The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008 Video) User Reviews (35)

Wonderful and beautiful animation, not so interesting story

[djepic1 · 7/10 · 27 August 2008]

Ever since Disney's "sequels" department has been under new management, there has been a HUGE upgrade in quality. There have only been two animated releases so far, Cinderella III and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. I am not sure if any more sequels are in production.

Consistent between both films is the very high quality animation. TLM:AB keeps CGI to a minimum and much effort has been made to keep the characters close to the original character models (and in many cases, character models have heavily improved over the original). This is probably as good as it will get without the original team of animators.

What saves this film is the fantastic hand-drawn animation in the age of ugly CGI and lazy flash-drawn cartoons. I would go as far as to say that the animation here is on-par or higher than the original 1989 release (the original was plagued with off-model animation). Unfortunately, the story is only so-so. The plot is very weak but effort has been made to develop all of the sisters' personalities, which I really appreciate (they are believable sister to sister relationships). I think Disney recognised that without Alan Menken, the music for TLM would not have charm or beauty. Disney did the right thing for this film by keeping songs short and to a minimum.

This film highly deserves a chance to be seen by many, unlike the rushed and horrible Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.

Very charming prequel, and rather sad...

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 7 October 2009]

This prequel was very enjoyable and charming. I don't think it isn't as good as the classic first film or the series(a childhood favourite of mine), but I do think it is an improvement over the rather average Little Mermaid 2:Return to the Sea. Here, the animation is breathtaking, beautifully fluid and colourful, and fairly true in terms of style to the original. The music, while not as catchy as Alan Menekn's score in the original, is still surprisingly delightful. I Remember was outstanding. And the voice acting is great, Jim Cummings is a worthy replacement of Kenneth Mars as Triton, and Jodi Benson(who also voiced Thumbelina in the Don Bluth movie, Ariel isn't the only role she's done, it's just the role she's best remembered by) is just amazing as Ariel, with a fantastic singing voice that makes me want to sing with her. Remember the song in the series' episode Wish Upon a Starfish, Daring To Dance, amazing song, amazing vocals that reduced me to tears. Marina-marvellously voiced by Sally Field- is an improvement over the bland Morgana, Sebastian is hilarious, there is nice character development and Benjamin is so cute. And the beginning with Ariel's mother brought some poignancy. However, the film is too short, the plot while a wonderful idea is rather so-so in execution and takes time to get going, and Flounder's voice was more teenage than innocent-sounding, the latter suited the character more. Still it is a very charming prequel and well worth the look. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A sweet Disney sequel

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 13 November 2008]

The Little Mermaid is one of Disney's most lovable classics, it's one of my personal favorites, so I did want to see the sequel, which was pretty average. Normally most Disney sequels are lame or a waste of time, but it seems as if Disney is finally getting something right because The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a very sweet movie and was a nice prequel for Ariel to see what her life was like before she met Prince Eric and we learn a little bit about her family and how she came to meet Flounder. This is definitely a must see for the kids, it has fun music, cute characters, and a charming story that anyone could fall in love with. I liked that they chose a different story rather than continuing her life with Eric, I just like the "they lived happily ever after" and that's it, so this was a nice idea to get to know Ariel's sisters and mother.

In this Disney prequel, we explore Ariel's life before she became human, met Eric, met Ursela. Her father is heart broken after her mother is killed by a ship, he forbids music since it reminds him of her and her beautiful voice. Ariel and her sisters grow up in a very boring world with no music or life at all, but Ariel is thirsty for fun, to spice up her life. She comes along with friends who are also trying to make life a little more fun. But a mermaid named Marina is trying to take over the girls and their lives so she can eventually control the kingdom.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a fun Disney sequel and was a pleasure to watch. The songs are a lot of fun and the story just charms it's way into your heart. This isn't my favorite Disney sequel, but it was a huge improvement over the second Little Mermaid. I would recommend this for the family or kids, it's a charming film and of course who could resist Sebastian and his fun crazy life under the sea? He, Ariel, and Flounder bring life to this story and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

6/10

Much, much better than I expected

[ridiculonius · 7/10 · 22 October 2009]

