''The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'' (also known by the working title, ''The Little Mermaid III: Ariel's Beginning'' and with ''The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel's Beginning'') is a 2008 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

fantasy film produced by DisneyToon Studios, With the animation production being done by Toon City Animation and DisneyToon Studios Australia, and a prequel to Disney's 1989 animated film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'' and the third installment in ''The Little Mermaid'' trilogy, as well as the last direct-to-video follow-up after

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...

took over as chairman for the Disney Animation Division. It is also the first in the chronology of the story running through the series and it is based on the fairy tale ''The Little'' ''Mermaid'' of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen and Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' by

Walt Disney Animation Japan The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Ca ...

and

Walt Disney Television Disney General Entertainment Content, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's General Enter ...

. Directed by

Peggy Holmes Peggy Holmes is an American choreographer, dancer, screenwriter, and film director. Her full-length directorial debut was on 2008's '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'', although she had previously directed a segment of the anthology film ''M ...

, the film's story is set before the events of the original film, when

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

is still young, and where all music has been banned from the underwater kingdom of Atlantica by

King Triton This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...

after being heartbroken at his wife's death, and Ariel attempts to challenge this law.

Jodi Benson Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati; born October 10, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated film '' The Little Mermaid'' and throughout other films, including its seq ...

and Samuel E. Wright (in his final film role) reprise their roles as Ariel and Sebastian respectively, while Sally Field voices the film's new villainess, Marina Del Rey. Jim Cummings takes over the role as King Triton, replacing

Kenneth Mars Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in '' The Producers'' (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in ''Youn ...

, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The film was released by

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...

on August 26, 2008. Unlike most of Disney's direct-to-video follows up films, it received mixed to positive reviews with mild criticism aimed at the new villain character and music score, while the animation quality, the script and voice performances were praised.

Plot

and his wife, Queen Athena, rule over the underwater kingdom of Atlantica, filled with music and laughter. They have seven young daughters: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Andrina and the youngest of whom is

. One day, while the merpeople relax in a lagoon above the surface, Triton gifts Athena a

music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'' ...

. However, the merfolk flee at the approach of a

pirate ship Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

. Everyone escapes except Athena, who, while trying to recover the music box, is killed when the ship crashes into the lagoon. Devastated by his wife's death, Triton throws the music box away and permanently bans music from Atlantica. Ten years later, Ariel and her sisters live under a strict routine maintained by their governess,

Marina Del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish language, Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated area, unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination ...

and her assistant, Benjamin the

manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living speci ...

. Marina hates being the girls' governess and longs to be Triton's

attaché In diplomacy, an attaché is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified accord ...

, a job currently filled by Sebastian the crab. Ariel is frustrated by their current lifestyle, which brings her into arguments with her father. One day, Ariel encounters Flounder, a young

tropical fish Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a ge ...

whom she later follows to an underground music club. She is overjoyed by the presence of music, and is shocked when she sees Sebastian performing there. When her presence is revealed, the entire band stops playing and hides, believing Ariel will tell her father about them. Ariel sings a song explaining her love of music and the remembrance of her mother; and is then accepted as a member of the club after swearing an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...

of secrecy. Ariel returns to the palace and her sisters confront her over her disappearance, she explains where she was and the following night the girls go to the club to have fun. Marina finds them and she later reports their activities to Triton, who destroys the club with his trident. Sebastian, Flounder and the band are sent to prison, while Marina is given Sebastian’s position. The girls are confined to the palace as punishment for listening music. Ariel angrily retorts that this is not what her mother would have wanted. That night, Ariel frees her friends and leaves Atlantica. Sebastian leads them to a deserted place far away from the palace where Ariel finds Athena's music box, as Sebastian hoped. Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian decide to return to Atlantica to bring the music box to Triton, hoping that it will change his mind, as he has not remembered how to be happy after Athena's death. Meanwhile, Triton is informed that Ariel is missing and he orders his guards to find her. Marina, wanting to retain her position, releases her

electric eel The electric eels are a genus, ''Electrophorus'', of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volt ...

s in order to hunt down and eliminate Ariel and Sebastian. Ariel and her friends are confronted by Marina on their way back and a struggle ensues. Ariel’s friends defeat Marina’s eels, just as Triton arrives. Marina barrels towards Sebastian and tries to kill him, but Ariel blocks her way, getting hit in the process, and falls, apparently dead. Triton witnesses this and blames himself. He sings to Ariel and she revives; the two of them reconcile. Marina and Benjamin are imprisoned in the dungeon. Music is soon restored to Atlantica and everyone celebrates; while Sebastian is appointed Atlantica's first official court composer.

