VIDEO : LITTLE ARIEL ONE SPUNKY `MERMAID'.Byline: Robert Bianco Special to the Daily News The little fish-girl who started it all is back. Launched in 1989 as Disney's 28th animated feature, ``The Little Mermaid'' (Buena Vista, $26.99) not only revived the company's cartoon fortunes, it inspired an animation industry that now encompasses expanded studios at DreamWorks, Warners and Fox. At Disney alone, ``Mermaid'' began a string of box-office hits that - even counting the relatively disappointing returns of ``Hunchback'' and ``Hercules'' - is still the most profitable series of movies in cinema history. Though it was an unexpected success at the time, it's easy to see now why ``The Little Mermaid'' had such great box-office legs. Back on video for the first time in six years, restored and digitally remastered, the movie remains a joy - beautifully animated, wittily told, and musically enchanting. You can even forgive it for setting the pattern Disney would later drive into the ground: the spunky spunk·y adj. spunk·i·er, spunk·i·est Informal Spirited; plucky. spunk  i·ly adv. heroine, the seemingly unattainable dreamboat dream·boat n. 1. A person considered exceptionally good-looking and sexually attractive. 2. A luxurious, well-designed automobile or other vehicle. , the comic villain, and the upbeat production numbers. The return visit of ``Mermaid'' may also give some critics a chance to reconsider their attacks on Ariel as a role model. At first, her sole goal seems to be marriage to a prince. Look closer, and you'll see she doesn't just want a husband, she wants a life of her own - a separate existence from her father and his home. Like most Disney cartoons, in many ways ``Mermaid'' is a cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a traditional story told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. : The mistakes she makes pursuing her goal have important, almost fatal, consequences. In the decade since the debut of ``Mermaid,'' much of what once seemed fresh now seems overly familiar - which may account for the less than seaworthy sea·wor·thy adj. sea·wor·thi·er, sea·wor·thi·est Fit to traverse the seas: a seaworthy freighter; a seaworthy crew. returns of Disney's ``Hercules.'' It's also possible, however, that Disney forgot one of the main reasons ``Mermaid'' succeeded. With ``Mermaid,'' and even more so with ``Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson classification). The first published version of the fairy tale was a meandering rendition by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in ,'' the company reinvented the screen musical and introduced it to a whole new audience. But the key to any musical is a strong score. ``Mermaid'' has one, from the romantic ``Part of Your World'' to the humorous fish ditty dit·ty n. pl. dit·ties A simple song. [Middle English dite, a literary composition, from Old French dite, from Latin dict ``Under the Sea.'' ``Hunchback'' and ``Hercules'' did not. It's not enough to give a mermaid legs. If you want her to dance, you have to give her decent music. Elsewhere on video Kids are also likely to love ``Bean'' (1997, Polygram, priced for rental), a slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to comedy starring Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. Bean. as the near-silent and almost totally destructive Mr. Bean. This international sensation (one of Britain's biggest box-office hits) performed somewhat less sensationally here, but children should enjoy the sheer silly physicality of it all. Once the kids are safely in bed, use ``Bean'' as a jumping-off point Noun 1. jumping-off point - a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an for a closer look at the work of Atkinson - one of the most skilled comic actors to ever make a funny face. You can start with Polygram's ``Mr. Bean,'' an eight-volume set of the short-sketch TV series that inspired the movie ($14.95 each). Even if the movie didn't amuse, you might laugh at ``Bean'' in his shorter, more anarchic version. Still, as adept as he is at physical comedy, I've always preferred Atkinson in his more verbal roles. His best TV work can be found in ``The Black Adder'' (Fox, $19.95 each), a four-part series set in four different time periods, from medieval England to World War I. In addition to Atkinson, ``Adder'' features the work of some of Britain's finest talents, from actors Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born June 11, 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer, and musician. He is known professionally as Hugh Laurie. Early life and education Laurie was born in Oxford. , Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson (a wonderfully loony Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth, may refer to: Living people
Bohemia Curtis went on to write ``Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994, Polygram, $14.99), giving Atkinson a funny cameo as the tongue-tied minister. Atkinson's best film role, however, comes in an earlier Curtis film, the unjustly ignored ``The Tall Guy'' (1989, Columbia TriStar, $19.95), which cast him as a bitter English stage star who abuses Jeff Goldblum. Included for the price are a shockingly sexy performance by Emma Thompson, the funniest (all right, the only funny) inoculation inoculation, in medicine, introduction of a preparation into the tissues or fluids of the body for the purpose of preventing or curing certain diseases. The preparation is usually a weakened culture of the agent causing the disease, as in vaccination against scene on record, and an ``Elephant Man''-inspired spoof of Andrew Lloyd Webber Noun 1. Andrew Lloyd Webber - English composer of many successful musicals (some in collaboration with Sir Tim Rice) (born in 1948) Baron Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton, Lloyd Webber featuring the should-be-classic number, ``He's Packing His Trunk.'' Now that's music. ``The Little Mermaid'' isn't the only cartoon out this week. Ralph Bakshi's ``American Pop'' (1981, Columbia TriStar, $13.95) is an ambitious survey of American music, as told by four generations of a family. While it's not adult-only entertainment along the lines of Bakshi's ``Fritz the Cat'' and ``Coonskin,'' it's also not an ideal choice for younger children. Fast Forward: New films on the rental market include ``Bleeding Hearts'' (York), ``Dark Angels'' (York), ``Enemy'' (York), ``Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'' (Warner), ``U-Turn'' (Columbia TriStar), ``Plan B'' (Monarch), ``Fairytale: A True Story'' (Paramount) and ``Kiss Me, Guido'' (Paramount). CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Ariel has dreams bigger than the ocean in the musically enchanting ``Little Mermaid,'' which has been digitally remastered by Disney for a re-release. |
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