Product Description

Mermaids are supposed to stay under the sea but Ariel a headstrong teenager longs to be part of the magical world on land. When she falls in love with a human prince Ariel strikes a bargain with the diabolical Sea Witch to win the prince's love. THE LITTLE MERMAID is a beautiful splash of art and music that revived the classic Disney tradition.System Requirements:Running Time 83 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936284065 Manufacturer No: 04023400

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2006-10-03
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, Special Edition, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .40 pounds
• Running time: 83 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
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

On the DVD
Fans awaiting a revamp of The Little Mermaid on DVD should be pleased to know that the new, fully restored version gets the treatment it deserved all along. The Special Edition is presented in 1:78 aspect ratio, as opposed to the original 1:66 presentation, and gone is the grainy original transfer, which had Ariel's mottled complexion looking like she spent some time in a tanning bed. Various crew members chime in on the audio commentary track, but most dominant is composer Alan Menken, who adds in previously taped interviews with the late lyricist Howard Ashman (a welcome surprise). There's also a 45-minute "making of" documentary in which everyone from animators to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Leonard Maltin reflect the limp state of Disney animation before Mermaid kicked off its "golden reign" of the early '90s. Another revelation: Katzenberg nearly eliminated "Part of Your World" from the movie after a hyperactive kid sitting in front of him appeared restless during a test screening.

Other features: a documentary on Hans Christian Andersen, and the tragedy of his personal life that inspired his much darker original ending. (The mermaid, unable to stab the prince in the heart after he marries another, turns into sea foam.) Included is an animated short of Andersen's "The Little Match Girl," a tale so depressing--again, reflecting the loneliness in Andersen's own life--it's not really clear how it ever became a "beloved bedtime story." There's also a sing-along feature, which jumps right to the musical numbers with words appearing onscreen. Deleted scenes include one unused song, "Silence is Golden," and various early sketches of alternate takes. One curious addition is a virtual Little Mermaid amusement park ride, which was originally proposed for Disneyland but failed to come to life. (Seems digitizing the experience for people to "ride" in their living room was the consolation prize.) The only blasphemous feature is a music video of "Kiss the Girls," reimagined as a Hilary Duff-esque rock song--minus the charming calypso beat that made it famous(!)--sung by the Hilary Duff-esque Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical). Aside from that, if you own The Little Mermaid in its 1999 incarnation of DVD, get the special edition and leave your old one for the kids (or the dog) to scratch up. --Ellen A. Kim

Customer Reviews

Regional Restriction for viewing in Australian DVD player
There is apparently a Regional Restriction for viewing the DVD in Australian DVD player. So we were unable to view the DVD on our DVD player. It would nice that when we purchase the DVD that Amazon.com would tell us that there would be restrictions in viewing the DVD in Australia and restrict us in continuing with the purchase.

Too scary for all my children
I ordered this DVD from Netflix and we played it twice. All in family concluded that they didn't want to watch it again. This is from a 2 1/2 year old girl, a 4 1/2 year boy and a 10 year old girl. My girls love many of the songs we play from YouTube, like "Part of Your World", but the evil enchantress and the sharks that "kill" make it all too scary for them. My kids have 100's of DVDs, and preferred titles are: Angelina Ballerina, Ratatouille, Cars, Baby Enstein box set, Teletubbies, Rescue Hero, Alphabet Train, Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder, Maisy, Kipper, Mickey Mouse (not all the old ones though), Winnie the Pooh Friendship series DVDs, Heffalump Movie, and Wiggles Big Red Car to name the favorites. Wish there was an option to select and play "preschool" edition minus all the scary parts. Even our 10 year old thought too scary, and said Cinderella was the only one that doesn't scare her of all the Disney movies.

"Wish I could be part of that world..."
The Little Mermaid is another childhood favorite of mine. I just love this movie! Ariel is the coolest mermaid ever! My cousin and I used to watch this classic over and over again. I highly recommend this family favorite, enjoy!