The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)
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Our Price: $14.50
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Average Customer Rating:  
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Starring: Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards
Directed By: Ron Clements, John Musker
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0786936284065
Format: Animated
Label: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-10-03
Running Time: 83
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1989-11-17
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!!
Comment: One of the best Disney Movies. It is always perfect when the adults can enjoy the movie as much as the children.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Instant Classic!
Comment: This movie is a lot of fun, and definitely ranks right up there with older Disney "classic" films such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. The folks at Disney did take some creative license with the tale (in the original the mermaid does NOT end up with the prince!), but you can forgive them for that. :) Ursula is a delightful villian; the music is terrific; the story is charming. Buy this one!
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Revival of Classic Disney Animation
Comment: I remember the excitement of this film's release. It had been years since Disney had given us anything of note from their animation department. Based on the Hans Christian Anderson classic, "The Little Mermaid" brought large audiences back to the type of Disney tradition millions had grown-up on.
With characters like Sebastian the crab, the evil witch Ursula, king Triton and Prince Eric, great Disney family storytelling was back on track. But Ariel "the Little Mermaid" with voice beautifully provided by Jodi Benson, truly is the star of this warmly touching cinematic delight. You truly feel for her, and her deep longing to become human. Such a lovable tale for all ages, which can even be a little frightening for very small children; especially towards the end when evil Ursula seems to have conquered all of the sea kingdom and everyone of its inhabitants. But most will be pleased with the extremely happy ending. Outstanding Howard Ashman and Alan Menken score.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A classic
Comment: This is a classic Disney twist on a tale penned with a less than happy ending. It's for kids, so of course Disney is going to change the end to be happy. As far as Ariel not being a 'strong' role model, I can see some people's point, but I think it takes a lot to break out of your family's expextations and go after what you really want. Yes, she falls in love with a prince (of course), but remember that she is a princess even before she marries Eric. Also, the much-lauded character of Mulan is based on a Chinese ballad, and in the movie, is a caricature. Yes, she kicks [...], and proves everyone wrong, showing that women really are strong and can stand up to the test as much as men can. Fantastic. It's too bad that such a big deal is made of it, really, because if it were a normal occurance, no one would remark. If the movie showed that women in general are strong, rather than making a point of this one woman, it would be much more effective for the point that some people try to make with the movie. Note her mother, who seems to stay at home worrying; also see how she is repressed when revealed as a woman, and left for dead. Well, that's great. Show that you are strong, and we'll leave you to prove it. Hope everything turns out all right, bye.
My point is that no story is perfect, and every story can be seen as 'bad' or 'good' from different angles. If you are concerned about what your children get out of such movies, then talk to them. That will teach them far more about life than any movie ever will. As for the Disney movies, they are stories. Teach your children right and wrong, fact and fiction, and life will go on. The Little Mermaid is a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend it as a feel good movie. Mulan, too, in fact.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "LITTLE MERMAID" RECALLS DISNEY'S CLASSIC GLORY DAYS & USHERS IN A NEW WAVE OF EXCELLENCE
Comment: I wrestled for the longest time over whether to purchase this DVD, and I'm so glad I did! Also, I'm so glad Amazon STILL had this in stock; and shipped it so speedily!
Although the Disney Version adds a typical "Disneyfied Happy Ending" to Hans Christian Anderson's original tragic and bittersweet fairy tale, there is absolutely no denying the emotional sweep of the Broadway calibre score by Alan Menchen and the late Howard Ashman; most noteably "Part Of Your World" and "Under The Sea."
In addition, the voice cast, featuring Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, and Christopher Daniel Barnes, is superb! The entire production recalls the glory days of Disney Animation, which reached a superb apex with "SLEEPING BEAUTY" 30 Years earlier. Not surprisingly, "Little Mermaid" ushered in a new wave of Disney animated musicals-- and this at a time when Disney's Feature Animation Dept. was banished to a smaller location off the main lot and considered dead but not officially buried.
"Beauty and The Beast" received the "Best Picture" Oscar nomination, but I think "Little Mermaid" is the far superior film. The DVD extras, chronicling "Little Mermaid's" stormy production history, a biography of Hans Christian Anderson and the original fairy tale, and a short animated film of Anderson's heart-breaking "The Little Match Girl" make this one of the very BEST titles in Disney's Platinum Edition 2 Disc Series.
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Editorial Reviews:
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From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list and was responsible for ushering Beauty and the Beast to theaters. A modern Disney classic. --Keith Simanton
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