I really despise Disney sequels, normally. With the exception of The Lion King 1 1/2 and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, they are all unoriginal and badly animated, riddled with recycled plots and, in the case of the second Cinderella and Tarzan, given the look and feel of a cartoon miniseries *shudder*. While I do like The Little Mermaid, it was never one of my favourite movies - it's first sequel made me gag, but this one (while definitely not as good as the original) was not only enjoyable, but something that I would honestly watch again with a smile on my face.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is (obviously, from the title) a prequel, telling the story of everybody's favourite red-headed mermaid approximately one year before the events chronicled in the original film. We are told through a sad little prologue about the death of Athena, wife of King Triton and mother to Ariel and her sisters. After her tragic death, Triton is heartbroken and bans music from the kingdom, as it reminds him too much of his queen and only serves to re-open old wounds. In his sorrow, he grows cold and distant from his daughters, leaving them in the care of Marina Del Ray, their governess, and her assistant Benjamin, who is (presumably) a manatee. But Marina wants the crab Sebastian's position as Chief of Staff, and will do anything to get it. Meanwhile, rebellious Ariel is desperate for a bit of fun and games, and when she encounters Flounder, a little fish with an ear for music, she is drawn into a magical world of musical speakeasies and aquatic bands - determined to bring music back to her kingdom and her family, Ariel will stop at nothing to get her melodious fix.

While the plot seems cheesy and juvenile (which it kind of is), Disney manages to pull it off, making it not only cheesy and juvenile, but touching, funny, and moderately smart. Marina Del Ray is a marvel - not encompassing the same sultry, strangely seductive evil as Ursula from the original, she instead channels Morgana from the first sequel, bearing the same manic determination and obvious crazy that makes her endearing as well as hilarious and cruel (while not particularly evil), something Morgana failed to do. She has an awful, garish taste in clothes that makes her fun to watch, and her voice has real personality, which makes her lines fun to hear.

Although not as well animated as the original (it's wonderful animation, don't get me wrong - just not as good), and definitely not as well developed, Ariel's Beginning will have me coming back for more - if you hated Return to the Sea but love the original Little Mermaid, I guarantee you'll like it, if not love it. If nothing else, it's fun to see the characters come alive again.

The Little Mermaid 2 is still the best...

[RosanaBotafogo · 6/10 · 2 September 2021]

Cute, about the loss of the mother, the depression and coldness of the father, the serelepe sisters, a lot of adventure, it must please the little ones, I thought it was boring... The Little Mermaid 2 is still the best...

6.4?!

[ericstevenson · 5/10 · 28 November 2017]

This is one of the highest ranked direct to video Disney sequels I've ever come across and I'm completely confused as to why! This movie had one of the most shallow villains I have seen in a long time. It's very anti-climatic and it seems silly that King Trident would outlaw music. I will admit I liked some parts. The villain's manatee henchman was pretty entertaining. I felt bad he got put in jail with her at the end. This was a prequel but there was an animated Little Mermaid cartoon that did a better job as that.

The best part is easily the beginning of the film where we finally get to see Ariel's mother! Now that was a treat and probably the part everyone likes the most. They don't get that graphic by showing her dying or anything but it's very implied. The animation is actually pretty good for a direct to video sequel. Of course I recognized Jim Cummings' voice. I feel so glad I met that guy. There may have been no celebrity voices, but this was still dull. **

A Great Prequel

[alesyira · 9/10 · 26 August 2008]

This movie was remarkably refreshing and entertaining. The overall appearance of the film was pleasant. I really enjoyed the character design and animation; the film was very true to the original designs portrayed in the first Little Mermaid, and included just enough of modern 3d animation techniques to give additional depth to the 2d creations without spoiling its 2d nature. The story had a solid plot that supported other Little Mermaid films, as well as giving the viewer a touching glimpse of Ariel's mother and a deeper understanding of King Triton's character. The songs, while not as moving or masterful as Menken and Ashman's work on the first Little Mermaid film, were decent and fit in well with the overall theme of the movie. The movie flowed easily between the musical numbers and non-musical moments.

This is definitely one of those "Movie #3"s that rises well above the awful direction (plot, character, music, etc) that most sequels seem to follow.

