After glimmers of a change at Disney Animation surfaced with the entertaining Oliver and Company and The Great Mouse Detective, the full flowering of Disney’s animation renaissance is indelibly showcased with 1989’s The Little Mermaid. An exquisitely drawn animated musical, The Little Mermaid returned enchantment and awe to the art of the animated feature, and Disney has never looked back. The film still plays like a dream with its toe-tapping music and an involving story of a wish fulfilled, and with it now available in 3D, some of the musical numbers are definitely enhanced though, for the most part, the adding of a third dimension doesn’t have quite the same dramatic effect on the storytelling that it did with Disney’s follow-up musical Beauty and the Beast.
Studio: Disney
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD, Other
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Rating: G
Run Time: 1 Hr. 23 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, Other
keep case with leaves inside a slipcoverDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: ABC
Release Date: 10/01/2013
MSRP: $49.99
The Production Rating: 4.5/5
"Under the Sea"
"Kiss the Girl"
Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: 3/5
Audio Rating: 5/5
Special Features Rating: 5/5
- Treasures Untold (45:33): the making of-documentary on the movie detailing of story of rescuing Disney animation from the abyss through many bumps along the way to the finished Oscar-winning film.
- Storm Warning (8:40): the special effects unit members describe their work on the film.
- The Little Mermaid: The Story Behind the Story (11:29): Hans Christian Andersen’s original story is discussed with notations about the changes in the Disney version.
- “Under the Sea” Early Presentation Reel (2:35)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:15)
- Seven Deleted Scenes with Introductions by the directors (26:29); can be selected individually or shown in montage form.
- Disney Song Selection (10:29, HD): four songs from the film can be selected to be viewed with or without subtitled lyrics for sing along.
- “Kiss the Girl” Music Video (3:30) Ashley Tisdale performs.
- The Little Match Girl (6:39, HD): short animated cartoon includes an introduction
- DisneyPedia: Life Under the Sea (8:25): four of the primary sea creatures that appear in the film are given brief documentary explanations.
- Under the Sea Adventure (4:15): a virtual ride inspired by the film
- Behind the Ride (5:54): Disney Imagineers discuss what they wanted the ride to encompass from the film.
theatrical trailer
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
Support HTF when you buy this title: