Little Mermaid II, The: Return to the Sea

My girls and I have accumulated quite the collection of Disney movies. I think we are only missing maybe two or three of the entire Disney parade. So, of course, we had to pick this one up. I am always hesitant about sequels. In my experience with parts II, III, etc., the sequels are always just a little bit disappointing. Unfortunately, that was the case with Little Mermaid II, also.

The animation and graphics, while still obviously Disney, are more the quality of their cartoon series as opposed to their feature films. Still pleasant to watch, but I guess I'm spoiled. For feature-length films I look for more. I kept feeling like, okay, and here's where the commercial would go...

The music also is just a hair shy of first-quality. The songs are cute, but seem to be only appropriate for the context of their place in this movie. They don't have the staying power of, say, "Part of Your World".

And the plot, while really cute, is also very predictable. I won't divulge much of it here, but it is the typical girl gets rebellious, gets into trouble, gets everyone else into trouble, then has the enlightened moment and, with the help of her friends, saves the day. It is kind of fun though to see the "old friends" as parents. Scuttle as a dad is a riot.

It's a good enough story, but like I said, I may be spoiled. It was enjoyable enough to sit through, so I'm not totally bashing the movie. And the girls really did like it. It was well worth the $17.95 we spent on it, and I'm not sorry to have it to add to my collection. I'm sure the kids will get plenty of re-run power from the video, but it just didn't have the captivating power (that the first did) to make ME feel like seeing it again.