|
|
I believe the last direct to video sequel from Disney I managed to live through was Aladdin and the King of Thieves - a movie that left such a sour taste in my mouth, I couldn't be paid to risk sitting through another. Thus I must confess I haven't seen The Little Mermaid II, but I can't believe I'll ever have interest in seeing the Disney Princess that started a film renaissance almost 20 years ago age.
But there's something to be said for a prequel. Wouldn't it be great to know the backstory of the rebel teen princess who defied her father and risked life and limb to follow her dreams of giving herself to a man and losing everything she ever had? And what about Sebastian? Surely there must be some really interesting offers in the origins of the crab with the hard shell and the soft touch. So when I had the opportunity to acquire a copy of the new direct to DVD/blu-ray movie Ariel's Beginnings, I jumped all over it.
Upon inserting the DVD, you are prompted to choose your language (English, Spanish or French) and the infamous FastPlay optionally kicks in offering several previews of upcoming video releases such as the re-release of Sleeping Beauty, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Tinker Bell, a Disney-dubbed version of a Chinese semi-live action fantasy film titled The Secret of the Magic Gourd and the upcoming 2CD release of The Little Mermaid II.
And then it's showtime...
The film opens up on Atlantica as a five year old Ariel and her six sisters frolic among the waves, finloose and fancy free. The youngest of the lot, toddler Ariel is clearly loved most of all by a much younger brunet King Triton and his true love Queen Athena, who - despite mothering seven daughters who look nothing alike - bears a striking resemblence to the baby of the family. And yes, you've heard that right, as unDisneylike as it may appear, Ariel has a biological mother. And the Queen loves Music. And Triton loves the Queen. And there you have the transitive property of one dimensional storytelling in a two dimensional world.
So when it comes time for Queen Athena to do things all good Disney moms must do - at the hands of humans (pirates no less), the heartbroken Triton has no choice but to ban the one thing that reminds him of his beloved. All inhabitants of Aquatica, fish and merfolk alike, are prohibited from creating anything that even slightly bears a resemblance to music. And now you know why Triton doesn't care for humans even if it's with less disdain than he has for music.
Fast forward 10 years and the bulk of the movie continues, as Ariel is now 15 years old and is tired of the same routine every day of the past decade that we the viewing audience were spared. Ruling a kingdom and raising seven teenaged daughters as a single parent isn't easy as half of The Learning Channel's lineup will tell you, so the girls are under the care of the film's quasi-villainess, Marina Del Ray (props on the name by the way) and her over-effeminate but under-played personal assistant, a manatee named Benjamin who looks like he'd be more at home in the next Pokemon film if it weren't so filled with testosterone.
Sally Field is horribly miscast as Del Ray who, other than bearing a fairly strong physical resemblance to the Oscar winning actress, reminds me much more of the Jo Anne Worley type, although I think someone like Caroline Rhea could have easily pulled off the role as well. On the flip side, Jim Cummings (who is the current voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger for example) seamlessly steps in for Kenneth Mars as King Triton. Cummings who has already more than proved his worth in the field of voiceovers is a standout in the film, particularly when you compare his performances with other characters of his in the film. You'll know him when you hear him, but still won't be able to make the link from one character to the next. With great fortune, Jodi Benson and Samuel E Wright who originated the roles of Ariel and Sebastian respectively once again return.
Del Ray's character is full of a lot of inexplicable actions. After years of tending to the princesses of Atlantica, a rather sedated feud with Sebastian causes her to enact a plan to seize power (or at least increase her celebrity) even when it comes to putting a fatwa out on the charge Ariel (keeping in mind there is no impression that Del Ray bears any ill will towards Triton or any of the children until this point). And when she inexplicably crashes the underground music club that Ariel finds by secretly following her newly-found music loving pal Flounder, Sebastian's future with the King looks doomed for certain.
At least if she weren't inexplicable in all of her actions, she wouldn't be able to spontaneously burst out into song and dance in a place where she can get others thrown in the slammer for doing the same. The film includes a series of cold-to-lukewarm musical numbers filled with odd slapstick animated sequences that seem more appropriate for Kuzco or Hercules than The Litle Mermaid. Jim Dooley fills in as composer of the film's music which definitely succeeds as filling its need for ambient music but not much more. Dooley is undoubtedly well suited for his career in video game and movie trailer background music but there's nothing captivating here. On the plus side, it's easy to see how the pre-tween crowd would appreciate the sequences as well as the virtually infinite number of wardrobe changes, designed exclusively for Del Ray by Bob Mackie.
