The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)

The kingdom of Atlantica where music is forbidden, the youngest daughter of King Triton, named Ariel, discovers her love to an underground music club and sets off to a daring adventure to bring restoration of music back to Atlantica.

Director:

Peggy Holmes

Writers:

Robert Reece (screenplay), Evan Spiliotopoulos (screenplay)

Stars:

Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Jim Cummings

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited 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 Griffin	...	Aquata / Arista (voice) (as Grey DeLisle)
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)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Scuttle (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Loucadoux	...	Adella

Storyline

After a terrible tragedy in King Triton's once-happy undersea kingdom of Atlantica, the dejected ruler decrees that all music be banned from his realm. Almost a decade later, Princess Ariel--the most rebellious of Triton's seven charming daughters who still cannot understand why her father is against melody--sneaks out one night, only to discover an illegal speakeasy brimming with music. Excited, Ariel wants more; however, with a headstrong father and a vigilant nanny, she has her work cut out for her. Can Ariel, the little mermaid, restore happiness and harmony to Atlantica?

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | prequel | mermaid | king | disney animated sequel | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Little Mermaid III

Company Credits

Production Co:

Disneytoon Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tara Strong, voice of Ariel's Daughter Melody in The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (2000) voices 2 of Ariel's sisters in this film.

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Goofs

Tara Strong is the voice of both Adella and Andrina. Adella has a more normal voice and Andrina has the funny one. At one time in the movie, where Ariel is back from the underground club and tells her sisters about it, you can hear Adella with the funny voice saying: "Yeah me too" and then you hear Andrina with a perfectly normal voice saying "Not without me". They changed voices for a moment.

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Quotes

Andrina: OK, bedtime, outta my way.
[to Alana, who's putting on a face mask]
Andrina: Don't look now, but dinner exploded on your face.
Alana: It's plankton extract and sea salt.
Andrina: [sarcastically] Pretty.
Alana: It rejuvenates the skin AND it won't clog your pores.
Andrina: [plugs her nose, disgusted] Ugh, whatever!
Alana: It's your face...
Arista: [floating into bed with a sleep mask on] Excuse me.
[sighs]
[...]

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Connections

Featured in That Fellow in the Coat: A Look Back at Disney's Sequels (2010)

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Soundtracks

Man Smart Woman Smarter
Written by Norman Span

User Reviews

Simply Amazing.

The Little Mermaid is one of Disney's most lovable classics, it's one of my personal favorites, so I did want to see the sequel, which was pretty average. Normally most Disney sequels are lame or a waste of time, but it seems as if Disney is finally getting something right because The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a very sweet movie and was a nice prequel for Ariel to see what her life was like before she met Prince Eric and we learn a little bit about her family and how she came to meet Flounder. This is definitely a must see for the kids, it has fun music, cute characters, and a charming story that anyone could fall in love with. I liked that they chose a different story rather than continuing her life with Eric, I just like the "they lived happily ever after" and that's it, so this was a nice idea to get to know Ariel's sisters and mother.

In this Disney prequel, we explore Ariel's life before she became human, met Eric, met Ursela. Her father is heart broken after her mother is killed by a ship, he forbids music since it reminds him of her and her beautiful voice. Ariel and her sisters grow up in a very boring world with no music or life at all, but Ariel is thirsty for fun, to spice up her life. She comes along with friends who are also trying to make life a little more fun. But a mermaid named Marina is trying to take over the girls and their lives so she can eventually control the kingdom.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a fun Disney sequel and was a pleasure to watch. The songs are a lot of fun and the story just charms it's way into your heart. This isn't my favorite Disney sequel, but it was a huge improvement over the second Little Mermaid. I would recommend this for the family or kids, it's a charming film and of course who could resist Sebastian and his fun crazy life under the sea? He, Ariel, and Flounder bring life to this story and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

9/10