Product Description

Disney's amazing undersea classic lives on in an all-new story bursting with the same captivating musical style, unforgettably colorful characters, and brilliant animation that made the original film an Academy Award(R)-winning favorite. After rejoicing over the birth of their daughter Melody, Ariel and Eric must face a new threat from Ursula's revengeful sibling Morgana -- a threat that forces them to hide Melody's true mermaid heritage. Melody, a young princess curious about her roots, ultimately ventures into the sea against her parents' wishes. There, she meets new friends, and in her dream to be a mermaid becomes a pawn in Morgana's plot to gain control of the Seven Seas. Ariel must reunite with her childhood friends Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle to rescue her daughter and restore harmony to her family. An all-star cast returns, including Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian), for a remarkable adventure teeming with surprises and four phenomenal new songs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #904 in VHS
• Released on: 2000-09-19
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amazon.com
Ariel and her husband, Prince Eric, have a little problem with their daughter, Melody, in the sequel to Disney's landmark The Little Mermaid. Melody is threatened by Morgana, the evil sister of the sea witch Ursula (both voiced by Pat Carroll). Before you can say "Briar Rose," Melody's parents decide to keep their daughter's roots a secret, forbidding her to learn about the ocean while Morgana is around. Now the budding teenager secretly frolics in the sea with Ariel's old friends, Sebastian and Scuttle. When she learns the truth from Morgana, Melody becomes an unknowing pawn in her scheme--and Mom has to take to the sea again to help.

As with Disney's other made-for-video sequels, The Little Mermaid II looks and sounds wonderful (and reunites much of the same vocal talent). Four- to nine-year-olds who grew up with the original will certainly enjoy seeing the friends again. A new set of artists has come up with four catchy tunes and some fun new characters, including Tip and Dash, a pensive penguin and his blubbery walrus friend. Yet, where Beauty and the Beast had a deliberate Christmas-themed sequel, and Pocahontas told the tale of her historical trip to England, the plot here is very forced. It is pretty much a rehash of the first film with different characters. Tip and Dash are a reincarnation of Timon and Pumbaa, and Morgana is exactly like her sister, except thinner. Besides the stellar music, this unneeded sequel also misses another important aspect of the original--heart. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

The Littlest Mermaid
The Little Mermaid revisited more than 10 years later....Ariel has a daughter, Melody, who has no knowledge of her mom's mermaid ancestry. Melody yearns for the sea in the same way that her mom longed for land. This eventually leads to a new flip side version of the original "Little Mermaid" when Morgana (the just as evil but thinner sister of Ursula - both voiced by the deliciously whiskey voiced Pat Carroll) hatches a sheme to enchant Melody into a mermaid as revenge against Ariel....

Surprisingly, this made for video sequel is not too bad. It helps that many pf the original actors came back to reprise their roles. A good sequel, especially for the younger set.

Rent before you buy.
Before I saw this movie, I knew it wasn't going to measure up to the original movie so I didn't have high expectations. This is probably why I ended up liking the movie to a certain degree instead of being completely disappointed.

It's basically the same plot as the first movie - Ursula's sister wants to rule the sea and uses Melody's desire to become a mermaid to her advantage. While the movie is predictable, there were certain parts that gave me a warm glow. It was nice to see Ariel change from her proper-and-prim attire and return to the sea as a mermaid. There's a nice duet between Ariel and Melody about "sharing one moment" in time. It almost captures Ariel's original wistfulness and longing. Prince Eric, as usual, isn't capable of saving the day or even himself. Sebastin's schtick seems to be old to the point where his whining can be grating. However, on the plus side, there are two new song-and-dance characters which serve as a comic relief to detract from the predictable plot.

I recommend renting this movie first before making a purchase. I got the DVD as a belated wedding present and I'm glad I have it, but I can't honestly say I'd have personally bought it myself - not without a huge markdown in the price. Keep in mind that while it's not the greatest movie ever, it's not exactly bottom-of-the-barrel either.

Not up to the original, but great nonetheless...
Having been a fan of the original Little Mermaid for years, and having two children who are big fans, our household couldn't wait for the release of this sequel. We weren't let down. I admit I was somewhat apprehensive after the Lion King 2 sequel, which was much more frightening than the original, but as my 2 1/2 year old said after watching this movie "it didn't scare me!", so I was quite relieved. The kids absolutely loved the movie and were glued to the screen. They've watched it twice in the span of about 20 hours now.

The 4 star rating is somewhat misleading, as on its own, it would probably be a 5 star movie. The reason I could only give 4 stars is that I couldn't help but compare it to the original, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who will do so. That said, the movie was quite good, although not quite up to the standards of the original. The music was somewhat repetitive, and not as gripping as the original, but was still entertaining. Sebastian, as always, was a treat, and the new characters introduced mesh quite nicely with the existing cast.

The DVD extras include a trivia game, animated storybook, and an 8-minute short cartoon "Merbabies", which my children loved.

In summary, I would certainly recommend this sequel to anyone who enjoyed the original, as well as all fans of Disney.