| The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning | 
 enlarge | List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $9.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 69 reviews)
Sales Rank: 107
Category: DVD
Actors: Jodi Benson, Sam Wright, Jim Cummings, Kari Wahlgren, Parker Goris
Director: Peggy Holmes
Publisher: Walt Disney Video
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Label: Walt Disney Video
Format: Animated, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 77 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 04917900
UPC: 786936689334
EAN: 0786936689334
ASIN: B000XUOIQO
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Every story has a beginning but only one begins under the sea now for the first time ever discover the story you never knew in The Little Mermaid: Ariel s Beginning an all-new motion picture only on Disney DVD. Long ago in a kingdom where music is outlawed King Triton s youngest daughter Ariel discovers her love for music in a secret underground music club. Torn with the choice of whether to hide her passion or share it with her father and risk losing everything Ariel sets off on a daring adventure to restore music to Atlantica.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC:786936689334 Manufacturer No:04917900
Amazon.com
A prequel to The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is good family entertainment that deserves a spot in every Disney collection--even if the film isn't quite as striking as the original. It's hard to imagine the underwater world of Atlantica without music, but following the death of Ariel's mother Queen Athena, King Triton (Jim Cummings) outlaws music because of the painful memories it evokes. Ariel (Jodi Benson) and her six sisters are unhappy with their boring daily routine, unfeeling governess Marina Del Ray (Sally Field), and superficial relationship with their father; but only Ariel has the courage to confront their father with a desire for a more fulfilling life. A chance meeting with Flounder (Parker Goris) leads Ariel to the underground Catfish music club where the Caribbean jazz is hot and the starred soloist is none other the King's Chief of Staff Sebastian (Samuel Wright). Suddenly, a whole new world full of promise and excitement opens up for Ariel and her sisters, but things get ugly when Marina tells King Triton about the club and his fury erupts. Can the power of music, combined with Ariel's heartfelt pleas, convince King Triton to pardon all the underground music lovers and reconsider his ban on music? Ariel's Beginning is a wholesome story about love, family, and the power of music that's nicely animated and features a host of good music--the only things missing from the first movie are Ariel's innocent sense of wonder and the extreme catchiness of the original songs. Bonus features include two deleted scenes, four sing-along songs with on-screen lyrics; a mermaid discovery game in which viewers learn about Ariel and her six sisters; a quiz that matches viewers with the character most like themselves; an interview with director Peggy Holmes, and a look at the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid Under the Sea. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews: Read 64 more reviews...
 Another good Disney movie October 14, 2008
From what I can tell, my daughter really likes this movie... Great for any little Ariel fan out there.. young AND old alike....
Enjoy the world under the sea again!!!! October 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read all the reviews and i think it's a pitty to make a negativ comment on this movie. It's wonderful. I really enjoyed it and isolated myself from the real world.
the movie is made very good. As always, they created the most enjoying music, the way it suits Ariel!
I would really recommend this movie!!!
Enjoy the world under the sea, one more time!!!
 Very disappointing for a big Mermaid lover! October 11, 2008
I must begin by saying that I was 5 years old when the original Little Mermaid was released, and I loved it so much that I still know the lines by heart and had just about every piece of memorabilia available. It's still my favorite Disney movie of all time.
THIS movie, however, is just awful. My 3-year old daughter is also in love with the 1st Little Mermaid, but she is very upset by this pre-quel. She keeps saying, "Ariel's mommy will be all right. She's fine. Right mommy?" before bursting out into tears. I know that in the original Hans Christian Andersen tale the mother is dead...this is not Disney's invention. However, the girls' grandmother is supposed to be the one taking care of them, not some evil, power-hungry lady.
Some problems I had with the movie (in no particular order):
1.) Why isn't Ursula mentioned at all? My daughter even wondered this, and thought that Marina del Rey was actually "Ursula." In the original movie she says, "In my day, we had fantastical feasts...when I lived in the palace." So what happened there?! She would've been a MUCH better villain than the nanny, sheesh.
2.) The electric eels are too scary for a young child. C'mon, flotsam and jetsom weren't THAT terrifying, but these evil "pets" of Marina del Rey were awful! Marina was really, really annoying too.
3.) The music sucked. I'm sorry, but the original movie had original songs, and the only one that is any good was from Beetlejuice. I'm confused how they could have gone from Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, and especially, Part of Your World, to this musical score. It seems like they were really rushing to put together the film, and music was an after-thought. Heck, even Ursula's songs are good in the original!!!
4.) What made Ariel suddenly become obsessed with human life? Especially since her only memory shown is her mom being killed by humans, it just bugged me. This film focuses on the music, but then it seems like everyone is happy-go-lucky and life in Atlantica is magical and great at the end. So why is she still so anxious to get away from it all?
IMO, they should've started the movie with the girls living with their grandmother, and created a story around their lives (like the Disney television series did), giving us more background information for the original movie. I get it...going to the surface was forbidden because Ariel's mom was killed by a ship, according to this movie. But it could've just as easily been because their world is supposed to be kept secret, like Harry Potter or something. They didn't have to kill her mom like that to make the movie good, especially when the intended audience is little children.
I just wish Disney had taken their time and created a more thoughtful movie. This one felt rushed, and is one of the worst I've ever seen. I was hoping for much more!
 Good movie, not the first one October 10, 2008
As far as Disney movies go, this one is good, not great. Anyone purchasing this movie with the intent that it will be as good as the original Little Mermaid movie will be disappointed. It's a cute movie, but it is NOT the first one. Buy it if you want to continue collection and have a child or fan of the Little Mermaid, just don't put too much expectation in it. I have yet to see an animated sequel as good or close to the first one and this is no exception. Despite all that, my daughter enjoyed it and I am glad to have it in our collection.
New Beginning Not Bad October 10, 2008
It won't play in my home DVD player for some reason but I can watch it on my computer and I liked it a lot. The music is better than the 2nd movies and we finally learn about Ariel's mom. Originaly it was also supposed to tell us about Ursula's banishment but was scrapped last minute. The plot was a bit simplistic but the characters made it fun to watch and the artstyle was better than the last one.
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