The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
Year: 2008
Directed by: Peggy Holmes
Starring: Jodi Benson, Jim Cummings, Samuel E. Wright & Sally Field
Runtime: 77 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 05/09/22
Directed by: Peggy Holmes
Starring: Jodi Benson, Jim Cummings, Samuel E. Wright & Sally Field
Runtime: 77 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 05/09/22
The journey has finally reached its end and I am here with just one last Disney Animated Sequel left to review. When John Lassetter became president of Disney Animation in the late 00’s he restructured the various animation divisions and with that DisneyToon Studios ceased to exist. The final project the studio worked on was a prequel to The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Beginning; could the studio pull it out of the bag one last time…or would it be yet another disappointment to add to the pile?
Following the death of Queen Athena (Lorelai Hill Butters), King Triton (Jim Cummings) bans music from Atlantica. A number of years later after having a disagreement with her father about their boring daily routines, Ariel (Jodi Benson) discovers that the citizens of Atlantica run a secret nightclub to celebrate music and dance, run by the King’s aide Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright). Desperate for a promotion, Marina Del Ray (Sally Field) gets the club closed down and a number of its patrons imprisoned. Unable to accept her father’s law, Ariel seeks to escape and live a life of musical celebration as her mother would have wanted.
Following the death of Queen Athena (Lorelai Hill Butters), King Triton (Jim Cummings) bans music from Atlantica. A number of years later after having a disagreement with her father about their boring daily routines, Ariel (Jodi Benson) discovers that the citizens of Atlantica run a secret nightclub to celebrate music and dance, run by the King’s aide Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright). Desperate for a promotion, Marina Del Ray (Sally Field) gets the club closed down and a number of its patrons imprisoned. Unable to accept her father’s law, Ariel seeks to escape and live a life of musical celebration as her mother would have wanted.
Shamefully, Ariel’s Beginning is another misfire from DisneyToon. Thankfully it’s not awful, but it’s hardly the bang the studio should have bowed out with. The characters and world of The Little Mermaid are portrayed so one dimensionally here that it’s hard to connect with the narrative, even worse is that none of the songs are particularly good, and in a film designed to celebrate all the wonders that music can bring that’s kind of a big problem.
Triton does nothing but irritate me throughout this entire film because he is so prepared to be miserable for the rest of his days that he never spends any time with his daughters, and is prepared for his kingdom to fall into ruin. It’s such a stark contrast to the character from the original film that I wonder whether the writers ever watched that film to get an idea of what the characters were like.
Marina is also a very forgettable villain. She’s not exactly evil, but she’s just not particularly nice. I got discount Yzma vibes from her, and it just reminded me of why I love Yzma so much which made it even worse.
Ariel’s Beginning does look good though. Comparable to the original in a lot of ways, which I suppose is something. Character models are detailed, and environments are so colourful and pretty to look at. The animation is smooth, and I really mean it when I say that had this been theatrically released in the late 90’s/early 00’s it would have fit right in. It really is a shame about the musical numbers though, not only did The Little Mermaid have great musical numbers in 1989, but this entire film is about music, so why are they so underwhelming?
My time with Disney’s often underwhelming direct to home video animated sequels has finally come to an end. There were some gems in there, and a couple that were even comparable in quality to the original films that preceded them. But the overwhelming majority were dull and forgettable, with a handful even being downright awful. Ariel’s Beginning falls into the dull category. I can maybe see young Little Mermaid fans enjoying it, but for the majority of people it just doesn’t have enough there to grab interest.
For those who have followed these reviews, thank you for sticking around, it’s been an interesting ride. I would end on a musical number, but I’m concerned it’ll only be as good as those in Ariel’s Beginning.
Triton does nothing but irritate me throughout this entire film because he is so prepared to be miserable for the rest of his days that he never spends any time with his daughters, and is prepared for his kingdom to fall into ruin. It’s such a stark contrast to the character from the original film that I wonder whether the writers ever watched that film to get an idea of what the characters were like.
Marina is also a very forgettable villain. She’s not exactly evil, but she’s just not particularly nice. I got discount Yzma vibes from her, and it just reminded me of why I love Yzma so much which made it even worse.
Ariel’s Beginning does look good though. Comparable to the original in a lot of ways, which I suppose is something. Character models are detailed, and environments are so colourful and pretty to look at. The animation is smooth, and I really mean it when I say that had this been theatrically released in the late 90’s/early 00’s it would have fit right in. It really is a shame about the musical numbers though, not only did The Little Mermaid have great musical numbers in 1989, but this entire film is about music, so why are they so underwhelming?
My time with Disney’s often underwhelming direct to home video animated sequels has finally come to an end. There were some gems in there, and a couple that were even comparable in quality to the original films that preceded them. But the overwhelming majority were dull and forgettable, with a handful even being downright awful. Ariel’s Beginning falls into the dull category. I can maybe see young Little Mermaid fans enjoying it, but for the majority of people it just doesn’t have enough there to grab interest.
For those who have followed these reviews, thank you for sticking around, it’s been an interesting ride. I would end on a musical number, but I’m concerned it’ll only be as good as those in Ariel’s Beginning.