Connor Bynum // Film Critic
Rated G, 73 minutes.
Director(s): Ron Clements and John Musker
Cast: Ron Clements, John Musker, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin and Ben Wright
With the 4K UHD market growing ever stronger, Disney is once again making the rounds with re-releasing their greatest hits on the latest home video format. The latest animated classic to receive the 4K is none other than of the first entries that began the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989). But how well can a 30-year-old animated film hold up in 4K? In short, very well.
Movie Grade: A
If you haven’t seen this movie before, you should probably see this movie. It’s a classic work of animation, even if some of its themes haven’t aged particularly well for a 2019 audience. Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson) is the titular mermaid who longs to live outside of the sea with the humans – a dream strictly forbidden by the laws of her father, King Triton (Kenneth Mars). After Ariel catches a glimpse of a human prince out at sea, Ariel decides to follow her heart no matter the cost.
Video/Audio Grade: A-
While THE LITTLE MERMAID arrives on 4K UHD from a native 4K source, and largely improves upon it’s previous Blu-ray release, the increase in details at a glance are incredibly subtle. Only after directly comparing this new release with the 2013 2D version of the film (Yes, there was a 3D version of THE LITTLE MERMAID), did I begin to appreciate the little details offered with the upgrade. To put it simply, this is likely going to be the best this film will ever look. Edges on both characters and objects are slightly less jagged and the matte painting backgrounds appear to have greater textures, but the real reason to pick up this disc is undoubtedly the added HDR10.
Ariel’s four primary colors (red hair, peach skin, green tail, and purple seashells) contrast beautifully on screen. Additionally, characters with only one primary color like Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright) and Flounder (Jason Marin) are able to remain vibrant as ever with clever uses of shading and secondary colors made all the more vivid with the increased color pallet. Dark scenes under the ocean surface like the opening shark attack scene in a sunken ship do sometimes feel a little desaturated, but are then contrasted with scenes above the surface that appear far more vibrant as if the sun was a factor in how the colors would look. For an animated picture released in 1989, this is a wonderful detail that I’ve only just now come to appreciate.
The new Dolby Atmos audio track is a welcome improvement as well. Little details like hearing the water move across the room as Ariel swims over the camera on her way to see Ursula (Pat Carroll) are a very nice touch indeed. Thundering sounds of the hurricane scene are also likely to tempt viewers to reach for the volume button. As expected, the audio is crystal clear when it comes to dialogue and musical numbers as well. Overall, the improvements on this release while minor, more than justify a repurchase.
Extras Grade: B+
While none of the special features both new and old make their way onto the 4K disc, there is a plethora of bonus content to be found in this package. Most of the brand new content can be found on the included 1080p Blu-ray Disc, while the archival content from previously released versions of the film are exclusively available through the digital version which is also included with the purchase.
Check out the extensive breakdown of the special features below:
Full List of Special Features:
Final Grade: A-
There has never been a better time to add this film to your collection if you have somehow haven’t done so already. While the improvements in visual clarity are certainly more on the subtle side, this is by far and away the best way to watch THE LITTLE MERMAID.
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