Movie
Disney's The Little Mermaid had its premier in November 1989, and in its wake left a massive imprint on the
collective mind of pop culture. The Little Mermaid kicked-off Disney's Rennaisance Years, making animation
cool and relevant again, after the slump they faced during the 1980s. The movie was directed by Ron Clements and
John Musker, a directing dynamic duo who were also behind The Great Mouse Detective, Aladdin,
Hercules, Treasure Planet,
Disney's The Little Mermaid tells the tale of Ariel, the little mermaid who's more curious about the forbidden human world than is healthy for her. Despite the restraints set upon by her protective father, Ariel continues to visit the surface and one day sets eyes upon Prince Eric, who immediately steals her heart. She saves his life, and the bond brings forth love in the young mermaid's heart. She could have been content (for a while) as it were with her yearnings, but an ill-timed confrontation with her father sets Ariel's plan in motion: she'll make her love known to Eric. A deal with the wicked sea-witch Ursula has Ariel trading in her voice for legs and a chance to win Eric's heart within three days, or else all is lost.
The movie brought to prominence stage actress Jodi Benson as the voice of Ariel, as it did Pat Caroll as Ursula and Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian. The rest of the cast includes Christopher Daniel Barnes as Eric, Jason Marin as Founder, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, Buddy Hackett as Scuttle, Ben Wright as Grimsby, Paddi Edwards as Flotsam and Jetsam, Edie McClurg as Carlotta and Rene Auberjonois as Chef Louis.
The Music
The Little Mermaid has music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, both of whom also played roles in the shaping of Ariel's story. The original soundtrack was released in 1989, and won that year's Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for Under the Sea).
Home media releases
The Little Mermaid broke new ground with its initial release on VHS in 1990, a mere few months after the film was released in theatres, making it an unusual move for the relatively new home media industry. In 1998 there was another VHS release under the Masterpiece Collection.
The first DVD came along in 1999 in the Limited Issue DVD, which didn't have much in the way of extras. This was fixed in 2006 with the release of the 2-disc Platinum Edition DVD, which also had restored video and audio, and came with a whole bunch of extras including new restrospective featurettes, deleted scenes, and games (full list of extras below). In 2008, the film was repackaged in a The Little Mermaid Trilogy: 3-Movie Collection set that includes The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
In 2013 the film was rereleased as part of the Diamond Edition series, with the DVD and Blu-Ray versions having different covers. The films were remastered for high-def, though sadly there were some errors in this remaster, in that a few seconds during "Part of Your World" were switched around (though people who traded in their DVDs/Blu-Rays could get a fixed version), plus a few seconds were shaved off from a number of scene transitions. This Diamond Edition DVD/Blu-Ray was also bundled together with its sequel and prequel in a The Little Mermaid Complete Collection. The 3-Movie Collection is a variant cover of the Complete Collection, while the Classics DVD is a stripped-back release of the Diamond Edition (fewer extras), with the Villains Special Edition cover as a variant of that. The Mondo Steelbook is a variant of the Diamond Edition with a unique Mondo artwork cover.
For the film's 30th anniversary in 2019, it got a new release as part of the Signature Collection on DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K, 4k steelbook and digital, with varying covers for each print format. This release was given a packaging update in 2023 to become part of the Disney100 Edition series, though as far as I can tell the extras are the same. (Corrections are welcome, leave a comment!)
VHS (1990)
Masterpiece Collection VHS (1998)
Limited Issue DVD (1999)
Platinum Edition DVD (2006)
3-Movie Collection DVD (2008)
Diamond Edition DVD (2013)
Diamond Edition Blu-Ray (2013)
Diamond Edition Blu-Ray (2013)
Diamond Edition Blu-Ray (2013)
Complete Collection Blu-Ray (2013)
3-Movie Collection (2013)
Classics DVD (2014)
Villains Special Edition Cover DVD (2014)
Mondo Steelbook (2018)
Signature Collection Blu-Ray (2019)
Signature Collection 4K (2019)
Signature Collection 4K Steelbook (2019)
Disney100 Blu-Ray (2023)
List of DVD/Blu-Ray extras
Platinum Edition (2006)
- Kiss the Girl music video - The music video for Ashley Tisdale's cover of the Kiss the Girl, specially recorded for this DVD release.
- Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired by Walt Disney Imagineering - A featurette about the Little Mermaid theme park ride that was at the time not yet built, and includes behind-the-scenes images, interviews with the Imagineers who designed it, as well as a CGI video of the ride itself.