Unlike many Disney films, however, Ariel's mother is gone but far from forgotten. An excursion leads Sebastian, Ariel and the musically displaced to an area where Ariel recovers an object that floods back the memories of happier times. There are some genuinely moving moments as Ariel and Sebastian reflect upon their loss. The moment doesn't last too long however as Ariel's Beginning quickly spirals into more melodrama than one can shake a stick at - let's just say Clint Eastwood is thanking his lucky stars Million Dollar Baby didn't have to compete against this one.
But in another instant, it's all over. The heirloom and the thought of possibly losing his prized daughter convinces Triton that music is the answer to solving all of their problems. And that it's still okay to hate humans.
Overall, this is a movie that probably wouldn't have even succeeded as part of the animated series. I'd definitely be agreeable to it as a direct-to-tv movie as I often found myself being distracted from it and watching the time more than the content. It has some bright spots and some clever writing however. Ariel's sisters have a much larger role in the film and the comedic bickering between them even overshadows the unnatural obsession with boys all but Ariel have (ironic when you consider the premise of the original film). The computer animation allows shading and rendering that's sometimes pleasant to watch, but it seems inconsistent with flashes of the flat two-dimensional coloring we're familiar with so all it really does is convince me Triton applies his abs with makeup.
Unfortunately we never really get to explore Sebastian's origins (I think I'll pass on TLM IV) and we never get to really understand Ariel and her obsession with humans which is a key disappointment. Which is on the whole how I'd have to describe this entry into the Disney Vault. I can see how it could be a winner for that pre-tween set, but the parents of those pre-tweens who are the ones who first fell in love with Ariel, it leaves a lot to be desired.
After the credits (where I feel the need to nitpick that Cummings' alumni (and personal hero of mine) Tara Strong's name is misspelled), FastPlay continues with more ads for films along with a High School Musical DVD game and Disney Cruise Lines. Perhaps outshining the main feature is the trailer for the upcoming video release of Wall*E. If ever there was a reason to go out and invest in blu-ray today, it's going to be this movie. When you see the trailer, even on standard DVD, you'll see what I mean.
FastPlay then continues on with a couple of the DVD extras which I'll cover in more detail below: Deleted Scenes and the backstage look at The Little Mermaid on Broadway.
DVD EXTRAS:
Menus - The DVD is driven by prefabricated menus which often feature cheap animation that looks like it came right out of Adult Swim's SeaLab 2021. Again, there was a strong level of inconsistency in both quality of animation as well as how much animation. Sometimes clicking a menu item would give you a little sequence before launching into the menu item, other times it jumped right in.
Deleted Scenes - With introductions by a very animated Peggy Holmes, the director of the film, we are shown two unproduced scenes that were removed at some point during the film's creation. Enhanced storyboard art visualizes the sequences, the first of which claims to paint Sebastian as a softy so it had to be removed but not only did I not get that impression, we kind of already know how Sebastian's personality is so there's no real need to dumb it down for us. The plus side is that the animation of the storyboards is fun to watch and often displays the differing styles of the artists involved.
Splashdance: A Dancer's Adventure Under the Sea - Ariel's Beginning is Holme's directorial debut and she runs us through this small documentary that explores her roots as a dancer and actress and how she parlays that into helming a movie featuring musical numbers. It's a nice little glimpse into making the film, but nothing that really hasn't been seen before aside from the perkiness level of the director.
Mermaid Discovery Vanity Game - It'll take you much longer to pronounce it then it will to realize this is just an annoying poorly made flash-based website. You can select each princess one by one and explore their vanity/dresser, clicking on a couple of objects and reading their diaries (you have permission). You'll find occasional entertainment but there's just far too much clicking and confusing menus to make it worth while. Find Flounder (I actually found him the first place I went) and you'll be able to unlock a secret game which allows you to answer questions to determine who you are most like - I'm most like Andrina (hint: the answers are all in those diaries you need to blister your thumb to read).
Music & More - Highlighting the lackluster musical numbers (perhaps the fact that it needs to highlight them speaks volumes enough), you have many options to either watch individual songs (with lyrics on the screen) or watch the entire film karaoke style (because closed captioning is never enough).
Backstage Disney: From Screen to Stage, Under the Sea and Behind the Scenes on Broadway - I swear that's the title, but that's the absolute worst I can say about this gem on the DVD. At 10 1/2 minutes long, this featurette takes you literally backstage at The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Hosted by the deathly captivating Sierra Boggess (Ariel), you are very briefly taken through the time-lapsed paces of what goes on to put on the show nightly. Wardrobe, Makeup and many cast members all make appearances in what's essentially a commercial for the show while still managing to be informative, entertaining and (for the most part) appear completely genuine and unscripted. Mark my words: Sierra is the new Stacey.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning comes to Disney DVD and Blu-Ray August 26.
Tools 
