THE LITTLE MERMAID
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
That's *two*.
These days, the press likes to hype the comeback trail for just about anyone: politicians, celebrities, musicians, and even companies. Obviously Disney has, over the last ten years, shown a mighty resurgence in the fiscal arena, with the success of Touchstone Pictures and it's various amusement parks. However, those looking at the quality of Disney's recent films will find even more hopeful signs, particularly those who fondly remember the animated features of bygone days. It appears that someone in the upper echelons has taken the cuffs off the Disney animators and told them to knock his or her socks off. After seeing THE LITTLE MERMAID, I'd guess you'd find have to hunt for their shoes somewhere in their secretary's office.
A step back: I really sat up and took notice when THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE came out from Disney a couple of years ago. It was an extremely entertaining feature, with a good sense of visual ingenuity, a fine comic sense, and a script that was enjoyable for both kids and adults. Being a Holmes fan, I realized bias, but it really was head-and-shoulders above the fairly listless, cut-out animated features that started in the late sixties (after, but not including, THE JUNGLE BOOK) and dominated the 70s and early 80s, right through the extremely over-hyped THE BLACK CAULDRON. THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE wasn't as technically accomplished as anything in Disney's Golden Age (PINOCCHIO, SNOW WHITE, FANTASIA, etc.), but it was a solid production and something to keep one's eyes open for.
Well, you won't have to squint to notice the quality to be found in THE LITTLE MERMAID. This is, I believe, the best Disney animated feature since THE JUNGLE BOOK, certainly the best "animated musical adventure" since TJB; technically, however, it's the best thing to come out of Disney's animations studios in decades, showing a sense of visual imagination that I haven't seen since Disney's pictures in the early 50s. There are sequences that surprised me, dazzled me, made me laugh with surprise (!) in how the animators had orchestrated the scene; and two of the musical numbers literally made me want to applaud after they were over. (The munchkins next to me would have taken it as a sign of weakness, though, so *next* time I'm listening to A Voice of Reason and seeing this at 9:30, past most of the little delinquents' bedtimes.) The technical bits were damn impressive -- while not being up to the standards of a PINOCCHIO, it did have sequences which stand out as way-above-average. For the kids, for those who enjoy animated features or musicals, and for the animation aficionado, THE LITTLE MERMAID is a treat.
Let me take this point-by-point:
VISUAL IMAGINATION: The well just does NOT run dry. The opening credits, the introduction of the characters... right down to the point-of-view of each shot. After THE LITTLE MERMAID, you'd think Disney Studios had forgotten how to do a two-dimensional shot. The intro of the Sea Witch is particularly good, as is the opening credits of a ship at sea. But the sparks really fly in the musical numbers, particularly the very amusing "Kiss the Girl", and "Under the Sea", which honest-to-God should be released as a music video -- it'd end the glut of black-and-white monstrosities on MTV single-handedly. And the old tried-and-true cartoon humor is in full evidence, which is a welcome sight -- it seemed for a while that someone at Disney had forgotten that this was an art form in itself. (Looking at Saturday morning TV, perhaps a lost one.)
There is no single element more important to an animated film than the whimsy to out-think the audience and surprise them with what the film-makers are about to do. The lights are apparently burning brightly at Disney Studios.
TECHNICAL: In a phrase, Nothing Looks Cheap. You'd be hard-pressed to associate this film with the company that made THE ARISTOCATS, which brimmed with single-dimension animation, static backgrounds and strictly two-dimensional action. There must have been a large sign up somewhere in THE LITTLE MERMAID'S production studio: "USE THE Z AXIS." And there are little touches everywhere -- I particularly liked the light-waves against the sea floor. But more than that, this are several distinct styles in the artwork and animated sequences in this film. Many of the characters have the standard Disney character "look", i.e. the humans in 101 Dalmatians: The Prince, his steward, etc. But they have more texture, more distinctiveness; Ariel, the mermaid, in particular comes of with a visual individuality. Then there are the early sequences, and the introduction of the Sea Witch; I want to see it again, but I could swear that I was looking at SNOW WHITE-level animation -- almost cel painting. Gorgeous stuff -- somebody opened their pocketbook for this one. Finally, as in THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, computer animation is integrated into the film very smoothly (mostly the wooden ships, I think); I'd be curious to know if it was used in other places.
Really, this is a technological milestone for Disney. They've gained a lot of ground back with THE LITTLE MERMAID, and I hope the box office on the film is good enough for them to try it again.
CHARACTERIZATION: Good, up-to-snuff, if not great. I'm very partial to Sebastian, the composer crab who is one of Ariel's companions, myself, but most are standard roles, e.g. Flounder, heroine's best friend; but there are several other, smaller roles which come off very well. Most of the voices, while familiar to animated film fans, aren't "celebrity voices", with the exception of Buddy Hackett, who's "animized" into a seagull. (I half expected him to be living in a beached, rusted Volkswagen Beetle.) Rene Auberjonois was also distinctive in his small role as the French chef during "Les Poissons", probably the shows best comedy sequence. (Though I kept thinking how much fun it would have been if John Cleese had been doing his "Of course I'm French! Why do you zink I have dis ouutraaaageous Frentch Ak-zant?!!" voice for it. Never satisfied...) The Sea Witch has all the good lines and lyrics, but then, Disney villainesses always do. And Ariel herself is a strong central character, a very pleasant (and long-overdue) change from those helpless Disney females who cling to the hero's arm while he kills the villainess. She's certainly the most appealing heroine I've ever seen in a Disney film, though she doesn't break any Disney Heroine Regulations, I think. (The Prince is the usual Disney good-looking, happy hunk; he basically plays with his dog and battles sorceresses. Looks like a pipe-smoker to me.)
MUSIC: Pretty catchy stuff. Upon walking out of THE JUNGLE BOOK (at age 7), I immediately initiated a campaign to coerce my parents into buying me a record with "The Bear Necessities" on it (remember Ralphie and the B-B gun in A CHRISTMAS STORY?); after the inevitable success (I could whine with the best of them back then), I played that song over and over again until everyone (except me) was sick of it. "Under the Sea" is just about as appealing, though the lyrics are nothing special and I think a lot of the appeal rests in seeing the animated sequence AND listening to the music at the same time. Luckily for my parents, I know have enough money to buy the CD. (Pet gripe: they might list the voice talents for the songs in the soundtrack brochure. That's Disney corporate policy all over: the credits say DISNEY first, and everyone else in a 2-point font.)
DIALOGUE AND PLOT: Pretty standard stuff, though we have the heroine doing most of the rescuing here. Outside of that, nothing special; the one thing this film doesn't surpass THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE in is script, which had an almost constant stream of good lines.
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SO: Damn good film, worth seeing once and (for people like me) twice. Kids? Well, there were some crying toddlers, as the villainess looks pretty nasty at points, and there is a shark. Nothing worse than the usual Disney Nasty Person Trappings, though. Besides, it's *good* for the little buggers! Gets those psychological complexes started early, so they can be in therapy by the time they're in high school. I mean, I saw the Wicked Queen's transformation scene in SNOW WHITE, and it didn't screw me up any, did it? Outside of possible, subliminal pro-drug messages...
Anyway, either use the kids as an excuse, or better yet, catch the late show with your SO. Good animated features can make anyone into either a kid or a romantic, and THE LITTLE MERMAID is an express ride to either.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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