Rating: 
Summary: ...
Review: This movie, I have to say, wasn't bad at all. The music wasn't as good, of course, but it wasn't a boring movie, except for some of the singing parts and I actually don't mind watching this movie once in a while. The plot is about Ariel and Eric, when Ariel gives birth to a daughter, Melody, and they call King Triton and his seamen and they give a grand ceremony and sing a song about Melody being the only child having been born of land and sea. Then, to provide an intersting plot, Ursula's evil sister, Morgana, spoils the ceremony and Ariel tells her dad that Melody must never know she's from the sea because Morgana will try to capture her. So, for 12 years, her parents, who build a wall in front of their mansion, shelter Melody from the sea. But eventually, Melody's curiosity gets the better of her and she finds ways to escape the wall. She collects sea shells that she finds underwater, but she stumbles upon a very important clue. It's an old shell with dirt caked on it and it spells Melody. After questioning her mother about the necklace, and after an argument with her mother about the sea, not to mention an embarressing 12th birthday party, Melody sets out to find some answers to her past, meeting some cute friends and some deceptive foes. Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle return, and the ending doesn't at all disappoint. A very worthwhile sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty bad.
Review: Trying to make a sequel to the masterpiece that is The Little Mermaid was unlikely to work in the first place. The Little Mermaid stands out as one of the greatest animated movies ever, and certainly has some of the best music. This sequel falls short on many levels, especially music, and Melody is a big disappointment to those of us who appreciated how beautiful Ariel was. Melody's story is her mother's in reverse; she wants to be a mermaid, not a human. Morgana is just like Ursula, though she and Undertow the shark/piranha and Cloak/Dagger the manta rays are pretty funny. Ariel is a mother now and a kind of "blah" character. She isn't completely ruined, like Tramp or Simba, because at first she wants to share her past life with her daughter. It's Morgana's threat that causes her to hide Melody from the sea, King Triton, etc., and contain her within walls. Still, she and the Prince act very sterotypically in this movie and lack real character. Sebastian is back, luckily. Titanic Tip the penguin and Daring Dash the walrus--two young wannabe heroes who befriend and assist Melody--are an attempt at an arctic-dwelling Timon and Pumbaa. They're the comic relief and the silliness. Tip is Timon, the little wisecracker, and Dash is Pumbaa, the big, not-too-bright old soft guy. I see the relation here quite clearly. At any rate, this movie isn't too awful to watch on occasion, but do not expect the glory of the original Little Mermaid. I think this story could have been made into a much more decent film, had they left out some of the things that added to its corny/cheesy factor. For instance, how many times do we want to hear a parent say, "You deliberately disobeyed me"? That was ripped right from the Lion King (the only film in which it sounded sincere), and Jungle Book 2 also ripped it straight from there. Aren't there other, less cliche things to say to get the same point across? The ending is also a cliffhanger; Melody uses the trident to disapparate the wall, and everyone--humans and merpeople--join together in song and merriment. But then what? Does Melody choose to remain on land or at sea? We assume on land, but it's unclear. Either way, mysterious fates and endings can be very good, and it's not like most people will care one way or the other about Melody. So on the whole, it's worth seeing IF you enjoy animated movies and the first Little Mermaid, but won't be too touchy about a sequel that doesn't live up. Otherwise, I'd steer clear.
Rating: 
Summary: Sequel
Review: Obviously, the sequel isn't going to be as good as the first. They never are. This is no different, the storyline is similar with all the characters resembling each other as well. Basically, Melody is Ariel, only in a much younger perspective wanting to be a mermaid (just like Ariel wanted to be a human in the first), Morgana is Ursula, only skinnier with her pet shark who is the eels. Tip and Dash are basically Flounder and Sebastian. I enjoyed Tip and Dash a lot, especially compared to the annoying Flounder. All the original characters make appearances, Sebastian is the crap that used to look after Ariel for King Tritan but now he's supposed to look over Melody for Ariel and Eric. Flounder is still around, yet fatter and his voice is more annoying, King Triton is now the worried grandfather instead of just the worried father. The real downfall here is Prince Eric, who is rarely in the movie but his voice is different and for the worst. He looks a bit different too, he has like blue eyes in this one which makes him look strange.
The storyline as I said is similar. Melody wants to explore the sea, she's an OUTCAST on land and SNEAKS out by going under the wall between the castle and the ocean. She meets Morgana, an EVIL OCTOPUS who has the POWER to TRANSFORM her into a mermaid (hint: with help from Ursula) and she can REMAIN a MERMAID if she STEALS the "pitchfork" (sorry I forget its name) from her grandfather, yet she doesn't know he's her grandfather. Melody captures it with the help of Tip and Dash and returns to Morgana. All the while Ariel has transformed back into a mermaid in hope to find Melody in the sea while Eric looks on land. Morgana TURNS on Melody and transforms her back into a human and keeps her underwater until she drowns. The shark crashes into the ice barrier and Melody is free, Ariel and Melody chat then realize that Eric and the rest of them are in trouble. Melody saves the day. That is basically the whole storyline.
Though very similar to the first one, this is still a good watch and would be a nice movie to show your little kids, especially since they probably wouldn't care if the first one is the original. It's a fun movie, not as romantic or as funny as the first but still fun. If you collect Disney movies or really enjoyed this one if you saw it, buy it. Other than that I'd just suggest you rent this one.
Rating:
Summary: Rent it, Dont buy it.
Review: I was ten years old when the Little Mermaid came out, and I loved it. I seriously wanted to be Ariel, I just loved the songs and the color. Recently, I rented both the Little Mermaid and its sequel, the Little Mermaid II. WHile I am pleased that there is at least something out there for little kids these days, I was disappointed with the movie. I did not connect with Melody, and Ariel was like nothing I remembered. The only thing pleasing (and, I must say, humorous) was the presence of Sebastian. He alone retained the charm of the first film. Of course, maybe the reason I didnt like this movie is that I am now an adult. But I gotta tell you, when I re-watched the original, it was still the magical movie that it was for me 15 years ago.
|