Is Nice

[beluboklaban · 7/10 · 20 May 2020]

Animation Nice. Little mermaid is ever good. And This is good

Not really really worth it.

[daves_train · 2/10 · 1 February 2010]

This is terrible and it follows in line of terrible Disney sequels and prequels. Don't get me wrong, I maybe a guy but I like the old movie with likable characters, catchy music, and an actually complex villain but did they really need to do this? The only good part I would say about it is the beginning when they show the mermaids having fun when suddenly pirates attack (Captain Hook?). And it shows how Ariel's mom was killed {at least they keep the whole killing mom thing that Disney likes to do} and why Triton banned music but when the movie starts it is all over.

I won't bore you with details so I will just show you the things that tick me off about it. First of all the new villain seems really boring and just seems whiny and annoying and not really threatening. This next complain doesn't tick me off but it's just weird, why does Ariel ask why they don't have music and Triton throws a temper tantrum, wouldn't Ariel kind of guess because of the fact that her mother died? (in case anyone tries to fight against that, wouldn't Trition tell her because of the mother dying? It just doesn't make sense to me.).

The villain doesn't even appear in the next film so why is she in this film? I hate that when they think that we don't catch that. What happens in jail? Does she become a good person, die, what? Now for the moment that angered me the most, when near the end...(Spoilers!!! just in case you didn't see it before.) When Ariel "dies" and it turns out she was just knocked out for a little bit. Was this supposed to be tension? Why would you do that if we know that in the next movie she's all better and singing with fish(and sleeping with the fish?). They do this once in a while in prequels and it irritates me to no end because they think that they are being clever by adding unneeded tension.

So in conclusion this movie is a bomb, granted the voice work is solid and the animation looks nice but the predictable ending and boring plot don't make it worth it. Again I am not feeding the troll because I liked the first film but skip this one and watch the first one.

That's one fine "prequel"

[FastFan · 10/10 · 26 August 2008]

I just picked this movie up today, of course wanting to hear Jodi Benson's gorgeous voice yet again. I had to wait a while before I was able to watch it, but it was worth the wait. It became an awesome movie that tells the "tail" of young Ariel. Personally, I love anything with mermaids and music in it. This movie did justice like the other one, "Return to Sea". Ariel's got six headstrong sisters, how they slept in the same room, it almost appeared as a sea-dormitory, and her father, Triton look so cute when he was younger. Even her mother, Athena, looked much like an older Ariel. Flounder himself was awesome, it was neat how both Ariel and Flounder met. This movie hadn't disappoint me at all, loved just about over %100 of fun, laughter, and music in this fine piece of brilliance. I always wondered what happened to Ariel's mother. But seeing a younger adult version of Triton was even just as unique. I also admired how Sebastian was into music heavily himself. I could watch this movie over and over again! Probably going to watch it in a few minutes, because that's how great it was! Awesome work, Disney! Ten stars is what I gave this comment for, it was brilliantly made, and it's a movie that I also recommend to anyone who's in love with the first two "Little Mermaid" & "Little Mermaid: Return to Sea" movies. As said before, you won't be disappointed...

A beautiful inner story

[mieriks · 7/10 · 14 May 2023]

This movie, about the youngest daughter of King Triton, named Ariel, who discovers her love of an underground music club and sets off to a daring adventure to bring restoration of music back to Atlantica, is a good prequel to The Little Mermaid (1989).

The backstory is truly heartbreaking; the loss of Queen Athena, Triton's wife and Ariel's mother. I think this opening was well executed, and it was devastating to watch this sequence. The accident made Triton forbid music in Atlantica, and this brought a dark silence to the whole community, including Triton's family.

The story in general is simple, but still entertaining where Ariel is the protagonist. The animation is great and reminds me about the first movie as opposed to The Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea (2000), and despite me disliking scenes that have too much musical, the music truly created an important and emotional part of this story. Music was the greatest thing in Tritron and Athena's relationship excluding their love, and every time Triton heard a single melody, his dark past controlled his anger. My favorite scenes were probably the ones where Triton was thinking about Athena for himself. You could sense the strong feeling of his loneliness, and that's what makes this movie beautiful despite its simplicity.

