Everything that makes a great animated movie can be found in this endlessly enjoyable masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2010)

Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is a case study of a great, classic animated masterpiece. Everything that makes a great animated movie can be found in the endlessly joyful eighty-three minutes of its running time. Gorgeous drawings, a smart and witty screenplay, instantly memorable characters, and a soundtrack which is packed with some of the most enthralling ear-worm pieces in motion picture history. "The Little Mermaid" was a favorite of mine as a kid. I hadn't seen it in a long time (I'm guessing at least half a decade) until just now and now that I have, I realize that span of time was far too long a one.
The story is based on the classic fable by Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who falls in love with a human prince and longs, for more than anything, to become a human herself. Her name here is Ariel - one of the more lovably rebellious movie heroines - and despite the fact that her father commands her to stay away from "fish-eaters" she makes a Faustian bargain with a sea witch. Trading her voice for a pair of legs, she struggles to make the prince fall in love with her before her time runs out. Unlike the story, however, she has some friends in the form of a gullible, misinformed seagull, a skittishly fearful fish, and an ostentatious (in a good way) crab.
"The Little Mermaid" is rich in every detail. It ranks alongside the other Disney classics such as "Pinocchio" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Fantasia" and "The Jungle Book" for this very reason. Everything about the picture was developed to the pinnacle of the creative potential. First of all, the drawing style. The movie is gorgeous to look at and admire. The oceans, the skies, the backgrounds both under the sea and on the land are not blank walls or phony backdrops, but a maze of captivating detail. The bubbles that form beneath the water and drift in and out of frame are a wonderful touch that makes you greatly appreciate the patience and enthusiasm of the artists. The characters are not sketched out, but also richly outline and hued with a plethora of colors. King Triton and Ursula the sea witch are two especially wonderful animation marvels as their expenditures (the wavy beard for the king and the tentacles for the witch) glide and motion with the water around them. And Ariel is one of the most beautiful Disney heartthrobs.
The soundtrack is also what never fails to grab me in "The Little Mermaid." First of all, the musical score by Alan Menken is absolutely wonderful. Then there comes his rich and captivating songs. Although "Under the Sea" stole the Academy Award, but personal favorite is "Part of that World" where Ariel sings about her wishes to shed her fins and become human. Ursula has her own number and so do the crab Sebastian. These are not hack-job songs thrown together overnight. These were thought-out and rewritten again and again so that not one lyric seems misplaced or out of order.
But of course, the most important aesthetic qualities are the story and the characters. Ariel is a winner from the beginning for her rebellious, yet lovable attitude in which she does not come across as a brat, but as a visionist with a hopeful dream that forces us to follow her. King Triton is also a marvelously-written character with his conflicts both inner and outer. Ursula is one of the more gleefully enjoyable villains in recent movie history - as are her two minions, a pair of moray eels - and much attention must be paid to Sebastian the crab, who steals every scene that he's in. Then there are the humans. Prince Eric, despite his relative lack of screen time, is more memorable than Prince Charming was in "Cinderella" or the prince in "Snow White." There's a comical butler, a lovable maiden, and a gut-busting interlude with a chef wanting to serve Sebastian on a platter. Rich, wonderful characters in this rich, wonderful movie.
I'm a real sucker for love stories, but you don't have to be to be moved or touched by "The Little Mermaid." Even if you do not buy into the concept of true love...well, this movie might revision your outlook. And if not, well, it's just a darn good motion picture. It seals the attention of the younger generation and continues to work wonders on them as an adult. To me, it's even more admirable now because I'm older and wise enough to pick out the other really great things about it. In the early 90s, I would claw for it whenever we visited my aunt and uncle's house. Now that access to it is easier for me, it will be more frequent. What a wonderful movie!