Walt Disney Pictures: The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning

An extremely slight improvement over its immediate predecessor, Walt Disney Pictures: The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, which transpires before the events of the original, follows King Triton (Jim Cummings) as he bans music and dancing from his kingdom after the sudden death of his beloved wife (Lorelei Hill Butters’ Athena). The film subsequently details the efforts of several characters, including Jodi Benson’s Ariel and Samuel E. Wright’s Sebastian, to change the King’s mind, with their efforts continually thwarted by his scheming right-hand woman (Sally Field’s Marina Del Ray). It’s a familiar and hopelessly generic storyline that’s employed to less-than-captivating effect by filmmaker Peggy Holmes, as the movie suffers from a pervasively pedestrian feel that prevents the viewer from working up an ounce of interest in the characters’ ongoing exploits. It’s clear, too, that the film has been geared exclusively towards small children, with this vibe perpetuated by a preponderance of over-the-top bits of silliness and eye-rollingly shallow characterizations. (There’s exactly one scene here that manages to amuse, as classic movies like The Great Escape and Dog Day Afternoon are referenced by a group of imprisoned figures.) One ultimately can’t help but be thankful that at least Walt Disney Pictures: The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, unlike The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, boasts a new story, but it’s difficult, given its lame execution, to conjure up any reasonable degree of excitement for anything that transpires over the course of the movie’s padded-out 77 minutes.

*1/2 out of ****