Part of Your World

The Little Mermaid
(John Musker and Ron Clements, 1989)

5 Stars

I’ve spoken in the past of the problems with reviewing childhood favourites; there’s a sense of sweet nostalgia that taints even the most impartial of critics. And to say I was impartial would be like saying the Pope is Jewish.

When it comes to Disney though, pretty much every film prior to the “end” of the 2D animated feature with Home on the Range in 2004 has some kind of emotional or nostalgic remembrance, and none so more than 1989’s classic, The Little Mermaid.

The film that re-ignited the flame of Disney’s torch, The Little Mermaid was the first film I went to see at the cinema, back in the days of the reel-changing interval and the orange split ice-lolly, it can probably be blamed for most of my subsequent filmatic obsessions.

But what made this film so special? Why was this the movie that made Disney big again? During the eighties, there were some true classics; Oliver and Company had some fantastic tunes, and The Great Mouse Detective remains to this day one of the most underated Disney movies of all time. True, The Black Cauldron was shoddy, but everyone makes mistakes, right?

I think what does it, more than anything, is the juxtaposition of Menken and Ashman’s instantly memorable score with its bold, bright and beautiful animation. Throw in some of animation’s most memorable sidekicks and villains and you really do have a recipe for infinite success. Add to that cinema’s sexiest and most aurally enchanting mermaid and need I say more?

Disney will always hold a very special place in my heart, but Ariel and her friends hold the honour of reigning over the rest with aquatic audacity. True, Basil of Baker Street took us on a more thrilling escapade, and Hercules will forever bring a tear to my eye as he Goes the Distance, but Ariel and I shared something special. And it wasn’t just an orange ice lolly.