Disney had built the foundation to hold up the next generation of fantastic Disney animated films. Who Framed Roger Rabbit had done incredible business worldwide, and both Oliver and Company and The Great Mouse Detective had brought Disney Animation back from the darkest depths. Now, all they needed was a great story and a bit of Disney Magic. Director Ron Clements came across the perfect story in a bookstore one day in 1985, and a legend was born. Disney's first fairy tale in 30 years, The Little Mermaid builds off of the foundation set and creates an extraordinary animated film, with fantastic animation, a heartwarming story, wonderful music, and recognizable characters. Plot: A beautiful young mermaid named Ariel lives under the sea in the enchanted kingdom of Atlantica. But unlike her other sisters, she dreams is fascinated by the human world above and dreams that one day, she too could live among them. Often going against the wishes of her over bearing father, King Triton, Ariel swims around the water collecting many "treasures" from our world. One night, Ariel comes across the handsome Prince Eric, a human, and instantly falls in love with him. After saving his life during a hurricane, Ariel declares that she will one day be with him. Eric can only remember that he was rescued by a girl with a hypnotically beautiful voice.
After having it out with her father, Ariel decides to go and visit the sea witch Ursula to see if she could help. Ursula does offer her a chance to be human, but at the price of her voice. Ariel accepts, out of her love for Eric, and Ursula transforms the mermaid into a human girl for three days. Eric finds Ariel washed up on shore and offers to take care of her. Ariel realizes that she now needs to build her relationship with Eric from scratch, all while not knowing of Ursula's schemes to take over Atlantica and depose her father, who also seeks to rekindle with his daughter.
What's Bad?: I guess some traditions never do die. Prince Eric, while more developed than the Disney Princes that proceeded him, is still pretty bland and forgettable. It wouldn't be until Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin where we would get two quality male leads.
Like The Great Mouse Detective before it, The Little Mermaid is also hampered by tightfisted budgeting. But unlike Detective, this film skyrocketed over it's initial budget and cost nearly as much as The Black Cauldron.
What's Good?: The film nails everything that a Disney film should have. But you have to start somewhere. So I'll start with Ariel, who was acclaimed for being the first truly reactive and plot driving Disney Princess ever. I agree entirely, but I am also fascinated with the scenes when she is mute and enjoying her life above the surface. It isn't just abandoning her desires to see what the world above was like and just going for Eric. Ariel, though a tad reckless, is a TEENAGE girl.
Ursula is among the greatest Disney Villains of all time. She is the first Disney Villain to practically steal the show from the good guy since Maleficent and does it with such flare and force, that I think Pat Carroll should have at least been considered a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Even King Triton is developed to an extent only seen with Mr. Darling in Peter Pan. He is stubborn, prejudiced, and spiteful of all the human world has to offer. Nevertheless, he isn't a diabolical monster. He is a father who loves his daughter and would be willing to do anything to protect her, even surrendering his kingdom to Ursula.
The animation is stunning. The two scenes of animation that stand out the most, for me at least, are the storm scene and the "Part of Your World" scene. For the storm scene, the animators borrowed influences from both illustrative paintings by Kay Nielsen and from the Monstro chase in Pinocchio to properly illustrate the power of the storm, which is held thanks to extraordinary Special Effects.
As for the Part of Your World scene, Glen Keane is able to keep Ariel's wide and exquisite dream pallet condensed into such a small grotto as she has. The best scene is when she nearly reaches out and touches the audience as the song reaches it's pinnacle.
As for the music, it is top notch. Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman were two of the best in their business and with good reason. Every single note of music in the movie is legendary. The best song in the movie is "Under the Sea" which highlights the film's musical variety and displaying a reggae beat in a Disney song.
Overall: The Little Mermaid is Disney Animation at the highest caliber. The songs are fantastic, the characters well crafted, and the animation is superb. The film reaches back to a simpler time in Disney history, and yet is able to modernize it to such a cleverly written and perfectly tuned masterpiece. Yet the scariest part, is that this is only the beginning of the Disney Renaissance. Things could only get better from here, and boy did they. On it's own, the film is a lasting gem in the Disney Crown that shall shine brightly for decades to come.
Report Card
Hero: B-
Heroine: A+
Villain: A+
Side Characters: A
Songs: A
Musical Score: A+
Animation: A+
Special Effects: A+
Themes: A
Story: A
Final Grade A
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