- DisneyPedia: Life Under the Sea - An upbeat educational featurette about the sea life that inspired various characters in the film.
- The Little Match Girl - An animated short based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, directed by Roger Allers and originally intended to be part of Fantasia 2000 but became its own independent short film.
- Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's The Little Mermaid - A 45-minute-long featurette where various people who were involved in making the film look back on the experience and recall the ups and downs and joys and frustrations in bringing The Little Mermaid to life. Contemporary footage and interviews are intercut with historical footage of the making of the film, making it a behind-the-scenes/nostalgia combo. The featurette itself is split into chapters, but can also be viewed as one continuous video. People interviewed include Ron Clements and John Musker (the film's writer-directors); Jeffrey Katzenberg (chairman of Walt Disney studios at the time of making the film); Peter Schneider (VP of Walt Disney Feature Animation at the time of making the film); Alan Menken (composer); Rogers Allers (storyboard artist); Glen Keane, Ruben Aquino and Andreas Deja (animators); Jodi Benson and Pat Carroll (voice actors); and more.
- Storm Warning: The Special Effects Unit - An 8-minute featurette about the animation special effects team that pulled off the technically-challenging storm setpiece in the film. They discuss the inspiration they drew from (including the Monstro scene in Pinocchio) as well as the various techniques to make the scene convincing.
- The Story Behind the Story - This 11-minute featurette discusses three versions of the little mermaid's story side by side, contrasting the differences of each: the original by Hans Christian Andersen, the 1941 treatment by Walt Disney (who was thinking of adapting the story for a short), and the 1989 film. Ron Clements and John Musker in particular highlight the decisions they made in adapting the story for Ariel.
- Easter Eggs - There are three little clips that can be accessed by hidden links in the menu. The clips are of John Musker and Ron Clements drawing caricatures of each other, Glen Keane and Ruben Aquino talking about animating their characters (with brief footage of the live-action reference footage with Sherri Stoner), and John and Ron demonstrating the "Little Mermaid handshake".
- Art Galleries - A picture gallery that can be browsed through menus. The images are separated into sections, which are: Visual Development (general development art and early inspiration for the film), Kay Nielsen artwork (development art for Walt Disney's 1941 attempt of adapting the story), Character Design (development art specific for the characters in the film), Storyboard Art (script/story art of specific scenes in the film), Backgrounds (art of backgrounds in the film), and Production Photos (photographs of the crew and cast during the making of the film).
- Early Presentation Reel - A presentation reel made early during the film's development, using concept art to show the story of the whole film, and set to a demo version of Under the Sea.
- Deleted Scenes - Fathoms Below (alternate version), Backstage with Sebastian, Poor Unfortunate Souls (alternate version), Sebastian Lost in the Castle, Advice from Sebastian, Fight with Ursula / Alternate Ending, Silence is Golden (audio only).
- Original Theatrical Trailer - The original trailer for the film.
- The Little Mermaid III: Sneak Peek - Early teaser for The Little Mermaid III, which was still under production at the time and eventually turned into The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
Diamond Edition (2013)
- Part of Your World music video - The music video for Carly Rae Jepsen's cover of Part of Your World, specially recorded for this DVD/Blu-Ray release.
- @DisneyAnimation - A new video about life working at Disney Animation Studio, featuring interviews with John Musker, Ron Clements, Mark Henn and Ruben Aquino, as well as various younger animators and artists in the studio including Brittney Lee, Hyun-Min Lee, Kira Lehtomaki, Chad Sellers and John Kahrs.
- Deleted Character - Early scenes of Harold the Merman, a victim of Ursula who was dropped from the film.
- Under the Scene: The Art of Live-Action Reference - A 13-minute featurette about the live-action reference footage that was filmed to help the animators. This video has clips of the reference footage itself, intercut with new interviews with John Musker, Ron Clements, Ruben Aquino and Mark Henn; actress Kathryn Beaumont who voiced Alice and Wendy, and did the live-action footage for those characters; and actors Sherri Lynn Stoner and Joshua Finkel, who played Ariel and Eric respectively in the reference footage.
- Howard's Lecture - A 16-minute nostalgia feature and tribute to Howard Ashman. The video intercuts between recent interviews with John Musker, Ron Clements and Jodi Benson talking about Howard's influence on the story, and old footage of a lecture Howard gave during the development of the film where Howard talks about the use of music in the film.
