DVD Review: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Platinum Edition

Movie Info:
Writer: Elizabeth Anderson, Temple Mathews
Director: Jim Kammerud, Brian Smith
Cast: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Tara Strong, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Max Casella
Rating: G
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Some movie sequels are meant to continue the story or entertain a pre-made audience. Others are made to profit. While I can’t help but think that Disney has tried to capitalize on the popularity of original films like The Little Mermaid and The Jungle Book, on occasion, there will be a sequel, such as 101 Dalmatians: Patches London Adventure that is actually entertaining and engaging.

The 1989 movie The Little Mermaid was huge. I was just a child of 11 when the movie was released, and as a little girl of the 80s, I loved it! It played at my birthday party, the following year and I was Ariel obsessed like every other little girl out there. When I heard that Disney was releasing a direct to DVD sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, I had high hopes. The prequel, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning was actually pretty good. I had hoped this sequel would follow the same path and try to entertain, not just make a buck.

Unfortunately, I just wasn’t feeling The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. The kids enjoyed this movie, as most kids do with any Disney film. They weren’t as obsessed with re-watching this as they are with many of the other Disney titles we own, but they still enjoyed this movie for what it was. It’s a lighthearted cartoon and that’s about it. If you go in expecting more of this movie, then prepare to be disappointed.

It’s not that The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is bad. It’s just not the quality of the original movie. In direct to DVD releases, I’m not usually expecting the best quality. Still, from Disney I do expect something better. The quality of filmmaking Disney has attained in the past is something not present in many of the sequels they make, and that’s sad. If a little more care went into films like The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, the fan base of the original movie would eat these films up, just like they did the original.

My advice, if you’re a fan of the original and/or grew up loving The Little Mermaid, as I did, is to not take too much stock into this movie. If you do, then you will be disappointed with The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. However, if you are buying this for your children, they probably won’t have a problem watching this, at least a few times.

The The Little Mermaid II Plot
After Ariel (Jodi Benson) and Eric (Rob Paulsen) marry in the original The Little Mermaid movie, time has passed. The two have a daughter, Melody (Tara Strong) and when the movie is beginning, the happy family is on a ship, celebrating her birth. At sea, King Triton (Kenneth Mars) is able to be present to see his beautiful granddaughter. As a present, he gives her a gold locket with her name engraved on it.

Everyone is enjoying the festivities when Ursula’s evil sister, Morgana shows up. She threatens Ariel’s little one and manages to get ahold of Triton’s trident, but Eric and Ariel manage to escape with Melody unharmed and Triton gets the trident bac. As a result, Ariel is left no choice but to ban her daughter from any and all knowledge of the sea. Ariel gets rid of Melody’s locket, and the royal family have a wall built between the castle and the sea.

When Melody is 12, she still has no idea she’s half mermaid. She has been drawn to the sea though and often sneaks off to swim, when no one is around. One day, she finds her locket. Seeing her name on it, she demands answers of Ariel, who gives her none. Heartbroken, Melody hops onto a boat and sails away, unaware of Morgana’s threats and the danger the sea holds for Ariel’s daughter.

Worried sick, Triton does the only thing he can. He uses his magic to turn his daughter back into a mermaid, to save Melody. With Morgana snaring Melody into a trap that could ruin her life and the life of those in the sea forever, it’s up to Ariel, Triton, and the rest of the sea creatures to stop Morgana before it’s too late.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The video for The Little Mermaid II is strong. This is nothing new for a Disney feature. You can expect beautiful color combination and a sharp level of detail. The aspect ratio of 1.66:1 doesn’t disappoint. Children will love the look of this because it is better than what someone would expect from the average cartoon. There were no issues with edge distortion, noise, or other problems. It was a solid visual feature from start to finish.

Much like the video, the audio for this film is as close to perfection as you can expect for a DVD presentation. The Dolby Digital 5.1 offers a rich, robust sound that works wonderfully for the setting and it sounds great with the associated music that is a big part of the film. The channels all work together to give you more of a surround sound style sound. In addition to the Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, there are also tracks in Spanish and French.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The majority of bonuses here were originally part of the first release of The Little Mermaid II. What that means is if you already have the earlier version you might find little reason to shell out the dough for this new version. There are a few features that are new to the DVD. Those include a game and a deleted song, but otherwise, it’s mainly the same old stuff.

The Little Mermaid II includes two games and some other limited special features. In the case of the games, the first is a trivia style game that is fairly static. Naturally, even the best type of games like this are only good for one or two plays, but younger kids may enjoy it while it lasts. The other game has awesome graphics and it’s rather simple. You follow the lead of the prompts and press buttons according to the prompts. The game includes three different sections with different goals. First, you are swimming and you need to dodge anything in your way. Next you’re making friends, and finally you get to make music. Pearls are awarded after a section is completed until you get to the final section and you end up winning your mer-tail.

The other special features include a storybook narration handled by Ariel herself, Jodi Benson, another game where you guess some sea creatures in order to see a live action clip about the sea creature in question, and the deleted song, “Gonna Get My Wish.” This basically wraps up your special features. It’s not a bad collection, just a small one and it is more suited to the younger kids than anyone else.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea isn’t anything like the original. While the same characters are present, some films just aren’t meant to have sequels. The Little Mermaid just happens to be one of them. Die hard fans of the original will want to avoid The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Parents who have young children can pick this up though because even if we as adults don’t enjoy this movie, kids can at least laugh and enjoy their favorite characters in this new setting.

Overall Rating:

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.