The Little Mermaid II - Return to the Sea (Walt Disney Pictures Presents) [VHS]

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

How many other Disney animated films show this? Actually, how many Disney animated films show a mother that is still ALIVE?

Not many. Good for them, for finally showing this.


Disney's done it again!   October 4, 2000
Alex (United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Ariel and Eric were living happily ever after with their new-born baby daughter, Melody, when Ursula's sister, Morgana, appears to avenge her sister. Ariel fears harm for Melody, so she builds a huge wall around the castle to keep Melody away from the ocean. 12 years later, Melody has ventured back into the sea, been changed into a mermaid, stolen king Triton's trident, and Givin it to Morgana who want's to rule the 7 sea's. Now Ariel must save her daughter, her father, and her home. Has 4 new songs, and all the origional voices from the 1st. This is Disney's biggest straight to video release ever. Toy's "R" Us has a Melody doll, Playstation has an adventure game, and Nintendo's Game Boy has a pin ball game all for this movie. Buy it today. You'll love it!


Heather's Favorite Movie!   January 15, 2001
Misha (Staten Island, NY)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a guest review from my five-year-old daughter, Heather, who just loves this movie!

"I like when Ariel's daughter Melanie gets turned to a mermaid. I like the music and the songs, too. It's a funny movie. And you should see it."

How can you beat a testimonial like that? Enjoy!


Life's even better after the wedding for Eric and Ariel!!   September 23, 2000
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

Of course, this is great fare for the kids and teens. This is to the grownups!.. The Little Mermaid is now multi-generational. Ariel's dream is fully realized, the quintessential air-breathing Princess, wife and mom, now has a daughter for the current generations of kids and teens to relate to. Those dissatisfied with the sudden ending of the first movie will enjoy seeing that contrary to the fairy-tales, life's best should and can occur AFTER the "and they married and lived happily ever after" event. TLM2 clinches it. Adults will forget the implausibility of the biology. It's sheer fun to see how Eric and Ariel have grown ever closer in married life... they support, touch (yes, and smooch), frolic, and fight together. Naturally, there's a tough mother-daughter conflict. And.. there's a satisfying ending that will totally amaze you! The story editing hangs together quite well...for those who care. I was always hoping that Disney would bring us a sequel to TLM. And happily, Disney has lavished tons of care and attention on this production. The wait was worth it! The DVD version is easy to navigate, and allows you to go straight to the movie. Both TLM1 and 2 could benefit with in-studio interviews with the lead animators, and particularly, the great vocal talent (Jodi Benson and Tara Charendoff, Samuel Wright and Pat Carroll -- ARE YOU LISTENING, DISNEY???) I sincerely hope that more great follow-ups are in the works! Unencumbered by the Hans C. Anderson story line, this one touches on such a wide spectrum of relationships and themes, has such heart, comedy, and action, it's going to attract thousands of adult fans as well as teens and little'uns. TLM2 is artistically and story-wise true to the original film, but breaks out entirely on its own. You can plainly see the heart in this film, not only in its story, but in the animation and articulation as well. Watch the facial expressions (the eyes espec.) and body language. Musically, it gives notable tributes to Broadway Musical giants Alan Menkin and the late Howard Ashman with hints of "Part of your World" interwoven with a wealth of new, and original toe-tapping beats. The backgrounds, color schemes and character styles are rich enhancements over the originals, while still consistent with the original world. If you haven't seen the first one, shame on you! But this movie stands so much on its own, it won't matter. We've had it 24 hours and seen it six times.


good for mom/daughter talk   May 24, 2002
Shelley K. Childs (Roxbury X-ing, MA. United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

My six-year-old prefers this movie to the original, probably because Melody, who is supposed to be 12, comes across more as a precocious 8-year-old instead of a teenager. My daughter loves seeing Ariel all grown up, talking with Eric in mom-and-dad mode, and being loving and nurturing toward Melody. She and I had a good discussion that even though Melody was mad at her mother, she should have listened to her and that she was almost badly hurt because of her disobedience. Also, the villianess Morgana is closer to a more realistic threat that a young child would face; the deceptive 'friend' who lures her away from her parents with false promises. My daughter will spend hours playing with her Ariel doll, sans fins and in a dress, pretending to have her collect seashells with a dark-haired and ponytailed 'Kelly' doll (pint sized Barbie). Another neat thing is that Jodi Benson, Ariel's voice, has made a couple of albums of Bible songs for children, and my daughter gets a kick out of hearing 'Melody's mom' singing the same lessons she hears at Sunday School and AWANA.