Family Fun Saturday - The Little Mermaid (2023)

Disney, 2023

Starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy

Directed by Ken Marshall

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Let's revisit that world under the sea in Disney's latest live-action remake. I've had mixed feelings on these movies, which range from good as the original to unnecessary and why in the heck did they bother? It doesn't help that the original animated Disney Little Mermaid has its good points, but was never a huge favorite of mine. Is this one also good as the original, or should they have left this sleeping dogfish alone? Let's once again begin with Prince Eric (Hauer-King) and his men on his ship as they glide across the sea and find out...

The Story: Ariel (Bailey), a mermaid, is obsessed with the world of humans on the surface. She goes to the surface of the water to see fireworks, and ends up rescuing Eric when his ship runs against rocks during a storm. Her father King Triton (Javier Bardem) understands neither her interest in humans, nor her collection of objects from above. After he destroys her collection, Ariel goes to the sea witch Ursula (McCarthy) to help her get above. Ursula agrees to give her legs for three days, but only if she gives up her voice. If she can get Eric to kiss her, she'll stay a human. If she doesn't, she belongs to Ursula. Ariel's friends Scuttle the Northen Gannet (Awkardfina), Sebastian the crab (Daveed Digs), and Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) do everything they can to help her kiss him...but Ursula isn't going to make things easy...

The Song and Dance: Bailey is the thing here. She's a perfect Little Mermaid - sweet, spunky, and curious about everything. The more realistic designs and animation mostly work well with the actual humans around them. Somehow, Sebastian looks cuter as a real crab than he did as an animated one, and Ursula's eels are a lot scarier when you can really see their teeth. McCarthy has a ball as a delectably over-the-top Ursula, Bardem is a commanding Triton, and Hauer-King has a lot more spirit than Eric did in the original movie. I also appreciate that Ariel is a tad more proactive here, doing things herself that other characters did for her in the original film, including taking on Ursula in the finale.

Favorite Number: We open with "Part Of Your World" this time as Ariel explores her treasures with Flounder and wishes she could be with those who originally used them. "Mysterious Fathoms Below" is now a short drinking song for Eric and his men onboard ship before the storm. "Under the Sea" remains a showstopper with more realistic sea creatures dancing and swimming in Busby Berkeley routines. I like that Ariel takes a bigger part in the number here, dancing and singing with the others. Eric has the big ballad "Wild Uncharted Waters" after his mother Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni) tells him he needs to focus on land and stop going out to sea, looking for girls that don't exist. 

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" is also more-or-less the same here, with McCarthy throwing herself into it just as much. "For the First Time" is a charming number for Ariel when she's on the surface and wondering about everything she sees, from corsets to riding into town. "Kiss the Girl" is also pretty much the same, if maybe a bit smaller, with fewer animals flitting around and Scuttle more integrated into the number. Awkardfina gets the other new number, the rap "The Scuttlebut" as Scuttle tells her friends what's happening and how Ursula tricked Eric.

What I Don't Like: Some problems from the original film remain. This still doesn't have much in common with the original Hans Christian Andersen "Little Mermaid," and letting Ariel and Eric go around the world instead of just getting married doesn't make it less of a cop-out. Other than Eric's "Wild Uncharted Waters," Miranda's rap and R&B don't really fit in with the more traditional Ashman-Menken Broadway tunes. Awkwardfina's "Scuttlebut" sounds especially ridiculous. The special effects are disappointing. The animals look more realistic, but the watery backgrounds are dark, dreary, and look like the CGI they are. The extra scenes are mainly padding and draw the movie out for way, wayyy too long. 

The Big Finale: This seems to have garnered mixed reviews all around...including from me. For everything they got wrong, there's a lot they got right, including some excellent performances. Not horrible, but as with all of the Disney remakes, simply not necessary. Recommended mainly for families with mermaid-or-ocean-crazy kids and those who loved the original movie. 

Home Media: As a brand-new movie, this is easily found in all major formats. It's now on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Musicals On TV - The Little Mermaid Live!

Disney/ABC, 2019

Starring Auli'i Cravalho, Graham Phillips, Queen Latifah, and Shaggy

Directed by Hamish Hamilton

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater

Disney took its sweet time getting into the live musical craze. It was 2017 before they announced a live version of their beloved 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid as ABC's next big special. Technical difficulties caused it to be pushed off the schedule for two years, until it finally made it to the air in November 2019 in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original film. With another live-action Mermaid coming out next year, how does this initial attempt at doing the story with living actors fare? Let's begin with dancing sailors singing about the stories of mermaids and fantastical creatures who live in the "Mysterious Fathoms Below" and find out...

