Still Awesome After All These Years!

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2010)

i've always thought that 'The little Mermaid' was the last really, really great hand animated feature from Disney. i still love the hand drawn features, especially the recent 'Princess and the Frog' which i thought was the best they've done since 'Mermaid'. 'Mermaid' was the last animated feature that had a true "feel" of the old school Disney cartoons. not that i didn't like 'Beauty and the Beast','Aladdin','The Lion King' or 'Pocahontas', but those films just left me a little bit cold. they didn't seem to have the same funny, quirky, quality the old school stuff did. they felt sort of heartless and over produced. more emphasis on money and polished high tech looks than on charm.
'Mermaid' is not like that at all. it has an abundance of heart and charm and good old fashioned sincerity. everything about the movie clicks, is so much fun and it connects on an emotional level. 'Little Mermaid' is such a great film, very cinematic and a classic worthy of comparison with the Disney films from it's golden age. i wish i could say the same for the subsequent sequels and the popular television show which did nothing for the characters or added anything worthwhile to the memory of the original film.
despite the fact that 'Little Mermaid' has been so over exposed in the media with numerous sequels and product tie-ins, the original film still retains it's impact and survives all the hard driven ubiquitousness of recent years. i hope this delightful film is always remembered well despite the over exposure.