In conclusion, this movie serves as a compelling prequel to the beloved classic. It effectively portrays the heartbreaking backstory of the loss of Athena. The opening sequence successfully captures the audience's emotions and establishes the motive behind Triton's ban on music. While the overall story is simple, Ariel's journey to restore music to Atlantica remains entertaining and engaging. The animation quality harkens back to the original film, and the music, despite my personal preference for less musical scenes, plays a vital role in the narrative's emotional depth. The moments where Triton reflects on his past with Athena are particularly poignant, conveying a sense of profound loneliness. This movie, in all its simplicity, manages to capture a certain beauty that resonates with viewers.

"Need More Ariel Merchandise!"

[bonniejoy-978-68763 · 4/10 · 15 November 2014]

Giving my judgement on this film is not easy. A lot of people are torn between it being good or bad, and I'm somewhat in the middle. While it's not a horrible flick, it's not terrific either.

Story: King Triton bands music from Atlantica (is that really the best name you could come up with?) because it reminds him of his dead wife and brings him bitterness and grief. But of course Ariel breaks the rules and kinda brings music back to Atlantica.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way: 1) The whole premise has nothing to do with the first (and better) movie. Sure it's a way to develop Ariel's backstory, but I don't see it developing that much; it just seems like it was randomly put together for a separate story. It was like the writers knew it was about a rebellious teenage mermaid who loves to sing, and they came up with a problem out of the blue. Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting conflict, for the king, but that's where the story should have focused more; it should have not really been about Ariel. Also, they don't bring up the human world at any time in the film, and that was Ariel's focus - she doesn't even show a hint of interest in the film. 2) Flounder, what have they done to you? Yes he's cute, but he's really OBNOXIOUS in this film! He never shuts up, he is always making music sounds when he knows it's forbidden, he talks modern ("Oh yeah, I'm hot", "Torpedo Tube", "Cork Screw", "We love you, Flounder"), he plays spy kids, he's not the "guppy" we know and love, the Little Mermaid TV series gave a better backstory on how he and Ariel became best friends, and he and Ariel have little to no time together alone, pouring their hearts out with each other, or exploring. 3) The villainess is fashionably annoying (literally)! It kinda would have been nice to see if this was how Ursula came to hate Triton, but no, she gets tossed aside for a fashion disaster mermaid with another unnecessary sidekick. 4) It's nice to see the mermaid sisters have character developments, but they're "like totally" valley girl teenage stereotypes. 5) Of all the songs, why did Sebastian have to sing an already popular song instead of come up with another awesome original song as he did "Under the Sea"? 6) The modern talk - wherever it is (includes being sworn in clubs)! 7) Trident is a jerk and isn't loving towards his daughters until the end when Ariel proves he's a jerk. 8) Her mother's death (being crushed by a pirate ship) would have explained why Triton says humans are barbarians and they never bring up the human world once. 9) Kinda a nitpick, but the band instruments are of the human world, they don't even look like they are made of coral. 10) The villain sings. Say what you want on it being a good or bad pair of songs, but the fact that she's singing should be questionable. Music/singing is banned and she's singing. Even if it was for just 4th wall pleasure it doesn't work. 11) The pointless shot replica of when the villainess sings out on a rock and gets splashed. That shot was forced for no other reason but to say that it can't happen in real life. Also that no mermaid visits the surface (aside from the beginning).

Now what's good about it? 1) Triton is awesome again, emotional, though he's also more of a tyrant compared to the first film (which is a flaw). I still love how you see how much he is in pain over the death of his wife (for a few minutes), and there's a scene where he destroys the Catfish Club and it makes me glad to see him use his trident again. The whole story should have centered around him. 2) I won't falter - it's so nice to hear Ariel sing 3) Compared to other Disney sequels, this has some nicer animation - it's not as overwhelming as the first movie. It's computer animation, which is nice to look at, but in all honesty, I think The Little Mermaid looked better in hand drawn animation. 4) Sebastian knows how to make a hot crustacean band - even from already popular songs, and he is still the same protective/responsible guardian of Ariel. 5) The intro is heartwarming and tragic. I actually felt sorry for Triton losing his queen and felt his bitterness. 6) There were some really heartfelt moments.

