Best Disney Film Gets Royal Treatment!

The story of a mermaid who wishes she could be human (the whole grass is greener thing) so she makes a bargain with a sea witch to become human in exchange for her voice (the Faust element). Ariel risks everything to become human so she can be with her prince but Ursula the sea witch does not leave anything to chance.

The Little Mermaid is one of the best Disney animated films - Beauty and the Beast is the only one that can rival it for the #1 spot. Beautiful animation, great story and great voice talents. This was back in the day when you did not have to be a movie star to lend your voice to a Disney movie. Which, I think, is one of the things I miss about Disney films. Not only are their films done on computers but movie star do the voices - and that is all you can see, the actor doing the voice, not the character.

Highly recommended, this 2 disc edition has tons of extras. Deleted scenes, making of featurette, "Kiss the Girl" video, games plus the remastered the print and sound. Not necessary to get the 2 disc edition to enjoy the film, but it is the only one in stores right now - and once they sell out Disney will not release it again for 10 years.

A great Disney Classic to own and to treasure!

Disney movies are timeless, whimsical stories that will never go out of fashion and will live to entertain generation after generation!
The Little Mermaid is no exception to this rule. 2006 sees the release of this new, remastered version of their 1989 theatrical hit. In a 2 DVD format, this has brighter, more vibrant film footage which only adds to the delight of this film, coupled with extras that the initial pressing did not include - such as the story behind the Little Mermaid, which of course was loosely adapted from a Hans Christian Anderson tale, or a astounding virtual under the sea adventure!!Of course, the real appeal is in the actual tale itself, which tells a story of mermaid Ariel and her wish to become human! In order to achieve her dream , she bargains with the sea witch - Ursula (Disney really created a grotesque horrid character in Ursula which may be a little too intense for the younger viewer) - but of course, things are really not that simple and she finds herself battling for what she really has!!
This movie stands out for two main reasons - the incredible and vibrant graphics, probably amoung the best of the Disney Movies; and the songs - they help capture the mood of the film, tell the story and I would bet that even those who are not familiar with the movie will certainly know some of the songs such as "Under the Sea".
This is a movie the whole family will love and a worthy addition to your Disney Movie collection!

The Little Mermaid

I cannot review this movie. I love it far too much to give an objective opinion. However, I'm not sure too many people know the original story of the little mermaid so I thought I would put that on here in my own words.

The little mermaid's name has changed many times, when it isn't Ariel, sometimes it's Pearl or something else. The prince was never named either. The little mermaid saved the prince from the sinking ship and brought him ashore and fell in love with him. She went back to the sea and found the sea witch and asked to become human. The sea witch actually tried to talk her out of it. She could be made to have legs but every step she took with them would feel like razor blades going through her feet. I think she was still given three days in this original story but she had three days for him to marry her and commit himself only to her. If on the third day, she failed, she would be turned into sea foam. This was especially tragic because mermaids were immortal. The mermaid decided to go ahead with it anyway and had to give up her voice as a price. The prince found her and grew fond of her, but did not fall in love with her. He did not understand that it was she who saved him from the ship. Meanwhile, he was engaged to marry the princess of a neighboring kingdom. The mermaid befriended her as well and when she discovered she couldn't win the prince's love, although she was heartbroken, she still loved the princess as well for her kind heart.

The little mermaid's sisters heard of the promise she made and wanted to save her so they went to the sea witch as well. For the price of their hair, the sea witch gave them a dagger which the little mermaid would have to use on the prince and princess in their bed on their wedding night. If she did this, she could go back to the sea as a mermaid once more. The sisters begged her to do this but when she approached their bed, she saw how beautiful and in love they were and couldn't do it. She then disappeared.

But she did NOT turn into sea foam. Because her sacrifice was so great and her heart so full, she became a sea spirit who watched over the prince and princess for all their days and over all the sea.

So yeah, I can see why Disney changed it because it's pretty depressing. The Shelley Duvall Faerie Tale Theatre collection did follow this story and it's pretty sad to watch. Everyone should go out and buy the Disney version! At least for the crazy chef. That cracks me up.

One of the best disney films ever.

The Little Mermaid, one of the most celebrated animated films of all time -- and winner of two Academy Awards(R) (Best Music, Original Score; Best Music, Original Song, "Under The Sea," 1989) -- splashes onto an exciting 2-Disc DVD with an all-new digital restoration. Ariel, a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father's beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula! Dive into a world of music and adventure in this new 2-Disc Platinum Edition your family will enjoy again and again!

Splendid and Effortless Looking Realization of Perfecti

Disney's 1989 animated film THE LITTLE MERMAID is a very formidable movie, surpassing the combined visual and musical artistic talents of all concerned. Character development is one of the strong points of THE LITTLE MERMAID achieved through concise dialogue, music and simplistic yet effective images. However, most effective to the success of this film are the songs that advance the story line and define the characters. That was the brilliance of lyricist Howard Ashman's contribution to THE LITTLE MERMAID. He and composer Alan Menken developed songs that in several minutes clearly define Ariel's reckless but innocent curiosity about the humans above and her yearning to discover that world. Every song in THE LITTLE MERMAID bolsters the depth of the characters, advances the plot or enhances the significance of a scene in addition to being very melodic and well written. So in THE LITTLE MERMAID we are given a substantial amount of information and entertainment in a minimum amount of time. There is not a single frame of wasted footage in this film. The combined effort is one of a splendid and effortless looking perfect creation of a classical animated Disney tale.