The Story: Ariel (Cravalho) is a mermaid who lives under the sea, but she longs to see the world on land. After she falls for the human Prince Eric (Phillips), she goes to the sea witch Ursula (Queen Latifah) to give her legs. Ursula will, but for the price of her beautiful voice. Eric only heard her sing and doesn't recognize her as a human. Now she and her friends Flounder the fish, Skuttle the seagull, and Sebastian the crab (Shaggy) have to find a way to prove to Eric she's the real deal, whether she can sing about it or not.

The Song and Dance: I really wish Disney didn't chicken out on the technical problems and went full-on live with this. What we see of the physical production is gorgeous and creative, with some nifty costumes for the mermaids and Ursula and incredible oversized sets. The split "If Only" ballad for Ariel and Eric, showing her wishing she could sing for him in her bedroom while he's "outside" on the other side, was very well done. 

Favorite Number: "Mysterious Fathoms Below" turns the opening number into an elaborately choreographed routine for Prince Eric and his sailors as he returns home and they tell him about mermaids and their siren voices. Amber Reily introduces the "Daughters of Triton" in their flashy sequined mermaid costumes. Cravalho pours her heart into a lovely "Part of Your World" in a beautifully recreated and detailed underwater grotto. "Under the Sea" has Shaggy in a simple red jacket wiggling through pure chaos as we see everything from acrobats on the ceiling to puppet fish to people in huge foam fish costumes playing "the toot of soul." 

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" is staged largely the same as in the film, with a gold light representing Ariel's voice and two huge puppets standing in for Ursula's eels. Making their debuts here are "Her Voice," a touching solo for Eric after Grimsby reminds him that he's just chasing a fantasy, and "If Only," a duet for Ariel and Eric where he wishes he could find that dream girl, and she wishes she could tell him. "Les Poissons" becomes a huge dance routine for everyone in the kitchen as they chase huge crabs in foam costumes for dinner, including John Stamos as the crazed Chef Louis.

Trivia: "If Only," "Her Voice," and the reprise of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" are from the stage Little Mermaid that debuted on Broadway in 2007. 

What I Don't Like: Once again, I really wish Disney had gone full-on live. As much as I enjoy the animated film, it really takes away from the stage production. They either should have let the stage show stand on its own, or ditched the live version permanently and just re-ran the animated film. It's too bad, because some of the performances are excellent. Latifiah in particular has a ball as Ursula, and Cravalaho makes a charming and sweet Ariel.

The Big Finale: This is cute, but could have been so much more. You're better off showing your kids the animated film again and waiting for the live-action version to come out next year. 

Home Media: Streaming exclusive at the moment. Disney Plus has it with a subscription.

Disney Plus

Aladdin (2019)

Disney, 2019
Starring Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, and Marwan Kenzari
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Directed by Guy Ritchie

This was the second of the three remakes Disney made last year. The original 1992 Aladdin is one of their most popular animated films, and a lot of people questioned whether this one could live up to it, especially without the late Robin Williams as the Genie. Did they succeed, or at least come off better than the Lion King remake did? Let's hit the open ocean, where we begin with a fisherman (Smith) telling stories to his children, and find out...

The Story: Aladdin (Massoud) is a street urchin in Agrabah, a city in an Arabian country. One day, he encounters Jasmine (Scott) in the marketplace and saves her from losing her late mother's bracelet. When it turns out she's the princess of the land, he snitches the bracelet and follows her to the palace. Her father the Sultan (Naveed Negahban) wants her to marry silly Prince Anders (Billy Magnussen), but she'd rather rule the country herself after seeing how her people suffer.

Aladdin returns to the palace to give her the bracelet back, but he's caught by Jafar (Kenzari), the Sultan's second-in-command. Jafar wants him to find a special lamp in the Cave of Wonders, where only a "diamond in the rough" may enter. He and his monkey Abu do make it in, but they end up stranded when Abu tries to take more than the lamp. That lamp turns out to house a genie (Smith) who gets them out and promises Aladdin three wishes. Aladdin uses his second wish to make him a prince in order to marry Jasmine. She, however, is not impressed. As Aladdin tries to figure out how he can get her attention, he learns that he may have even bigger problems. Jafar has pierced his disguise, and if he gets his hands on the lamp, he's going to wish for a lot more than a fancy outfit and a duet with a girl.