I kinda like it, but I wish they could have fixed the flaws. I was on the edge of comparing this movie the the awful Fox and the Hound 2 film, but Ariel's Beginning got a better premise. However it is inconsistent with the first movie, the TV series, and is making me tired of seeing Ariel over and over again. I really hate it when Disney Princesses are made into a constantly repeated franchise rather than move on. The TV stories gave us a backstory already, the first movie had nothing to do with banned music, and the sequel moved on with her life. I don't want to see Disney go backwards on her life, but either move forward or just stop altogether.

*sigh* This could have been so much better.

[rnels · 3/10 · 30 March 2016]

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!*

But it all goes downhill just after the introduction. Now, the original Little Mermaid is a great Disney film and it even informed audiences of the characters' current situations due to events we heard about, but never actually saw on screen (like how Ursula mentioned that she was kicked out of the palace for God knows what). When this movie was announced back in 2008, I was really excited to see if Disney would finally reveal all of these events. But, unfortunately, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning does none of that. It's just an extremely awkward story with terrible songs (except "I Remember" was decent enough), a lame villain, and annoying slang and dialogue.

The good - The animation and art are beautiful. The backgrounds of the sea, night club, and Atlantica look amazing. The colors also look less sloppy and rushed like they were in The Little Mermaid II. - Sebastian's character was pretty solid. I liked how even though he was a sour stick-in-the-mud, he still had a rebellious side of going against the ban on music. That was pretty awesome to see. - I really liked the first couple of minutes where Ariel's mother, Athena, is shown. So far, so good. But then the scene where she dies and we're supposed to feel sorry for her is just plain stupid. One minute, Athena saves one of her daughters from an approaching pirate ship and that's good, but then the next she goes after a music box that she could have just left behind, right? And then the ship CRASHES RIGHT INTO THE SIDE OF THE COVE, obviously killing her. My question is...what happened to the pirates after this?

The bad - I really hated Triton's character in this movie. Which is a shame because he is actually one of my favorite Disney characters. But in this, he is unable to control his own feelings of loss and this inability causes him to make life miserable for his children by allowing no music in the kingdom. Doesn't this guy know that two wrongs don't make a right? I understand that he lost his wife, but that's no excuse to make the lives of others just as bad by not giving them the choice to do what they want. And what does music have to do with this? It was HUMANS that killed his wife, and they were never mentioned again after Athena's death. - It was dumb how the movie was mostly just Ariel and Triton bickering. They did this in the first movie, but even then they still were shown to have a loving relationship. Here, they don't have one at all. - The villain, Marina Del Rey, was boring. All she wanted was a stupid job while the better villain Ursula wanted to rule the entire ocean. I wanted Ursula as the main villain here, telling the story of why she was thrown out. That would have made more sense. - The dialogue was also very annoying. The band members say things like "Let it happen!" and "Bad little self". The original movie didn't include any of this, so why does this one? - The background music was okay, but the songs were lifeless. Marina's song sounded so rushed and using "Shake Senora" was unnecessary. "I Remember" was decent enough though.

So, in conclusion, while this movie wasn't the worst of the Disney direct-to-video sequels (that would be Hunchback II), it's definitely not nearly as good as The Little Mermaid.

3/10

Everyone's lovable red-head is back starring in the first Disney prequel

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 30 August 2008]

Everyone's favorite redhead, whom we all know and love, is back in a new adventure. You know who I am talking about-it's Ariel, starring in the first Disney prequel, 'cause I wouldn't call it a sequel. Set before she walked on land and married her Prince.

