A Walt Disney great The Little Mermaid returns to home video as a member of the Disney’s exclusive signature collection. Thirty years have gone by since the young mermaid entered the lives of children everywhere with a story that provides wonders, excitement, laughter and even warms the heart. Featuring one of Disney’s princess’s Ariel, the story is one of coming of age and exploring new worlds. The film received two Oscars for the music, Original Score that included songs like “Part of Your World” and Best Song “Under the Sea”. This special 50th Anniversary Edition joins only seven others that have been chosen thus far that display the seal of Walt Disney’s Signature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pinocchio,” “Bambi,” “The Lion King”, “Peter Pan” and “Lady and the Tramp”.
The humdrum life of living in Atlantica under the sea has given teen Ariel thought of other things besides chores and wants to explore more of what’s above the sea. Her father King Triton warns the young girl of the dangers that are beyond his kingdom. But, Ariel can’t take the boredom and confides in her best friend Flounder. Still inquisitive she decides to go to the top of the ocean with Flounder and Sebastian to see what’s outside of her world. There she spies the ship of the human Prince Eric and is fascinated by him. So begins an adventure that will find the young Ariel confiding in the witch Ursula, losing her voice, and finding what it’s like to become human.
The film has been a favorite since it was produced back in 1989 and at that time was number 13 of the 240 films released during the year. The box office for the animated film brought in over $84 million in the USA and if you divide that by approximately $4 per ticket, that would hypothetically come to about 21 million persons who paid for a ticket to see the movie. The film has been transferred to home video and is now to 4K, Ultra Blu-ray and in Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with the special signature 30 year edition. If you child does not have it in the home theater collection, the combo pack would be a smart buy.
SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES: The following are the extras that are on the Blu-ray disc.
“Sing-Along Mode” – Sing along to the movie in this sing-along version of the film.
“Alan Menken & the Leading Ladies Song” – From the voice of a mermaid to the tunes of a muse, the music of Alan Menken has scored the soundtrack for some of Disney’s most iconic leading ladies. Join Alan, Jodi Benson (Ariel), Paige O’Hara (Belle), Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas Singing Voice), Lillias White (Calliope) and Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel) as we celebrate the music of their films in honor of the one that started it all … “The Little Mermaid.” In this discussion, the ladies will share their memories of musically creating their characters with Alan, discuss what it means to be part of the Disney Princess/leading lady legacy and create new memories as they sing with Alan around a baby grand piano.
“What I Want From You…Is YOUR VOICE” – Enter the recording studio and get an inside look at the cast of “The Little Mermaid” in their original recording sessions.
“Stories from Walt’s Office” include – Gadgets & Gizmos – Like Ariel, Walt Disney was a collector of many different things from miniatures to early mechanical characters that inspired the invention of audio-animatronics. We take a look at some the collections that Walt kept in his office in the third episode of this series.
“Treasures Untold” – Join Ruby Rose Turner and Olivia Sanabia from the Disney Channel Original Series “Coop and Cami Ask the World” as they take a deep dive to explore some hidden treasures and fun facts about Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
DCapella “Part of Your World” Music Video
“Classic Bonus Features” – revisit four exciting bonus features from previous releases including: ‘Deleted Character: Harold The Merman’, ‘Under The Scene: The Art Of Live Action Reference’, ‘Howard’s Lecture’.
“Audio Commentary With Ron Clements, John Musker and Alan Menken”
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES:
“Part of Your World” – A 30-Year Retrospective – Songwriter Alan Menken and Jodi Benson, the acting and singing voice of Ariel, sing the epitome of Disney “I Want” songs “Part of Your World” and discuss its impact since it was first heard 30 years ago.
“Classic Bonus Features” – Over 3 additional hours of previously released classic bonus features including Deleted Scenes, Easter Eggs, Music Videos and more!
*Bonus features may vary by retailer
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very cool way to start your collection of Walt Disney’s Best Animated Films. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Voice Cast: Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin and René Auberjonois
Directors: John Musker and Ron Clements
MPAA Rating: G
Genre: Family, Animation, Fantasy
Running Time: 1 hr. 28 min.
Video Release Date: February 26, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 1989
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray/DVD
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Latin Spanish and French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital
Video: 16×9 Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH & ESL, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 2 discs plus Digital code
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Released in: 4K, Ultra Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, Available in combo packs