The Song and Dance: The big question is - how well does Smith fill Williams' oversized blue Arabian shoes? Rather well, actually. He's a lot less wild than Williams, tossing out fewer references and gags, but he's also more subtle and has great chemistry with Massoud and Nasim Petrad as Jasmine's sarcastic but loyal handmaiden Dalia. Massoud is a perfect Aladdin - he looks the part, sings beautifully, works well with Scott and Smith, and is energetic and a lot of fun to watch whether he's fleeing the guards or adorably awkward at the party. The special effects are downright amazing, especially in the musical numbers and the big action sequences. Special kudos to the colorful and glittery costumes that nicely reflect both the brilliant world of Agrabah's castle and the vibrant street life in the city.

Favorite Number: "Friend Like Me" comes off almost as well here, with the CGI working just as quickly to morph along with the Genie. "Prince Ali" is a great showcase of those amazing costumes as the Genie shows off amid the crowds and the court. There's some nice choreography here and in the big dance party finale over the credits. "One Jump Ahead" is moved to after Aladdin meets Jasmine, but it's otherwise just as much fun to watch both of them evade the guards.

The sole new number is "Speechless," Jasmine's two solos on how she'll never let anyone silence her voice. While it sounds a bit pop-ish, it's also has some topical aspects, as many young women begin to find their own voices away from stereotypes and expectations.

What I Don't Like: The villains are the problem here. Despite the increased emphasis on his backstory, Kenzari lacks the charisma and menace Johnathan Freeman brought to the role in 1992. Alan Tudyk's Iago is less annoying that Gilbert Gottfried, but he's also less funny and has less of a role. Aladdin also spends less time around him - and doesn't get to fight him in the end. Scott brings the appropriate spunk to Jasmine, but she's also a little less feisty than her 1992 counterpart and takes less part in the action.

And there's once again the remake deal. As with pretty much every remake Disney did...we just did not need this. No matter how hard they try, I don't think they'll ever really be able to recreate the simple spark that made these movies so popular in the first place.

The Big Finale: With that caveat, I still think this was the best of the three remakes Disney did last year. More fun than the dull Lion King or dark and overwrought Dumbo, this is still worth a look if you're a fan of Smith, Arabian Nights stories, or the original film.

Home Media: As one of the most recent releases I've covered, this is easily found in all formats; they just added it to Disney Plus if you have a subscription there (that's how I saw it).

DVD
Blu-Ray
4K Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Family Fun Saturday - Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Disney, 2017
Starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Kevin Kline, and Emma Thompson
Directed by Bill Condon
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice

I was more than a little concerned when Disney announced they were remaking this one. While I do like the stage musical, the original animated film is one of my favorite movies of all time. I actually went to see this in the theater as a birthday present to myself in April 2017. Is it as enchanting as its animated predecessor, or does it shrivel up like a dying rose? Let's return to that small town in 18th century France and find out...

The Story: Belle (Watson) is an outcast in the tiny town of Villeneuve. She's the daughter of Maurice (Kline), an inventor and artist, and loves books, reading, and adventure. The dull and illiterate citizens of the town regard her as an uppity child who doesn't know her place. Former soldier Gaston (Luke Evans) wants to marry her, not because he loves her, but because he believes the handsomest man in town should have the most beautiful wife. Belle thinks he's an idiot and brushes him off.

Her life changes when she learns that her father has been imprisoned in a dark, spooky castle after trying to bring her a rose. She convinces the terrifying Beast (Stevens) who captured him to let her take his place. With the encouragement of the moving objects who act as his servants, they begin to gradually understand and befriend one another.

Back in town, Gaston still hasn't given up on taking Belle for his wife...whether she wants it or not. He first abandons Maurice in the woods, but the town hermit Agathe (Hattie Morahan) rescues him. When the old inventor shows up ranting about a Beast, he has him sent to an insane asylum. Belle gets the Beast to let her go long enough to go after her father...but Gaston intercepts her and, convincing the townspeople that the Beast will hurt them, takes them to raid the castle. Only Belle can truly end the curse on the Beast and show everyone that real love means a lot more than admiring the first pretty face that comes along.

The Song and Dance: Absolutely gorgeous, possibly the best-produced of the Disney live-action remakes. The meticulous details on everything from the grimy small town to the Beast's shadowy  monstrosity of a castle, along with some of the best special effects of any recent Disney film, make this a delight for the eyes. The cast is fantastic, too. Thompson makes a warm and wise Mrs. Potts, Watson is a charming Belle, Stevens more than matches her as a more intelligent Beast, and Evans is a hoot as the vain and selfish Gaston. Josh Gad also has a lot of fun as LaFou, Gaston's oblivious and adoring best friend.