Under the narration of Sebastian, the story starts with King Triton and his wife, Queen Athena, having seven young daughters (the youngest of whom is Ariel). The entirety of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica is filled with joy, music, and laughter. The merfolk are shown relaxing in a lagoon above water, and Triton gives Athena a small music box. A pirate ship approaches, and they attack, stealing the merpeople's possessions. Everyone escapes except Queen Athena, who is crushed by the pirate ship. Devastated by Athena's death, Triton throws the music box away and bans music from the kingdom. Ten years later, Triton's daughters live under a strict schedule maintained by their governess, Marina Del Rey, an original villainess voiced by Sally Field, with no relations to the two witches what so ever. Marina hates her job and longs for Sebastian's, who is the king's attaché. Ariel is frustrated by their current lifestyle, which brings her into conflict with her strict father. During their morning "walk", Ariel tickles her sister Adella with kelp, and she is given the punishment of cleaning barnacles. While carrying out her punishment, Ariel encounters Flounder, a fish who is making music. That night, Ariel sees Flounder outside the window and follows him to an underground music club. She is overjoyed by the presence of music and is shocked when she learns that Sebastian performs at the club. When her presence is revealed, at first all the club patrons flee, but Ariel sings a song explaining her love of music, and she joins the club with an oath. That's all I'm telling you. You will have to see it for yourself.

It's great to finally see Ariel's mother, Queen Athena, who looks like Ariel. But I can see some differences between mother and daughter: Athena's hair is a different shade of red compared to Ariel's and done up almost like a ponytail. And her eyes, I think, are green. Overall, Ariel's Beginning is another excellent Disney OAV (original animated video) and perfect to go with the original film and "Return to the Sea." I love Ariel's sisters, Alana (pink fin), Arista (red fin), and Attina (orange fin).

Jodi Benson is at it again

[freakfire-1 · 1/10 · 1 October 2008]

Jodi Benson, we hardly want to know you anymore. Can you do any movie role EXCEPT Little Mermaid? One is just very curious if you just can't let go. Or maybe Disney Studios can't let go. Whatever the case, this needs to stop.

Ariel is back with a prequel. OK, first I don't really care where Ariel comes from anymore. This should have been covered in the original classic Little Mermaid. But no, we have to wait 15 years later just to give Jodi Benson another job. A job we don't know if she wanted.

The whole film is about the death of Ariel's mother and the subsequent return to music to the underwater kingdom. You can fill in the rest. No conflict, no character development. And nobody really cares anymore.

I want 80 minutes of my life back. "F"

amazing 10/10

[jenkinsr628 · 10/10 · 24 May 2009]

I find this film to be better than the other two and i think that marina del ray is amazing and much better than Ursula and Morgana!I think that Ariel is beautiful in this version and is so much prettier than when she was in the 1st and 2nd film. If you have not seen this version of Little Mermaid well you've just gotta get it as it is brilliant with,better animatian,better plots and magnificent, dazzling animation including never before seen in the other films 3d effects and the director of this film was also known to be a dancer so if you wonder why the dancing is so crazy that its brilliant its because the director who not only did a fabulous job on the film but made her dancing background shine in this all new amazing film!If you have not got this version on DVD well you've just gotta get it as my DVD of it was 10/10 for me and my brothers DVD he said was also 10/10 for him and my friends said the same!!!! JCJ

Worst Sequel Ever! So boring

[lulaperson · 2/10 · 22 August 2017]

As a child i loved the first Little Mermaid, as well as the second movie...Until this movie came out.

The WORST things from this movie : Marina Del Ray and Flounder. I really hate the villain in this movie, she reminds me of the Kardashian mother, who can't get her own way and a drag queen. the only character i liked in the movie was Benjamin.

As for Flounder, i really hated him in this movie too. He is so annoying, his voice is cringe worthy and is nothing more of a stalker.

I liked the concept of Athena though, but for the rest of the movie, just no.

How To End a Sequel Trend Averagely

[TheMysteriousReviewer · 5/10 · 16 May 2023]

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning has ended the trend of straight-to-video Disney sequels on a mediocre note. I might as well start and state that biggest problem is the movie has this unnecessary melancholy tone. This is supposed to be a prequel to The Little Mermaid. Instead of telling an inspiring story to live up the potential of Ariel herself, it would much rather involve a cowardly father that would ban fun altogether over his loss wife. That and it would have addition to almost all the characters with a massive downgrade and some weak songs. However, I wouldn't consider the worst Disney sequel. There actually are some redeeming qualities with great animation. Let's be honest, in the early times of the trend, the animation in those were bad. But at least it has gotten progressively better with the late movies during the timing of straight-to-video Disney sequels. But even so, that won't really make up for this movie for its poor execution. In terms of my recommendation, I will say that if you want to get to know more about the characters under the sea as a prequel, then this could be for you. If you're skeptical about it, then it's best to stick with the original film. While I find it slightly better than Return To The Sea, I just got to say that most of the sequels are soulless. And that's exactly why it is for the best Disney has stopped the trend after this one.

