One of my all-time favorite movies is "Hans Christian Anderson", starring Danny Kay. As he sings, and weaves his tales, you are caught up in the extraordinary imagination of the man, and it makes you want to know more. So, I did--and followed the sad tail of his Little Mermaid.
Disney, as they are prone to do, changed his orriginal tale and "child-ized it". Their movie has a happy ending where they all get what they want--except Ursula, of course.
But when Disney does something, they do it well. This movie is no exception. From the very first bars of the background music where you watch dolphins playing in the surf on a foggy day, and gradually the prow of a ship comes into veiw through the fog, you know that this is something special. The scenes flow seamlessly into one another, the music rich and full, and you forget that this isn't Anderson's version, this is pure Disney magic.
The characters here are filled with life, the music will have you singing for days, and the imagery is pure and rich. You see the undersea world through the eyes of the animators, but you just know it would really look like that if you could live underwater. The hair of the mermaids and the fins on the fish move just as they would in water.
Beyond the visual and acoustical, is the story it's self. You become involved with Ariel in her quest, and you want her to succeed in her wish to become human. You want Eric to "kiss the girl" as Sebastian sings. And you want Ursula to fail.
We purchased this movie when it first came out, and it has been watched so many times that I fear we will soon need to replace it. We have seen the Disney on Ice version as well, and it looses nothing in the transfer from cinema to ice. I can't recommend this movie enough for your youngsters, it's good, clean, quality entertainment for all ages.
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![The Little Mermaid [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78469300.jpg "The Little Mermaid [DVD]")
Oct 30th, 2000
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