The Little Mermaid

Features, Shorts, Live-Action and Direct-To-Video
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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by droosan » September 13th, 2013, 8:14 pm

I have to say that the '3-D' effect for The Little Mermaid is rather impressively-done. The card-cutout 'multiplanar Viewmaster' look which I'd lamented in the '3-D' edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas is not found here; rather, the characters and props appear to have ju-u-ust a bit of volume to them .. the film's numerous bubble effects 'pop-out' and swirl around the action, while the environments -- particularly Ariel's grotto -- seem to stretch deeper into the screen.

That said, the 3-D is not 'over-done'; as with many stereoscopic movies, occasionally I'd stop 'consciously' noticing the effect. Still, the techniques employed obviously required a great deal of effort .. and it's too bad that the Disney stereo team's hard work will not enjoy a wider exposure on theatrical screens. It should still look quite nice on 3-D HDTVs .. for those who have them. 8)

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The film remains as enchanting as ever, nearly 24 years after its first release. :)

However, I can confirm that an inexplicable (albeit minor) edit does seem to have been made to the finale of "Part of That World":



It will likely only be noticeable to those of us who have seen the movie many multiple times that anything is 'amiss', here .. but I still cannot fathom why the shots of Ariel's descent and Flounder's sympathy-pout were swapped. :?

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The Little Mermaid in '3-D' will be playing at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood from now through October 13th. If you're in the Los Angeles area during that time, it's well-worth a visit. VIP tickets are US$23 .. if that makes you :shock: , consider that a popcorn and drink are included, in that cost .. as well as a Sofia the First sing-along show before the movie, and an on-stage appearance by 'Ariel' during the end titles..!

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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by Ben » September 16th, 2013, 5:26 am

Not to mention that the increased contrast makes that Flounder shot stick out like a sore thumb! What a bizarre choice and/or mistake...swapping the shots actually takes away from Ariel on an important line and (speaking as an editor) ruins the flow of action from the shot that originally went into the descent and the cut between the descent and Ariel's close up in which she isn't moving, or at least at the same speed.

I agree it won't be noticed by most but I think I would haves picked up on it (or just realized something was "wrong" there without putting my finger on it), but it's such a strange, strange swap...kind of like that one sing shot of Mowgli and the monkeys in the trees during the Platinum Jungle Book that swapped to 1.66 for that one shot (the rest was 1.75/78).

Odd! :?

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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by droosan » November 17th, 2019, 3:14 am

While there was recently a 'live' television performance .. and there are also preparations underway for a full-blown 'live-action' theatrical adaptation .. let us never forget the groundbreaking original animated feature upon which they're based.

Happy Anniversary to The Little Mermaid .. which has been a beloved 'Part of our World' for thirty years, today..! :)

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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by Ben » November 17th, 2019, 4:50 am

That anniversary pic does look like we missed out on seeing the 1977 disco version, though, Droo... ;)

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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by droosan » November 17th, 2019, 11:42 am

:lol:

It's not quite 'disco' .. but here's Soul II Soul's peppy rendition of "Kiss the Girl," from the 1991 compilation Simply Mad About the Mouse:


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Re: The Little Mermaid

Post by Daniel » November 21st, 2019, 2:48 pm

Thirty years, amazing. One of Disney's best! Brilliant avatar. Such a funny scene!

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