At the very least, they did try to do some things that would set it apart from the animated film (unlike the remake of The Lion King). I like that they re-added some details from the original French fairy tale  like Maurice stealing the rose, as well as the greater emphasis on how Belle and the Beast's education set them apart from the illiterate townspeople (including Gaston) and their backstories.

Favorite Number: "Be Our Guest" is nearly as much fun to watch here as it was in the original, with Ewan MacGregor as Lumeire swirling around dancing black and white feather dusters and delicate tea cups. The pub-set stomp to "Gaston" is even better. showing off terrific choreography as Gad and Evans sings the praises of being macho. "Something There" gets a lovely montage as Belle and the Beast realize that they have a lot more in common than previously suspected, and "Beauty and the Beast" is just as swirling and romantic here.

Three new songs were written directly for the film. "Days In the Sun" has Belle, the Beast, and the Enchanted Objects sadly recalling lost childhood memories or days of glory. "Evermore" is the Beast's tortured ballad when Belle leaves to save her father and he thinks he's lost her forever. "How Does a Moment Last Forever" is a touching ballad first sung by Maurice to the accompaniment of a music box as he recalls his late wife, and then by Belle after she learns how her mother died.

What I Don't Like: Did Disney really need to remake this? Frankly,  no. As lovely as it is, it still lacks a lot of the simple spark and charm that made the original so wildly popular, not to mention its Broadway-worthy cast. Watson is wonderful in the book scenes, but she's not really much of a singer or a dancer, and Stevens lacks Robby Benson's gruff charisma. I also wish they could have used at least some of the songs from the stage show. "Home" and "No Matter What" might have been especially nice here.

The Big Finale: It may not be necessary, but that doesn't mean it isn't lovely, romantic, and exquisite. This is by far my favorite of the Disney live-action remakes I've seen, and the only one to be anywhere near as delightful as its source material.

Home Media: As one of the more recent films I've reviewed and the second-biggest hit of 2017, this is easily found in all formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play

Cult Flops - Little Shop of Horrors

Warner Bros, 1986
Starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, and Steve Martin
Directed by Frank Oz
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

Our next scare-fest comes to us from off-Broadway. This goofy comedy was not without its filming problems, including a totally re-shot ending. How does the original version look now? Let's head to Skid Row, where a black girl-group chorus is introducing us to the concept and the residents of the street, and find out...

The Story: Seymour Krelbourn (Moranis) works in a low-rent flower shop on Skid Row that's about to go under. Desperate to save his job and that of his crush Audrey (Greene), he brings out an "exotic" fly trap-like plant he's been nurturing and puts it in the window. He named the plant Audrey II (voice of Levi Stubbs) after the woman he loves. Turns out Audrey has no interest in flies. He wants blood, the fresher, the better. He thinks he's found a perfect candidate in Audrey I's obnoxious laughing gas-sniffing dentist boyfriend Orin (Martin). Pretty soon, Audrey II's popularity is spreading, even as the police investigate Orin's disappearance. Now Seymour has to stop Audrey II from gobbling everything in sight, before the fiendish flytrap can execute its plan for world domination!

The Song and Dance: I've never been the biggest horror fan, and this was still one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Hilarious performances all around, especially from Moranis as the nebbish florist who just wants to impress his girl and Martin as the sadistic dentist we've all had nightmares about. The cameos that pop up add to the fun, including Bill Murray as a pain-loving patient and John Candy as a radio talk show host.

Even to this day, the Audrey II puppet still looks awesome. You really believe this is a talking plant out to eat its way across the planet. I'm not surprised the movie got an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects.

Favorite Number: Seymour gets two great solos, "Da Doo" as he explains how he aquired Audrey II, and "Grow for Me" when he's trying to figure out what to feed it to make it get bigger. The human Audrey explains what she really wants - a typical home with her true love - in "Somewhere That's Green" and gets an impassioned duet with said crush towards the end, "Suddenly Seymour." The girl group chorus opens the film in vigorous fashion with the dynamic title song and join Orin as he explains how much he loves his job in "Dentist!"

The movie's coolest number was written for the film. Audrey II reveals that he's a "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" in the finale as he tells Seymour how he and his sprouts plan on conquering the Earth. The puppeteering work on those tiny sprouts and the action-packed final routine is beautifully done.

