Diamond edition Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is vibrant and colorful
Ariel may not be a superhero, but “The Little Mermaid” helped to rescue Disney characters from extinction.
In the 1980s, animated features had grown tired, and Disney had created cute but slim titles such as “The Great Mouse Detective” and “The Black Cauldron.”
The Mouse Factory faced a creative challenge.
The house that Walt Disney built could survive only if its creative artists redesigned animated fare via computer-generated images, classic music scores and terrific songs (these by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken) to go with the stunning visuals.
The massive animated picture, co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, began in 1986. The complicated visuals were completed in time for the film’s Nov. 17, 1989, opening. According to Box Office Mojo, the title grossed $48.3 million (1990) in the original release and another $27.8 million in a 1997 reissue.
The screen favorite, which has never been released in a high-definition version, is celebrated by Disney’s “The Little Mermaid: Diamond Edition” ($44.99, Blu-ray Disc; 3-disc Blu-ray combo pack + DVD + digital copy; Oct. 1).
Based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the vibrant and colorful movie, featuring Jodi Benson as the voice of Ariel, tells the story of a perky mermaid princess who dreams of becoming a human. That quest brings her into confrontations with slick and slippery villains, such as Ursula (voice by Pat Carroll), and forces her father, King Triton (voice by Kenneth Moore), to worry about her safety.
The extras include: “Part of Her World: Jodi Benson’s Voyage to New Fantasyland” which chronicles her experiences over the last quarter of a century in helping to create Ariel; a music video (“Part of Your World Music Video”) performed by Carly Rae Jepsen; and a deleted character (Harold the Merman”).
Full ‘House’
Fans of new technologies and vintage fright films will have plenty to enjoy during the Halloween season with “House of Wax 3-D” ($39.99, Blu-ray Disc; Oct. 1), 60th anniversary edition.
Vincent Price plays a mad sculptor in his first major horror role. The hit film, which grossed $401 million in today’s dollars, has enjoyed a major reboot. The newly restored version of “House of Wax” (1955), which was directed by Andre deToth, received a cutting-edge 4K image of the title, and the studio also provides a 2-D pressing for those without 3-D capabilities.
The extras include a making-of documentary (“House of Wax: Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before!”), a pressing of “The Mystery of the Wax Museum” (1933); and the theatrical trailer.
Action fans should enjoy seeing Charles Buchinsky in a grisly supporting role in “House of Wax.” The tough-guy actor later changed his name to Charles Bronson.