Disney Princess Little Mermaid Ursula
Every story has a beginning but only one begins underneath the sea…now for the firstborn time ever discover the story you never knew in The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, an all-new motion picture only on Disney DVD. Long ago, in a kingdom where music is outlawed, King Triton’s youngest daughter, Ariel, discovers her love for music in a secret, underground music club. Torn with the choice of whether to hide her passion or percentage it with her father and peril losing everything, Ariel sets off on a daring adventure to restore music to Atlantica.
A prequel to The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning is good family amusement that deserves a spot in each Disney collection–even if the film isn’t rather as striking as the original. It’s hard to imagine the underwater world of Atlantica without music, but following the death of Ariel’s mother Queen Athena, King Triton (Jim Cummings) outlaws music because of the painful memories it evokes. Ariel (Jodi Benson) and her six sisters are unhappy with their boring every day routine, unfeeling governess Marina Del Ray (Sally Field), and superficial kinship with their father; but only Ariel has the courage to confront their father with a desire for a more fulfilling life. A chance meeting with Flounder (Parker Goris) leads Ariel to the underground Catfish music club where the Caribbean jazz is hot and the starred soloist is none other the King’s Chief of Staff Sebastian (Samuel Wright). Suddenly, a whole new world full of promise and excitement opens up for Ariel and her sisters, but things get ugly when Marina tells King Triton when it comes to the club and his fury erupts. Can the power of music, combined with Ariel’s heartfelt pleas, convince King Triton to pardon all the underground music lovers and reconsider his ban on music? Ariel’s Beginning is a wholesome story when it comes to love, family, and the power of music that’s nicely animated and features a host of good music–the only things missing from the firstborn movie are Ariel’s innocent sense of wonder and the uttermost catchiness of the firstborn songs. Bonus features include two deleted scenes, four sing-along songs with on-screen lyrics; a mermaid invention game in which viewers learn with regards to Ariel and her six sisters; a quiz that matches viewers with the reputation most like themselves; an consultation with conductor Peggy Holmes, and a look at the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid Under the Sea. (Ages 3 and older) –Tami Horiuchi
Disney Princess Little Mermaid Ursula Pic
Disney Princess Little Mermaid Ursula Picture
Disney Princess Little Mermaid Ursula Picture
Disney Princess Little Mermaid Ursula Photo
Most helpful client reviews
49 of 50 persons found the following review helpful.
 The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning – Review of the DVD!
By Dave
I’m not sure why a number of humans have chosen to review or bash a movie that they’ve never seen, but I for one found this movie to be very well done. Is it worthy of a huge screen release? Not necessarily; it is a low-key story, but nonetheless, a VAST betterment over a lot of of Disney’s former direct-to-dvd movies. The story is a prequel to “The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Platinum Edition),” and explains how King Triton banned music in his kingdom when his wife was killed. We learn how Sebastian became the music conductor for King Triton, and how Ariel & Flounder met. Naturally, it is the full-of-life Ariel who helps fetch music back to her father’s life. Although the villain is not as fun and nasty as the legendary Ursula, Marina Del Rey (ably voiced by Sally Field) is a great deal of fun as the evil governess for King Triton’s daughter. Not content to be a governess, she plots to usurp Sebastian’s position, even if it means getting rid of Ariel. The one odd reputation in the movie is Marina’s sidekick, Benjamin. His style of animation looks like something out of Barney. It is exceptionally jarring since the animation on this film is SOOOO good! It does not look like your typical straight-to-dvd release; in fact, I would go so far as to say that it is on par with the initial feature. Jodi Benson returns as the voice of Ariel. In both singing and acting, she is fantastic and exclusively believeable as the songstress underneath the sea. As Sebastian, Samuel E. Wright returns…who else could voice this classic animated character? There are seven musical numbers in the film, and the fact that it was directed by a choreographer (Peggy Holmes) is a plus. The motion of the characters in the film AND the dance numbers is fantastic.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
 A fun prequel to The Little Mermaid!
By z hayes
“Ariel’s Beginning” is a fun animated feature that had my 3.5 year old daughter asking for more. The story is the prequel to The Little Mermaid – it tells the story of how King Triton lost his beloved wife Athena in an accident [back when Ariel and her sisters were little] and thence banned music and all forms of gaiety in his kingdom, living in seclusion and with darkness within his heart. When the pirncesses grow up, they all chafe versus the limitations enforced by King Triton, particularly Ariel who, like her mother, loves music and singing. Ariel starts to dabble in music secretly, much to her father’s anger and at long last runs away with Sebastian in tow, until Triton perceives his folly.
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