The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) - Nice Prequel for the Little Mermaid Ariel

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginnings: You Just Can't Get Enough of Cute Little Mermaid Ariel

Although "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning" (2008) is the third film made in the "The Little Mermaid" trilogy, its setting comes first, with "The Little Mermaid" itself second and "The Little Mermaid II: Back to the Sea" the third in line. Given  Hollywood's peculiar obsession with prequels, the numbering systems can become a little confusing, but just remember that the last comes first and you'll be fine. "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning" by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment often is sold as part of a set with the other two films, so if you buy it that way, the order of the three Disney movies becomes more comprehensible.

Ariel the little mermaid looking happy

King Triton (Jim Cummings) and Queen Athena (Lorelei Hill Butters and Andrea Robertson) have seven young daughters in their underseas kingdom of Atlantica. Ariel (Jodi Benson) is the youngest and most precocious daughter. Everybody loves music, and Triton gives his dear wife Athena a music box. While enjoying it, she is crushed to death by a pirate ship. After that, Triton cannot bear the thought of music and banishes it from the kingdom.

Athena enjoying her music box

A new governess, Marina Del Rey (Sally Field), is selected to raise the girls. She and her assistant, Benjamin (Jeff Bennett), look after them diligently, though Marina secretly longs to be Triton's Chief of Staff instead. Ariel in particular resents not being able to enjoy music and seeks it out whenever she can.

All the main characters together

Ariel meets Flounder (Parker Goris), who also enjoys music. He leads her to an underwater music club, the "Catfish Club." To her surprise, she sees the king's chief adviser, Sebastian the crab (Samuel F. Wright), performing. Ariel the little mermaid is delighted to find a place to enjoy her passion. Despite the others' fear that she will reveal their secret, they allow her to join the club.

Triton and his daughter Ariel

Excited, Ariel later tells her sisters about the club. The next night, they all go to visit. Marina finds out about it and sees her opportunity. She informs Triton, who throws Sebastian, Flounder and the band in jail and grounds the girls. He promotes Marina to be his chief advisor, the position she always wanted.

Marina Del Rey and Triton

Ariel confronts her father about the ban on music, but his mind is so made up that he won't even talk about it. That night, Ariel decides to run away. She frees Sebastian and the others from jail and they all leave Atlantica. Sebastian leads them to Athena's old music box, and this inspires her to return the music box to Triton in hopes it will soften his heart about music.

Some of Ariel's spunky sisters

Marina, though, appears and blocks their return path. She worries that if Triton lifts the ban on music, he will release Sebastian, restore him to his position, and she will be demoted. She and her minions (electric eels) fight Ariel, Sebastian and the others in a final showdown. Ariel gets knocked out, but Triton happens by and sees what is going on. The entire incident makes him think long and hard about the whole music issue.

Ships usually mean trouble in this series

Only a few of the voice actors from the first two films were able to return for this concluding chapter, most noticeably the voices of Ariel and Sebastian. Sally Field signs on and does a fine job voicing the tale's villainess, singing "Just One Mistake" a couple of times. The songs by Jeanine Tesori, Raymond Bell, Steven Samuel, Rafael de Leon and Gariel Oller are a step up from the previous film in the series, and "Part of Your World" by the original film's composers Howard Ashman and Alan Menken also is used. While some people are not impressed by the songs' quality (and almost anything would suffer by being compared to the showstoppers in "The Little Mermaid"), they are performed competently and bring an added dimension to the production.

Ariel relaxing with Flounder

Another big draw for "The Little Mermaid 3" (as it is invariably known) is the high-quality (for direct to video) animation. While the second film in the series had relatively simple animation that seemed cartoonish at times, this film keeps the use of computer graphics to a minimum. It appears that new character models were made that closely resemble the originals but in some ways enhance them. Some might even think that Ariel is at her prettiest in this film. There is a lush look to this film that some may consider equal to the classic original episode, and is certainly a step up from "Back to the Sea." There is a touch of modern 3D animation techniques that give the undersea world a welcome sense of depth.

Ariel and her six sisters

Under new director Peggy Holmes, a dancer by training, there is very little conflict in the film, which suffers as a result. Marina is not much of a villainess, even compared to the rather pale Morgana of "Little Mermaids II." However, Sally Field voices her with gusto, making her seem crazy and cruel without being particularly evil. It is kind of odd in a continuity sense that we don't see anything of Marina in the concluding chapter of the trilogy, but that is one of the drawbacks of filming (and writing) stories out of sequence. Her ultimate fate is left unclear, though we are left with the impression that she will reform and return to the straight and narrow. In any event, her character never really makes sense, since becoming thuggish simply to keep Ariel and the others from talking to Triton seems a bit of a stretch. There are a lot of things that are forgivable in a Disney movie, but a weak villain isn't one of them. Holmes does do a nice job with the dancing sequences, though.

