One of the Best Disney Classics

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2015)

The Disney Renaissance is one of the best recognised periods of the Disney animation studios, where Disney released many of its most creative, successful and all round incredible films. Whilst the start of this renaissance could arguably have its roots in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Little Mermaid is definitely the film that led Disney towards its focus on a Broadway musical style and brought Disney animation back to the high quality that it had been lacking in previous years. It brought to life an incredible fantasy world though a mixture of great characters, stunning animation and quite possibly the best soundtrack that Disney has ever had.
We get to follow Ariel, the youngest daughter of king Triton, who has become enamoured with the creativity of the human world and set her eyes on the dashing prince Eric. Whilst she longs to be part of the human world she becomes forbidden by her father to ever make contact with them. However in defiance of her father, she turns to the evil sea witch Ursula who creates a spell where she may walk on land to find her true love, but on the condition that if she fails to get the kiss of true love will become a slave to Ursula.
Ariel is well above any Disney Princess that had come before her, with a genuine desire for adventure and her willingness to defy her father making her a very endearing and lovable figure. Just watching her childlike innocence and wonder as she discovers more of the human world makes her a real delight to watch. Similarly, Ursula is also up there with some of the best Disney villains. She comes over as being such a sinister Machiavellian character who manipulates emotions exploiting Ariel's youthful recklessness and longing for love in Poor unfortunate Souls. There's also a lot of great supporting characters like Flounder and Sebastian that keep the laughs coming in fast and strong.
All of the animation in the film is nothing short of Disney magic. Every painstaking detail that must have taken countless hours to draw the stunning underwater environments was truly worth it creating something superior to anything that had come before it. From the small details of bubbles floating up to the sight of the sunlight hitting the ocean floor, no expense was spared and a true thing of beauty was created because of it. Beyond this the way in which the characters move throughout is also something to behold. The lifelike movements of Ariel as she gracefully flows through the ocean is wonderfully detailed with incredible touches of how her body sways through the water to her hair floating as she moves.
Then there's the soundtrack and from the jig score you hear when Ariel first sees Eric to the big song pieces, the entire film is packed with some of Disney's most memorable and enjoyable songs. One highlight is obviously Under the Sea, being one of the catchiest tunes for kids to sing and working as a lively upbeat reggae tune. Though as great as Under the Sea is, Part of Your World is quite possibly one of the most stunning musical sequences put to film. It is quite possibly my favourite Disney moment as every emotional beat of the song really hits its mark and is a great song to showcase the stunning animation the film has to offer with the image of Ariel reaching to the surface being given a special place in my memory.
I loved this film as a child and I have only grown to appreciate it even more with age. It's music and imagery are worthy of all the acclaim it receives, being just as strong today as it ever was.