Voice cast

. * Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian (last film role). * Jim Cummings as

. * Sally Field as

. * Parker Goris as Flounder.

Also starring

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American actress who has provided English-language voices for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as Haruko Haruhara in '' FLCL'', and would later land ma ...

as Attina. The eldest sister who keeps the sisters in order and is always following her father's words. *

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...

as Adella, the 3rd eldest sister who dreams of falling in love with a boy and Andrina, the 2nd youngest sister who is sarcastic and likes to joke around. *

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

as Alana. The 2nd eldest sister who is very interested in beauty, fashion and is very cautious with her appearance. *

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...

as Aquata, the middle sister who is tough, but shy and can't dance, and Arista, the 3rd youngest sister who is very quirky, but likes to "borrow" other people's things too much. She joins the band at the end of the movie. * Jeff Bennett as Benjamin, Swordfish Guards * Lorelei Hill Butters as Queen Athena (speaking) ** Andrea Robinson as Queen Athena's singing voice * Rob Paulsen as Ink Spot. ** Rob Paulsen as Swifty * Jim Cummings as Shelbow. * Kevin Michael Richardson as

Cheeks The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

. ** Ray-Ray.

Production

The film's working title was ''The Little Mermaid III'', and it was originally scheduled for a mid-2007 release. When

took over Disney Animation, more resources were spent on completing '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'', and attention only returned to this film in July 2006 after the wrap up of ''Cinderella III''. A teaser trailer and musical preview of the film (an alternate version of "Jump in the Line") were attached to the Platinum Edition DVD of ''The Little Mermaid'', which was released in October 2006. At the time, the working title ''The Little Mermaid III'' was still being used. Like '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'', this film uses

digital ink and paint Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Pr ...

with the use of the

Toon Boom Harmony Toon Boom Animation Inc. is a Canadian software company that specializes in animation production and storyboarding software. Founded in 1994 and based in Montreal, Quebec, Toon Boom develops animation and storyboarding software for film, televi ...

software.

Soundtrack

The score to the film was composed by James Dooley, who recorded the score with a 72-piece ensemble of the

Hollywood Studio Symphony The Hollywood Studio Symphony (sometimes the Hollywood Freelance Studio Symphony) is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', ''Suck ...

, as well as a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

, at the Sony Scoring Stage. The film features new songs written by

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori (known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson) is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway m ...

, along with covers of previously recorded calypso songs that were arranged by Dooley. No soundtrack has been released yet for the film.

Release

The film was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on August 26, 2008, and on Region 2 DVD in the United Kingdom and Europe on September 22, 2008. The DVD contains special features including deleted scenes, a production featurette hosted by the director, games and activities, and a featurette hosted by Sierra Boggess (who played Ariel on Broadway) about the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. On December 16, 2008, the film was released in a "The Little Mermaid Trilogy" boxed set that includes ''

'' (Platinum Edition) and '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea''. On November 19, 2013, it was released on Blu-ray as a 2-movie collection alongside the sequel. In 2019, the film was released on Disney+.

Censorship in the United Kingdom

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the word " spastic" was cut from an interactive game in the extra features of the DVD and Blu-Ray releases by the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...

to achieve a "U" rating. An uncut version was available rated "12". The word appears uncensored in all versions of the full-length feature.

Reception

The DVD became the top-selling DVD for the week ending August 31, selling 980,237 copies. On the review aggregate website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 33% of 6 critic reviews are positive. The new villain, Marina Del Rey, was criticized as a poor follow-up to Ursula. The animation quality of the film has been praised as being "impressive" for a direct-to-video and comparable to that of the original film. A mildly negative review has described that in the film "goofiness often gets buried too often underneath a blah story that's much too run-of-the-mill to allow the emotional oomph of the characters' plights to truly impact". The music has also been criticized as being unmemorable, with one review stating that "to label this a musical would be false advertising".

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning 2008 films 2000s American animated films 2008 direct-to-video films 2000s musical fantasy films American musical fantasy films American children's animated fantasy films American children's animated musical films Direct-to-video prequel films Disney direct-to-video animated films DisneyToon Studios animated films Little Mermaid Ariel's Beginning Films directed by Peggy Holmes Films scored by James Dooley Films set in a fictional country Films about dysfunctional families Films with screenplays by Evan Spiliotopoulos 2008 directorial debut films Films based on The Little Mermaid Films about father–daughter relationships 2000s English-language films American prequel films