & Kiss the Girl (big production numbers sung by Sebastian the Crab). They're addictively sing-able. And another song I loved was Ariel's Part of your World. I loved these songs. And they go a long way in the overall enjoyment of the film. The story is fine. But the animation & the songs bring the 'wow'.
The voice acting/singing is fantastic. Pat Carroll brings a real guttural menace to Ursula, the sea hag. Samuel E. Wright brings a great Jamaican vibe to Sebastian. We love Sebastian because of his sweet demeanor & fantastic reggae-infused vocal chords. And Jodi Benson gives Ariel a very clear, straightforward female soprano voice. She's delightful. 'The Little Mermaid' weaves together a magical underwater tale; one with beautiful ocean animation, likeable heroes, nasty villains, light romance, humor, & those WONDERFUL songs. Adults will appreciate the film. Kids are bound to love it. I think 'LM' will be a mini-Classic.
One afternoon, while swimming with her fish pal, Flounder, & her chaperone, Sebastian the Crab (Samuel E. Wright), Ariel finds a sinking ship, journeys to the surface, & saves a man, who winds up being a handsome prince named Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes), from drowning. Ariel falls in love with him, but when her father becomes privy to her excursions at water's top, he becomes mightily angry. Sad & desperate, Ariel foolishly falls into a trap of the unscrupulous sea-witch Ursula (Pat Carroll), who offers her a deal: she'll transform Ariel into a human, but Ariel must make Eric fall in love with her in less than 3 days, or else her soul (and wonderful singing voice) will belong to her forever. What Ariel doesn't know is that Ursula has made it so that Ariel couldn't possibly come out victorious. But differing from the source material, this version ends on a much happier note and, a big climactic showdown btwn. Triton & Ursula is fantastic.
'The Little Mermaid' may not be the best animated film I've ever seen. It's not groundbreaking. But the animation IS gorgeous. And this is one of the 1st animated films to incorporate a string of songs into the narrative; almost making it a musical! 2 of the biggest & best songs in the film include Oscar-winning Under the Sea & Kiss the Girl (big production numbers sung by Sebastian the Crab). They're addictively sing-able. And another song I loved was Ariel's Part of your World. I loved these songs. And they go a long way in the overall enjoyment of the film. The story is fine. But the animation & the songs bring the 'wow'.
The voice acting/singing is fantastic. Pat Carroll brings a real guttural menace to Ursula, the sea hag. Samuel E. Wright brings a great Jamaican vibe to Sebastian. We love Sebastian because of his sweet demeanor & fantastic reggae-infused vocal chords. And Jodi Benson gives Ariel a very clear, straightforward female soprano voice. She's delightful. 'The Little Mermaid' weaves together a magical underwater tale; one with beautiful ocean animation, likeable heroes, nasty villains, light romance, humor, & those WONDERFUL songs. Adults will appreciate the film. Kids are bound to love it. I think 'LM' will be a mini-Classic.