Trivia: The original off-Broadway show debuted in 1982 and was a huge hit, running five years. While the London version didn't run quite that long, it still did fairly well in a larger theater, running three years. A Broadway version in 2003 didn't do quite as well, running a year. Greene was Audrey in the original run, as well as in a critically acclaimed Encore! concert in 2015.

The original ending had Audrey II eating Seymour and Audrey I and running amok in New York, eventually ending up on top of the Statue of Liberty. There was also a longer "Meek Shall Inherit" montage, with an elaborate dream sequence for Seymour. Both were cut after negative test screenings and thought lost until 2012, when work in progress reels were found and restored for DVD.

A disappointment in the theater, the movie was a top-seller when it came out on video. A short-lived cartoon based on this film and the original 1960 Roger Corman movie debuted in 1991.

What I Don't Like: Although I don't really have problems the current ending, many people find it too be too sentimental, going against the grain of the mostly satirical and relatively dark film. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if they'd stuck to Oz's original vision and stuck to the scarier finale.

Several songs from the original show were cut, including the one that went along with that darker ending, "Don't Feed the Plants."

The Big Finale: I loved this movie as a child, and it's every bit as enjoyable today. If you're looking for something that's scary and yet very funny, with a terrific cast and still-impressive special effects, you'll want to head downtown and check this one out.

Home Media: The original theatrical version that I reviewed and the "director's cut" with the original ending are widely available in all formats.

DVD
DVD - The Director's Cut
Blu-Ray - The Director's Cut
Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Aladdin (1992)

Disney, 1992
Voices of Robin Williams, Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, and Johnathan Freeman
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice

In honor of the release of the live-action version of Aladdin yesterday, I'm going to cover the original. Disney's first venture into Arabian Nights lore was an even bigger hit at the box office than Beauty and the Beast, the top-grossing film of 1992. Does the tale of a young Arabian thief who discovers he's a "diamond in the rough" with the help of a wisecracking genie still hold up today? Let's take a flying carpet to the desert city of Agrabah and find out...

The Story: Aladdin (Weinger) is a cunning young thief with a kind heart who spends his days stealing his daily bread and avoiding the guards on the streets of Agrabah. One day, he encounters a beautiful and intelligent young woman (Larkin) who claims to have run away from home. Turns out she's the Princess Jasmine, who fled the castle when she was being forced to choose a prince to marry. Aladdin is arrested by the guards and by the sultan's second-in-command Jafar (Freeman) and his obnoxious talking parrot Iago (Gilbert Gottfried) and tossed in the dungeon.

Jafar poses as an old prisoner in the dungeon and agrees to help him out, if he finds a certain lamp in the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin and his monkey Abu (Frank Welker) do, Jafar abandons him in the Cave. Turns out the lamp holds a magical, wisecracking genie (Williams), who not only helps them out of the cave, but is able to grant wishes. Aladdin wants nothing more than to be able to court the princess. The Genie makes him into a prince, but Jafar has his suspicions, and the Genie is upset when Aladdin may not free him. It takes nearly losing everything he holds dear to make Aladdin understand that one makes their own magic...and you don't need magic to be a good and brave person.

The Animation: Disney wanted to push themselves even further after the success of Beast, and they certainly did that. The Cave of Wonders was one of their earlier ventures into CGI, and it doesn't look half-bad today. The colors are rich and gorgeous, as per the Arabian Knights setting, and some of the expressions are hilarious. Just the way the animators are able to keep up with Williams' stream of lunacy is awesome.

The Song and Dance: Williams was the biggest reason for this movie's success in 1992, and while he's still funny, there's other things worth mentioning. Jasmine is one of Disney's stronger princesses of the era, determined to have love her way, no matter what. Gottfried, as annoying as he can be, does get some good lines as the ever-sarcastic parrot, and Freeman oozes menace as the oily second-in-command who cares about nothing but power.

Favorite Number: Jasmine and Aladdin's big ballad "A Whole New World" picked up the Oscar and "Friend Like Me" was Williams' big showcase, but my favorite song from this one is Aladdin's introduction, "One Jump Ahead." The rollicking tune perfectly introduces Aladdin, Abu, and their life as thieves in Agrabah and is one of the more fun numbers in the score.

Trivia: Unlike Beast and The Little Mermaid, this one had only been in development since the late 80's. It was Howard Ashman's idea and his baby, but he didn't live to see it's completion. Most of the songs he and Menken wrote didn't make it into the film (other than "Prince Ali"). Executives demanded it be completely re-written, eliminating the character of the mother and building up Jasmine and the romance.