Triton's Atlantica underseas kingdom

This is the only time we get to see Ariel's mother, who it turns out looks exactly like Ariel the little mermaid herself, so it is worth watching by fans for that reason alone. If you like the "Little Mermaid" idea, you may as well get the complete set and start out by watching this film. This isn't really of the same quality as "The Little Mermaid" itself, but it is enjoyable for those who just can't get enough of the little mermaid Ariel. Even if you aren't a die-hard fan, there is a lot to like about this charming prequel that will warm you up for the main event that follows it.

Below is the 2008 trailer.

2012

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The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) - The Little Mermaid Ariel Returns

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea - The Tale of Ariel the Little Mermaid Continues With Ariel's Daughter Melody

The success of "The Little Mermaid" ignited the entire Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, so it was only a matter of time before the little mermaid Ariel returned for an encore. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (later DisneyToon Studios) released "The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea" on September 19, 2000 direct to video. Directed by Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith, it completes the story that the 2008 prequel "The Little Mermaid III: Ariel's Beginning" commences. The Ariel the little mermaid storyline runs through all three films, so it forms a continuous and cohesive trilogy despite the fact that the first chapter was produced last. There also is an animated television series that is a prequel to the entire "The Little Mermaid" film trilogy. "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" is eminently enjoyable and completes an epic journey for the "Ariel the little mermaid" franchise.

Ariel returns to her undersea ways in "Little Mermaid II"

Ariel (Jodi Benson) and Prince Eric (Rob Paulsen), together since the demise of Ursula at the end of "The Little Mermaid," have a daughter, Melody (Tara Strong) on a ship. Ariel's father, King Triton (Kenneth Mars), presents Melody with a special locket. Ariel, though, decides not to tell Melody of her sea heritage, and tosses the locket in the sea and builds a wall between the castle and the water.

Prince Eric, Ariel and Melody

Morgana (Pat Carroll), Ursula's sister, wants Triton's trident, which gives power over the creatures of the sea, so she almost manages to kidnap young Melody. Ariel and Eric work against her to foil her plot. When Melody is twelve, she goes swimming against her mother's orders and finds the locket, which has her name on it. When Ariel refuses to talk about it, Melody runs away from home by boat. Ariel, frantic, has Triton turn her back into a mermaid in order to search for her.

King Triton gives his blessings

News of Melody's departure soon reaches Morgana, who lures Melody to her lair with the help of Undertow (Clancy Brown) and her manta minions Cloak and Dagger. She transforms Melody into a mermaid, who is happy to become one. Melody steals Triton's trident, which Morgana says will enable her to remain a mermaid forever. With the trident, Morgana becomes power-mad just as her sister did while in possession of the trident.

Cloak and Dagger, Morgana's minions

After capturing Ariel and holding her hostage, Morgana rises to the surface to proclaim her power. Eric and his allies Triton, Sebastian the crab (Samuel E. Wright) and Scuttle the seagull (Buddy Hackett) arrive to rescue Ariel. Melody, wishing to save her mother, helps to overpower Morgana, and Triton recovers his trident. Triton then offers Melody the opportunity to become a mermaid permanently if she wishes, but Melody has a better idea.

Ariel talking to Melody about the trident

"Return to the Sea" has the wonderful advantage, unlike most direct-to-video sequels, of featuring almost all the same voice actors (with the notable exception of Prince Eric) despite the passage of over a decade. It also is very funny, with good music and the same characters with the same personalities. Watching Sebastian and Louie interact is a high point, while Scuttle still provides the comic relief.

Sebastian is a welcome return character from the original

"The Little Mermaid II" uses a different animation process, the CAPS computer process, than the original xerography system. It has a slightly different look, a bit more cartoony than the original. There is terrific detail in the facial expressions and body language. The songs by Michael Silversher and Patty Silversher, with background music by Danny Troob, reference the classic Howard Ashman tunes of the original, though these are not of the same high caliber.

Morgana changing Melody

Morgana is not very original as a villain, though, and Ariel is not the same energetic ball of fire as in the original. The narrative is almost the opposite of the original, with a human (Melody) wishing to become a mermaid. Melody is not nearly the enchanting character that her mother was, immediately placing this on lower quality level than the original. Overall, the characters seem to be going through the motions. Fans of the original, which was a breakthrough classic, are bound to be disappointed by the lack of originality here.

Melody suddenly realizes Morgana isn't who she thought

This film also is similar to the later "Brave" in some ways because it features a head-strong daughter who tries to find her own place in the world versus her mother without reference to any prince. In that sense, it has a feminist slant, along with the Morgana's own female point of reference. Nothing much comes of it in the end, since Melody and Morgana both wind up causing grief for everyone else, but it is a step in a different direction for the Disney juggernaut which some might find refreshing and other mystifying.

Morgana just has that way with folks

For those desiring another dose of Ariel the little mermaid and her adventures, this is better than nothing. If you are a fan of the first film and want to be entertained, enough is provided here for you to do that. Just don't expect to be shocked and awed by this film as with "The Little Mermaid," because you will be in for a let-down.

The trailer for the Special Edition is below.

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