I loved it!

[jodeefan12 · 10/10 · 9 November 2008]

I am a huge little mermaid fan since i can remember and i was definitely not disappointed it in this movie. It tells us how Ariel came to be and answered a lot of the questions we had in the first one like what happened to Ariel's mother and why King Triton hates humans. It also tells us how flounder and Ariel met but the one thing i did not like about flounder is that he beat boxed and was kind of out of character because he was a lot braver in this one which in the other ones flounder was always scared. I also liked that is showed us the different sides of the sisters because in the first and second ones we didn't really hear much about them only for brief moments but in this one we get to see their personalities. I also liked the music in the movie it was really great. Some of my favorites was Athena's song, Jump in the line, i remember, and i will sing. The only song i did not like was the one mistake because it didn't seem like a song to me just kind of a poem that Sally Fields talked through with background music. It was so cool to see Jodi Benson and Sameuel E. Wright returning as Ariel and Sebastion. I don't think you can have a Little Mermaid movie without them as the characters. All around good movie and i will watch it over and over again like i did the first 2.

Really boring

[Ahmedx0 · 3/10 · 17 January 2021]

I'm a huge Ariel fan , i love the little mermaid 1 and 2 and the series, and i was glad when i knew there was a third installment , but turned out to be so boring I literally couldn't finish it at one time , yes the animation is good and i loved the villain, but other than that it wasn't catchy i was so disappointed I've tried to rewatch it 3 times I couldn't stand it Wish if they had better idea or at least had a more fun plot or storytelling

A useful prequel to learn about Ariel's past

[Elvis-Del-Valle · 8/10 · 26 March 2023]

This prequel to the Disney film did well to show at the beginning what had happened to Ariel's mother, Queen Athena and even hinted at why Triton was always worried about Ariel, since she is quite similar to Athena. The good thing is also that it shows how Ariel met Flounder and how Sebastian became the musician in charge of the kingdom. Music is a theme that plays an important role here, as it serves to understand Ariel's passion for music and how it has influenced her to be the angelic-voiced princess we all know. Marina is not a villain at the level of Ursula, but a villain was necessary so that the whole conflict could be resolved. In the end this movie is pretty decent and I rate it 8/10.

Go watch this before the 1989 classic

[lisafordeay · 4/10 · 10 June 2013]

The Little Mermaid 3: Ariels Beginning is a 2008 prequel to the 1989 film featuring the voices of Jodi Benson and Samuel E Wright. Joining the cast this time is Mrs Doubtfire star Sally Field as the voice of a governess Mermaid named Marina.

Before Ariel met Eric we go back to when Ariel was a baby/pre teen(hence the title of Ariel's Beginning)and we get to learn WHY Triton didn't want Ariel to see the human world. You see Ariel's mother died by pirates and ever since that day Triton cannot stand humans. Will Ariel give heed to her father about humans?

Overall the animation was great but this movie is all over the place and it's not as good as the 1989 classic.

Bottom line i'll give this movie a miss if I were you or if you want to watch it then watch this first and then the 1989 version. 4/10.

Something inappropriate happens

[klaudiawaz · 4/10 · 13 January 2022]

This is a good movie but does anyone notice the inappropriate thing that happens in the beginning? When trident 'sneaks' up on his girls behind the rock and then lifts them into the air he puts all of his daughter on his arm expect one. His blonde daughter with a red tail ended up on his head. Keep in mind that trident has a large pointy crown on his head. When his blonde daughter lands on his head she exclaims "OH!" with a 'surprised' look on her face. IT LOOKS LIKE HER DADS CROWN RAPES HER.

Simply Amazing.