A stage musical opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater in 2014 and is still running there at press time.

Disney would do two sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and a TV show.  I may review the sequels somewhere along the line if I ever run into them; I seem to remember that what little I saw of the TV show was actually a lot of fun, even if they didn't use most of the original voices.

What I Don't Like: Many of Williams' pop culture references are recognizable only to people who were around in the early 90's nowadays, making him maybe a bit less funny than he was in 1992. While the Cave of Wonders generally looks decent, the CGI action sequence is more obvious. Aladdin and Jasmine both look and sound kind of generic and not especially Arabic. I have no idea what's with the opening with Williams as a random peddler introducing the lamp and the story. It has nothing in common with the rest of the movie, and other than allowing Williams to sing "Arabian Nights."

While this has more things in common with the original story than some other adaptations, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if this had retained both Aladdin's mother and the original Chinese setting from the Arabian Nights story.

The Big Finale: I don't love this one as much as I do Beauty and the Beast, but I still like it a lot. It's still one of Disney's funnier movies, and one of their best for grade school-age boys who are turned off by more overtly-"princessy" Disney animated films.

Home Media: Technically out of print, but not that hard to find, including on several streaming services.

DVD
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Animation Celebration Saturday - Beauty and the Beast

Disney, 1991
Voices of Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Angela Landsbury, and Jerry Orbach
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

If The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney Renaissance of the 90's, the tremendous success of this movie codified it. This was one of the biggest hits of 1991, the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and one of the most talked-about films of the early 90's. Is it worthy of that legacy, or should it be run out of the castle? Let's head to a small town in France and find out...

The Story: Belle (O'Hara) may live up to her name, but she's still an outcast in her town, due to her love of books and sharp mind. Most of the residents don't know what to make of her. Handsome but obnoxious hunter Gaston (Richard White) wants to marry her, not because he's especially interested in her, but because she's the prettiest girl and he's the best-looking guy. She wants to expand her horizons, and she gets her chance when her inventor father (Rex Everheart) is held prisoner by a fearsome beast (Benson). She offers herself in exchange. She's upset and lonely at first, until she meets the moving objects who acts at as the Beast's servants, including Lumiere the candelabra (Orbach), Mrs. Potts the teapot (Landsbury), and Cogsworth the clock (David Ogden Stiers). The entire castle is under a spell, and all the objects are desperately hoping that Belle is the one who will break it and get through to the Beast. Gaston, however, has his own plans for Belle and her father...

The Song and Dance: I've loved this movie since my family went to see it on it's release in November 1991. Belle is still one of Disney's best princesses. She's not only smart and beautiful, but is sensible enough to figure (most) of what's going on with the castle and the enchantment well before the end of the film.

It also has one of the best male villains of any Disney movie. I used to dismiss Gaston as a vainglorious idiot when I was younger, but after having seen the live-action version, I've come to realize that he's one of the most frightening antagonists in the Disney canon. He's scary because not only because people like him exist, but because they're considered normal, where good people like Belle and the Beast who don't look or act as society dictates are not. The entire town follows him without question after one glimpse at the mirror, just because he says the Beast is bad, and they encourage his pursuit of Belle despite her obvious disinterest.

The Animation: Bold and colorful, the fabulous work on this movie was a big part of the reason for that Oscar nomination. From the sweeping shots of the Beast's gloomy Gothic castle to the bustle of the town, every detail is as perfect as one could wish. The animation on the human characters is even better. I've always loved Belle's facial expressions; she's still one of the most expressive female Disney characters. She says more with raise of an eyebrow than most animated characters say with tons of dialogue.

Favorite Number: The music codified the Broadway style of Disney films for the rest of the decade. As lovely as the Oscar-winning title song is (and the swirling pas de deux performed during it), my favorite song has always been the rollicking Busby Berkley parody "Be Our Guest." I have to hand it to the enchanted objects. For things that have barely been used in 10 years, they sure can put on one heck of a show! I'm also fond of the charming "Something There" for Belle and the Beast, and the opening number that introduces Belle, Gaston, and most of the town.

Trivia: Walt considered Beauty and the Beast for an animated film after the success of Snow White in 1937, but the studio couldn't figure out the story then and shelved it. They tried again briefly in the 1950's, but decided it was too close to Cinderella. It started up again after Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a hit in 1987, but was originally scripted as an action fantasy, not a musical. The music didn't come in until after the success of The Little Mermaid in 1989.

Lyricist Howard Ashman was ill with AIDS during the pre-production of Beauty and the Beast. He died in March 1991 and never got to see the finished film. The movie is dedicated to him, in a moving line at the end of the credits.

