Here are my thoughts on the film ! I finally got to watch it
Every Disney story has a beginning, and at last a DTV film has shown what it was like for one of our favourite Disney characters before "... Once upon a time ..."
Now, as I am sure you all know, I am a devoted and loyal Ariel fan, and have tried to review this movie as fairly as I could.
With the mixed views going on here, I was interested to see what I what I would think of the film ... and I was suprised to find at how much I loved and enjoyed it. There were some moments and elements that I did not care for, but they were far outweighed by the positive, and that was just wonderful for me
The story was charming, and sweet. The emotional aspect of the film really caught me off guard! I cried at Athena's death, and poor, broken Triton sitting on the rock. And at the ending where the music swells, and Sebastian says, "... And that's how a King and Princess restored love and music to the kingdom .." and 'I Will Sing' ends the film. So lovely, and just what The Little Mermaid is all about. Being positve, over-coming bad situations, and not being afraid to follow your heart, wherever it may lead you. I did not feel it was simply another episode of the series; the series never, ever, had the emotional depth this film has, nor did it have the detail obviously. Athena was a woman you could see Triton being deeply in love with, and being painfully aware of the simmilarities between her and Ariel. The joy, spirit, and love of music ... let alone the physical resembelance. The fact that Ariel restores his love for life again is monumental, and is really quite beautiful. Also, when Ariel says that she cant remember much about her mother, but knows she wouldnt have wanted Triton to be this way, could reach out to many people who watch this film who lost a parent when they were young. I know it reached a friend of mine on this emotional level. I really enjoyed the sisters being developed, and the fact that Arista shares a simmilar personality with her sister Ariel. They were done really well. Marina Del Ray was fun; not in the big legues of Disney Villians, but excellently portrayed by Sally Field. I'm not even sure if she is even the 'baddy'; I think it was actually Triton who deserved that title.
The charater of Ariel remained in tact for this film, which was obviously vital. She is simply a younger Ariel than the film, and this film was effectively the launch pad for the TV series. She remained consistant to who I belived Ariel to be. Again her theme was wanting something more than what her life in Atlantica was giving her, but this time, she wasnt entirely sure as to what 'it' was (the 'it' being music), whereas in TLM, it was the world above. She faught for what she belived in, even though it isolated her from her whole family. She didnt want to gain music just for herself, so she could show off her beautiful voice, she wanted it to be spread all around the kingdom, so people could be truely happy. This again adds so much to the charm to her character. And now we know what a massive sacrifice it really was for her in TLM to give up her voice; she had faught to 'sing for the rest of her life', but was willing to sacrifice it for true love. Voice work from Jodi was just wonderful in the film; she retains the true spirit of Ariel, nearly 20 years on. I am so glad Ariel is still part of her fibre, and she returns again and again for us.
The songs, although not up to the standard of TLM, were wonderful additions to Ariel's world. My favourite was 'I Will Sing'. I wish it could have been sung by Ariel herself, in a concert or something, but it worked in the movie as it was. I Remember / Athena's Song were beautiful, I just wish I Remember could have been longer. Jump In The Line was a really fun 'Under The Sea' moment, but again I wish it could have been longer! They almost seem incomplete somehow. The 'I Remember Reprise' was beautiful; I havnt really heard anything like it in a DTV before. Jim Dooly has outdone himslef with his score; his best effort for a Disney movie so far. The score that Disney Villian gave us really shows off how great his talent is, especially in the instrumentals of 'I Will Sing'.
The animation. As I have said before, I am no expert on animation; to me, it either looks good or bad. That is as far as my knowledge goes I'm afraid.
On the whole, the animators really tried to capture the original look of the film, using muted, darker colours, than the overly bright, almost septic look of movies like Twist In Time. The sisters were very beautiful and detailed in the film, much more so than the original. Ariel was animated well, but she could sometimes have really goofy expressions that I have never seen before, which were odd ! Espec when she says, "I know! Isnt it FANTASTIC?!" That was just plain odd ! The hair moving was really well done as well. There was a lack of bubbles sometimes though, which were needed, but I guess were very expensive.
Now, there were faults to this film, but I didnt feel that they were detrimental to the whole film. The biggest oddity was Flounder. What could have posessed them to portray him in that way, when he is so removed from the original? They are making him more modern I suppose, but it was not needed. Some people are even saying that the adventures that he and Ariel went on in the series frightened him into being a guppy! They should have got him right. Next, there should have been a little mention of the world above, and how much Ariel loved it. Or it to be explained she hasnt discovered it yet. In the Princess Vanity game, she talks about going to the surface with Flounder, which was 'written' after the movie took place. Well, that should have been in the film. The Jump In The Line Reprise, while fun, does not fit within Ariel's world. Especially the wierd screen thing that goes on during the song. Not sure why they felt the need to do that.
Well, after giving the movie repeated viewings, even with my family who enjoyed it, I am really pleased with this film. I was worried, after what some people had said about it, but it it was a joy to watch, and something that stands up as a prequal to one of the most beloved Disney films of all time. Well done to the team behind the film
PS ~ I went with a friend to HMV yesterday, as he wanted to get the film, and I was so sad not to see it anywhere, so we asked, and they said that it had all sold out ! They said there had been a crazy rush for the film, which was cool
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I Finally got it!!!! 
As soon as I do, I will review it for you guys, if you want to know what I think about it !