The Little Mermaid 2 - Return to the Sea - Ariel and her husband, Prince Eric, have a...

Ariel and her husband, Prince Eric, have a little problem with their daughter, Melody, in the sequel to Disney's landmark The Little Mermaid. Melody is threatened by Morgana, the evil sister of the sea witch Ursula (both voiced by Pat Carroll). Before you can say "Briar Rose," Melody's parents decide to keep their daughter's roots a secret, forbidding her to learn about the ocean while Morgana is around. Now the budding teenager secretly frolics in the sea with Ariel's old friends, Sebastian and Scuttle. When she learns the truth from Morgana, Melody becomes an unknowing pawn in her scheme--and Mom has to take to the sea again to help.

As with Disney's other made-for-video sequels, The Little Mermaid II looks and sounds wonderful (and reunites much of the same vocal talent). Four- to nine-year-olds who grew up with the original will certainly enjoy seeing the friends again. A new set of artists has come up with four catchy tunes and some fun new characters, including Tip and Dash, a pensive penguin and his blubbery walrus friend. Yet, where Beauty and the Beast had a deliberate Christmas-themed sequel, and Pocahontas told the tale of her historical trip to England, the plot here is very forced. It is pretty much a rehash of the first film with different characters. Tip and Dash are a reincarnation of Timon and Pumbaa, and Morgana is exactly like her sister, except thinner. Besides the stellar music, this unneeded sequel also misses another important aspect of the original--heart. --Doug Thomas

Disney's amazing undersea classic lives on in an all-new story bursting with the same captivating musical style, unforgettably colorful characters, and brilliant animation that made the original film an Academy Award(R)-winning favorite. After rejoicing over the birth of their daughter Melody, Ariel and Eric must face a new threat from Ursula's revengeful sibling Morgana -- a threat that forces them to hide Melody's true mermaid heritage. Melody, a young princess curious about her roots, ultimately ventures into the sea against her parents' wishes. There, she meets new friends, and in her dream to be a mermaid becomes a pawn in Morgana's plot to gain control of the Seven Seas. Ariel must reunite with her childhood friends Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle to rescue her daughter and restore harmony to her family. An all-star cast returns, including Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian), for a remarkable adventure teeming with surprises and four phenomenal new songs.

Customer Reviews:

I liked it...guess that makes me part of the minority
I bought this movie because I was on a Disney movie buying kick sometime ago. I have to say that I really like this. Some people are picking bones over the way Ariel treats her daughter. They say, "Oh, well Ariel was in the SAME situation as Melody, shouldn't she be more understanding?" Well, what if you smoked pot as a teenager? Would you be cool with letting your kid do it, too? It sounds hypocritical, but things are different when YOU are the parent. I really enjoyed this film. It's fun and it's for children. It really amuses me how some reviewers take this as an almost personal insult. Lighten up and take it for what it is: it is 75 minutes of animated entertainment that is in no way a reflection of real life or real people. The end. I like this a lot and I recommend it to parents to buy for children since it's definitely not scary to small children like the first one.
--2006-11-06

anything that relates to the little mermaid is the best
who ever tries to say that disney is just in it for the money is stupid, and doesnt really know what they r talking about. like on one of the comments it said that melody had no mermaid traits, that she could hold her breath for up to and over 3 min., could talk to the fish, and could hold her eyes open under the water,well...DUH!!! those r mermaid traits, so i dont know wat they were thinking, and its a disney movie, for littler kids, they try to make it interesting in the kids eyes!!!so grrr! the first one i must say was better, but i still love the sequal!!
--2006-08-21

Blah Under the Sea
As taken from IMDB.com

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The Little Mermaid is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies. I'm sorry to say, however, that Disney completely messed up when they made this sequel. I'll admit it has some good points to it. The songs aren't bad, and the animation is clean and clear. There is some humor, I'm sure--I don't remember, because after watching it I immediately banned it from appearing before my eyes again. The worst point of this movie is the plot. In this movie, Ariel becomes her father. She forbids her daughter to go near the sea (yes, out of fear), just as she was forbidden to go near the land. I personally think that, given her past, Ariel would maintain some of her headstrong ways and not treat her daughter like she herself was treated.

Besides this fact, Ursula was replaced by a non-scary, pathetic sort of sea witch (the underfed, forgotten sister) who is more comical than scary. She, too, has some little underling to do her bidding--but she's not scarier or worse than Ursula. Ursula spoiled us with her believability for badness. This sea witch is a joke.

To make matters worse, Flounder is a fat, deep-voiced father (no longer the cute guppy we all know and love) and Eric's voice is not even done by the same actor (something that always annoys me in a remake/sequel). (His voice difference was very obvious to me, by the way!) I felt that the only reason this movie was made was so that Disney could catch a few fast dollars, something I hate to think about a corporation I actually really do enjoy. I felt that this plot lacked imagination. I know that this act (child following in the footsteps of a parent) happens, but Ariel was different. That was what we loved so much about her. She had a dream, she fell in love, and she made that dream come true. Until she appeared in this movie, that is. Then she became just like the other adults. This isn't the Ariel I know. And I don't like her.

I know of some children who have enjoyed this film, and I know some adults who didn't mind it, either. But for me, and for all of you out there who have the utmost love for Ariel, please don't see this movie. The Ariel we know dies within, resurrected only for a song or two and one final scene that actually isn't TOO horrible (where she accepts the water back again)--although she takes very little part in the ending, regardless.

--2006-07-15

Very Good
You know those sequels that are even better than the original? The Little Mermaid II is not one of them. You know those sequels that are thrown together and so bad that they leave an awful taste in your mouth, even regarding the original? It is not one of those either. What this movie is is lovingly crafted, well-thought out, and a nice effort.

The story takes place twelve years after the Little Mermaid became a human, vanquished Ursula the Sea Witch, and married the man of her dreams. Eric and Ariel have a willful pre-teen named Melody. Melody is drawn to the sea, and can talk to sea creatures. She is awkward around other children, who snigger at Melody at her birthday party. However, Melody cannot confide in her mother - because Melody does not know her mermaid heritage. Ursula's sister Morgana (a green, slimmer version of the original) wants to change all that. Morgana wants to use Melody to get King Triton's trident.

The animation is decent, but does not have the depth and clarity of the 1992 film. Yet it is enjoyable. The songs are clever, but not showstopping as the originals. But they are very good. One thing that is better than the original is the humor. Sebastian is even funnier than before. Tip and Dash, a walrus and penguin, are also hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot.

Pick up this film and return to the sea.
--2006-02-02

My daughter loves this more than the original!
We received videos of this movie and the original Little Mermaid movie at the same time. My 4 year old daughter MUCH prefers this one to the original. In fact, she will hardly ever watch the original (it is too scary for her, especially the part where Ursula grows to giant preportions), but has watched this movie endlessly. This one, while still very enjoyable (I like it too), isn't as scary.
--2005-10-06

The Little Mermaid 2 - Return to the Sea

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