Along with the Best Picture nomination, the movie was nominated for Best Sound and won for Best Score and Best Song ("Beauty and the Beast"). "Be Our Guest" and "Belle" were also nominated.

What I Don't Like: The blending of CGI and 2-D animated elements was revolutionary in 1991, but it occasionally looks fake or weird nowadays. I always wondered exactly what Belle does in the town, besides read and help her father. We don't get to know many of the other objects in the castle besides Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth.

The Big Finale: Not only one of my favorite animated movies, but one of my favorite movies, period. I loved the 2017 live-action version too, but this is the one you really need to see.

Home Media: Probably thanks to the release of the live-action version last year, this one is currently in print and is very easy to find in most formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

There's more Beauty and the Beast to come! Look for the direct-to-home media follow up Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas later this month!

Animation Celebration Double Feature - The Little Mermaid and The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

We head under the waves to take a look at one of Disney's most beloved films, the one that kicked off it's 90's Renaissance. We're also going to take a look at it's sequel, part of the infamous series of direct-to-home-media follow-ups to many of it's classic animated films that Disney churned out in from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's. How does the original film hold up "under the sea," and does its follow-up deserve the notoriety? Let's take a look and see...

The Little Mermaid
Disney, 1989
Voices of Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett, and Christopher Daniel Barnes
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

The Story: Ariel (Benson) is a teenage mermaid, the daughter of the sea king Triton (Kenneth Mars). She's been forbidden to go above the surface for fear she'll be seen by humans, but she's obsessed with the world above and collects everything about it she can. One night, during a story, she rescues the handsome Prince Eric (Barnes) and falls head over fins for him. After her father discovers her treasures and destroys them, she turns to the sea witch Ursula (Carroll) to make her dreams come true. Ursula does turn her into a human, but takes her voice as payment. With the help of her father's crab composer Sebastian (Samuel Wright), the fish Flounder (Jason Marin), and the goofy seagull Scuttle (Hackett), Ariel has three days to make Eric fall in love with her in return and kiss her, or she'll end up a slave to the witch.

The Animation: The impressive animation, especially in the under the sea sequences, have always been a big part of the draw here. You really do feel like you're under the sea; everything just glows with colors so brilliant, they make the rainbow in the finale look pale. The sequences on land aren't as colorful, but are just as well-done. The details, both under and over the sea, are amazing. The musical numbers have so much going on in them, you can spend a viewing just checking out all the craziness.

The Song and Dance: While Benson's appropriately winsome as the naive title character, the real winners here are the character actors. Mars brings a great deal of authority to his role of the stubborn king who just wants to protect his daughter. Carroll is pitch-perfect as Ursula, the voluptuous, scheming octopus who is one of Disney's best villains. Wright and Hackett have a lot of fun as Ariel's two of Ariel's best friends in the sea and on land respectively.

I've always liked how the father-daughter situation is handled here. As a kid (I was 10 when this came out), I sided with Ariel. Now that I'm older, I can understand Triton's point of view. It doesn't make what he did to her collection right, but I can see why he did it. Disney doesn't often go into father-daughter relationships, making this aspect of the movie actually rather unique in animation.

Favorite Number: "Under the Sea" doesn't really have much to do with the story, but it's so infectious, and the sequence is so well-done, I can totally see why it won an Oscar. "Part of Your World," Ariel's solo as she tries to explain her feelings about the world above to Flounder, is one of the best (and most iconic) "I Want" songs in musical history.

My personal favorite has always been "Kiss the Girl." Not only is the song the best in the film, but it's performed beautifully by Wright and the chorus and has some of the film's best effects, with the bird dancing around them and the glittering water gliding under the boat.

Trivia: Like Cinderella, this was a return to form for Disney after two decades of movies that ranged from fun-but-underrated to so-so. It was such a smash, the merchandising and video releases alone supplied Disney with the money to make most of its animated films for the rest of the 90's.

"Part of Your World" was almost removed due to negative early test screenings, but the directors pushed to keep it as the movie neared completion. It worked with later audiences, and it stayed.

This was the last Disney film to be made with traditional hand-painted cells, and even this movie has some CGI effects (mostly in the climatic finale with Ursula and the ships). From The Rescuers Down Under onwards, all Disney animated movies would be colored and filmed digitally.

"Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" were both nominated for Oscars; "Under the Sea" won. The movie also won for Original Score.

