The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) (V)

Director:

Peggy Holmes

Writers:

Robert Reece (writer)
Evan Spiliotopoulos (writer)

Release Date:

26 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Every Story Has a Beginning, But Only One Begins Under the Sea

Plot:

The plot explores the story of Athena, Ariel's mother, through the narration of Ariel. |

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Sequel | Direct To Video Sequel To Theatrical Movie | Music Box | No Opening Credits

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jodi Benson	...	Ariel (voice)
Samuel E. Wright	...	Sebastian (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	King Triton / Shelbow (voice)
Sally Field	...	Marina Del Ray (voice)
Parker Goris	...	Flounder (voice)
Tara Strong	...	Adella / Andrina (voice)
Jennifer Hale	...	Alana (voice)
Grey DeLisle	...	Aquata / Arista (voice)
Jeff Bennett	...	Benjamin / Guards (voice)
Kari Wahlgren	...	Attina (voice)
Lorelei Hill Butters	...	Queen Athena (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson	...	Cheeks / Ray Ray (voice)
Rob Paulsen	...	Ink Spot / Swifty (voice)

Also Known As:

The Little Mermaid III (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Argentina:70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:G | Argentina:Atp | South Korea:All | Singapore:G

Company:

DisneyToon Studios

Goofs:

Continuity: In 1992 Disney started TV series based on "The Little Mermaid" movie. In season 1 episode 11 called "The Little Mermaid: The Evil Manta (#1.9)" (1992) Ariel remembers how she first met Flounder, and the scene is quite different than the scene shown in this movie. In the series she met him when she was still a child, wearing pony tail. Flounder is left all alone and he gets scared from Ariel, but she quickly calms him down and become his friend.

Quotes:

Marina Del Ray: Can you feel it, Benjamin? The sweet taste of power! Filling, yet oddly minty!

Movie Connections:

References Oliver! (1968)

Soundtrack:

Just One Mistake

A Great Prequel

This movie was remarkably refreshing and entertaining. The overall appearance of the film was pleasant. I really enjoyed the character design and animation; the film was very true to the original designs portrayed in the first Little Mermaid, and included just enough of modern 3d animation techniques to give additional depth to the 2d creations without spoiling its 2d nature. The story had a solid plot that supported other Little Mermaid films, as well as giving the viewer a touching glimpse of Ariel's mother and a deeper understanding of King Triton's character. The songs, while not as moving or masterful as Menken and Ashman's work on the first Little Mermaid film, were decent and fit in well with the overall theme of the movie. The movie flowed easily between the musical numbers and non-musical moments.

This is definitely one of those "Movie #3"s that rises well above the awful direction (plot, character, music, etc) that most sequels seem to follow.