- Part of Her World: Jodi Benson's Voyage to New Fantasyland - A new video about Jodi Benson and her two children at the launch of the Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World, and exploring New Fantasyland including the new The Little Mermaid-themed ride.
Plus the following extras which are all transferred from the Platinum Edition DVD:
- Kiss the Girl music video (Ashley Tisdale)
- Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired by Walt Disney Imagineering
- DisneyPedia: Life Under the Sea
- The Little Match Girl
- Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Storm Warning: The Special Effects Unit
- The Story Behind the Story
- John Musker and Ron Clements draw caricatures of each other
- Glen Keane and Ruben Aquino talk about animating their characters
- John and Ron demonstrate the "Little Mermaid handshake"
- Early Presentation Reel
- Deleted Scenes
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Signature Collection (2019)
- Part of Your World music video - The music video for DCappella's cover of the song, recorded especially for this release.
- Alan Menken and His Leading Ladies - A new 15-minute roundtable-ish retrospective featurette with Alan Menken and actresses Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara, Judy Kuhn, Lilias White and Donna Murphy.
- What I Want From You Is... Your Voice - Archive footage of the film's original recording sessions with actors Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett and Samuel E. Wright.
- Stories from Walt's Office - A new video about Walt Disney's collection of miniatures.
- #TreasuresUntold - A new video by actors Ruby Rose Turner and Olivia Sanabi sharing various trivia about the film.
- Part of Your World: A 30-Year Retrospective - DIGITAL RELEASE ONLY - A new video of Alan Menken and Jodi Benson where they discuss Ariel's iconic song.
Plus the following extras which are transferred from the earlier Diamond Editions:
- Deleted Character - Harold the Merman
- Under the Scene: The Art of Live-Action Reference
- Howard's Lecture
The digital release includes more extras from the earlier Platinum and Diamond Editions, namely:
- Kiss the Girl music video (Ashley Tisdale)
- Part of Your World music video (Carly Rae Jepsen)
- Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Storm Warning: The Special Effects Unit
- The Story Behind the Story
- Under the Scene: The Art of Live-Action Reference
- Early Presentation Reel
- Deleted Scenes
- DisneyPedia: Life Under the Sea
- @DisneyAnimation
- Part of Her World: Jodi Benson's Voyage to New Fantasyland
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired by Walt Disney Imagineering
Note: Older extras that are not included in the Signature Release at all (be it physical or digital) are the short film Little Match Girl, the video clip Easter Eggs, and the original sneak peek teaser of The Little Mermaid III.
Video links
Disney Channel's Making of The Little Mermaid (1989)
This behind-the-scene feature was aired prior to the premiere of the film, and is hosted by Alyssa Milano, who introduces the various creators and cast involved in the making of the film. There's some great interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The whole video is just under 30 minutes.
Recording Part of Your World (1989)
Some great footage of Jodi Benson recording "Part of Your World" in the studio, with Howard Ashman directing her. (6.31 mins)
Live-action references (2006)
This featurette from the Platinum Edition DVD has footage from the live-action references with Sherri Stoner as Ariel. (1.43 mins)
The Making of The Little Mermaid (1989)
This behind-the-scenes feature has some interviews and work-in-progress footage from the film. (6.43 mins)
Deleted/Alternate Scenes
These are some deleted/alternate scenes that didn't make the film, but were saved and released with the the Platinum and Diamond DVD releases.
Fathoms Below (2.31 min)
Backstage with Sebastian (1.43 min)
Harold, the merman (2.05 min)
Poor Unfortunate Souls (2.05 min)
Sebastian Lost in the Castle (1.52 min)
Advice from Sebastian (1.30 min)
Ursula's Defeat / Alternate Ending (6.53 min)
Hans Christian Andersen
Disney's film is based on "The Little Mermaid", a story
written by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen and published in 1837.
A classic fairytale, Andersen's story is melancholy and spiritual, following the actions of the little mermaid when she falls in love with a human and learns the cost and sacrifices that come with it. Central to this original story is the fact that merfolk live for hundreds of years but turn to sea foam when they die; in comparison, humans have shorter lifespans but have immortal souls that live on forever. It's through the little mermaid's selfless love that she gets to move on from her original fate and into a new one.
The themes of the original story are very different from Disney's adaptation, which turns it into a modern coming-of-age story with a father-daughter relationship at the centre of it, along with a Faustian plot courtesy of Ursula's manipulations.
I have a section elsewhere on this website for other adapations of Hans Christian Andersen's story.
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