What I Don't Like: While she was praised for her independence and quick mind in 1989, Ariel doesn't always come off as the brightest starfish in the sea today, especially compared to later, more mature Disney ladies like Belle and Tiana. Prince Eric also has a tad bit more character than most of the Disney leading men who came before him, but is mostly pretty bland.

Like most Disney animated fairy tale retellings, this really doesn't have that much in common with the original Hans Christian Anderson Little Mermaid, especially the ending. I always found the happy ending to be a bit of a cop-out. While Ursula's flat-out villainy is hilarious, I did always like that the sea witch in the original story was ambiguous. She does what's asked of her because she's asked to do it, not because of any animosity.

The Big Finale: It's not one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, but it's still beloved among many animation lovers and mermaid-crazy girls for it's lush animation, memorable characters, and classic soundtrack. Give it a shot and make it "Part of Your World," too.

Home Media: Alas, this is another Disney movie that's currently on moratorium and is expensive on DVD and Blu-Ray. Once again, your best bet would likely be to look for it used on eBay or elsewhere.

DVD
Blu-Ray

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Disney, 2000
Voices of Jodi Benson, Tara Cherendoff (Strong), Pat Carroll, and Buddy Hackett
Directed by Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith
Music by Michael and Patty Silversher and others

The Story: Melody (Cherendoff) is Ariel and Eric's daughter. At her christening, she's given a locket by her grandfather Triton to remind her that a part of her will always belong to the sea. Unfortunately, she also becomes the target of the scheming Morgana (Carroll), who wants to avenge her sister Ursula and take over Triton's kingdom. Hoping to protect her daughter, Ariel builds a wall to cut her off from the sea. It works no better than trying to keep Ariel from the surface did. Melody frequently swims under it, befriending Sebastian (Wright) and Scuttle (Hackett). Having found the locket, Melody wants to know more about it, but Ariel is afraid to answer her questions.

After a disastrous party, Melody takes off in a boat to learn more about her heritage. Morgana's underling Undertow (Clancy Brown) brings the girl to his mistress. Morgana does make Melody's legs into a tail, but says she'll only stay that way if she steals the trident from Triton (claiming he stole it from her). As she searches for the trident, Melody befriends Tip (Max Casella) and Dash (Stephan Furst), a penguin and a walrus respectively who are looking to be more heroic in the eyes of their families.

The Animation: A disappointing comedown from the original. This was animated by the Disney Television Animation studios (like most of the other direct-to-home-media movies of this time), and it shows. The animation is colorful, but lacks the detail and fluidity of the original. The underwater effects look flat and dull, and the scenes around the ice flows pretty much look all the same.

The Song and Dance: What I like here is the relationship between daughter and mother. Ariel is the only Disney princess to date who has been shown as a mother, even in the direct-to-home-media sequels. She's not as harsh as her father was, and you can understand why she's being so protective...but smothering is still smothering. When she says in the finale that she realizes she made some bad decisions regarding raising Melody and regrets it, you really feel that hurt. Melody, for her part, isn't even a rebellious teenager. She's just a confused kid who feels like she belongs in one place but is being kept in another.

Favorite Number: None, really. Other than the opening "Down to the Sea" with the cast celebrating Ariel and Eric's arrival, none of the new songs were even remotely memorable. Tip and Dash's big number with Melody was probably supposed to be a comic ditty on the lines of "Hakuna Matata," but comes off more annoying than anything. Which brings us to...

What I Don't Like: Too bad all that mother-daughter bonding is wasted on a rehash of the first movie. Couldn't they have come up with at least a slightly more original plot and a better villain? Morgana is basically just a thinner version of Ursula who wants attention, and the whole thing with her trying to get Undertow back to his regular size (he's supposed to be a shark, but Triton shrunk him) is basically filler. Tip and Dash are annoying, obnoxious, and contribute next-to-nothing to the plot. They're probably just there to be the hip, funny side characters. A lot of the dialogue sounds a bit too hip and modern for a fairy tale (probably showing some of the influence of Shrek from earlier in 2000). Eric's even less in this than he was in the original movie.

The Big Finale: I do know some kids who grew up with this on video in the early 2000's who have a soft spot for it. For anyone else, it's completely avoidable unless you're a massive Little Mermaid fan.

Home Media: Same deal. This is also out of print; once again, you're better off checking used DVD stores and other venues. Your best bet is to look for this one as a 2-pack with the prequel Ariel's Beginning.

2-Movie Collection (with Ariel's Beginning) DVD
2-Movie Collection (with Ariel's Beginning) Blu-Ray