[tibercromwell · 9/10 · 16 July 2016]

The Little Mermaid is one of Disney's most lovable classics, it's one of my personal favorites, so I did want to see the sequel, which was pretty average. Normally most Disney sequels are lame or a waste of time, but it seems as if Disney is finally getting something right because The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a very sweet movie and was a nice prequel for Ariel to see what her life was like before she met Prince Eric and we learn a little bit about her family and how she came to meet Flounder. This is definitely a must see for the kids, it has fun music, cute characters, and a charming story that anyone could fall in love with. I liked that they chose a different story rather than continuing her life with Eric, I just like the "they lived happily ever after" and that's it, so this was a nice idea to get to know Ariel's sisters and mother.

In this Disney prequel, we explore Ariel's life before she became human, met Eric, met Ursela. Her father is heart broken after her mother is killed by a ship, he forbids music since it reminds him of her and her beautiful voice. Ariel and her sisters grow up in a very boring world with no music or life at all, but Ariel is thirsty for fun, to spice up her life. She comes along with friends who are also trying to make life a little more fun. But a mermaid named Marina is trying to take over the girls and their lives so she can eventually control the kingdom.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a fun Disney sequel and was a pleasure to watch. The songs are a lot of fun and the story just charms it's way into your heart. This isn't my favorite Disney sequel, but it was a huge improvement over the second Little Mermaid. I would recommend this for the family or kids, it's a charming film and of course who could resist Sebastian and his fun crazy life under the sea? He, Ariel, and Flounder bring life to this story and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

9/10

Disney's first and only direct-to-DVD prequel almost loses its sense of rhythm

[Stompgal_87 · 8/10 · 5 September 2013]

I first heard of this prequel at the time of its release and I was intrigued to find out what had happened before Ariel met Eric. However; upon purchasing this in a triple pack with the first two DVDs, it didn't live up to all of my expectations.

The animation is mostly fluid and the colours are not overly bright like they were in 'The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea,' but some elements look a little too CGI-ish within a 2D animated environment such as the music box, Marina Del Rey's gigantic hook and the statue of Athena. Further to Marina and Athena, I found Marina a flamboyant villain whose purple colour scheme was pleasing to the eye and she was meaner than Morgana but not as sinister as Ursula while Athena reminded me very much of Ariel and I got an insight of how she looked before a pirate ship unfortunately crushed her to death, thus leading Triton to ban music from the kingdom much to Ariel's dismay. Speaking of Ariel, it was cute to see her and her sisters as little girls and their arguments as they grew older reminded me of arguing with my own sister when we were younger. The best argument between Ariel's sisters involves their possessions such as a hairbrush and an eye mask having the letter A on them since all their names begin with that letter. Like 'TLMII:RTTS,' Jodi Benson and Samuel E Wright reprise their roles as Ariel and Sebastian respectively and they sound exactly as they did in the other two films and TV series. Jim Cummings does his best to recreate Triton's voice the same way as the late Kenneth Mars did. As for the music the background music was upbeat, charming and tense while the songs were pretty good, especially 'Jump in the Line' (sounds like a follow-up to 'Under the Sea') and 'I Remember,' although Marina's song 'Just One Mistake' is rather tuneless despite being accompanied by colourful shots of her wigs and outfits. Another shot of Marina I liked was that of her leaning on a rock with the waves crashing behind her (an obvious reference to Ariel's iconic scene at the end of the 'Part of Your World' reprise) and Scuttle flying near her to which she snarls, "Don't touch me!" Aside the CGI-like elements, the other flaws include the story being predictable after Athena's death, Benjamin being too gentle for Marina's assistant and Triton being stricter than he was in the first two films. I also found the shot of Ariel and her sisters being shown in Marina's eyes confusing because I didn't know if she was watching them from her lair or at the underground club, although I can see why her report of the girls in the club to Triton was brief. The scene where Ariel appears to have died towards the end may be confusing for those who haven't seen the other two films because they may think she has actually died but she regains consciousness upon hearing the music box. The moments of Athena's death and Ariel having a flashback of happier times after having retrieved the music box had just the right amount of poignancy.

To conclude, it was an adequate idea of Disney to make a prequel but it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the other two films. 7.5/10 to round up to IMDb's 8/10 rating.