The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
DVD cover
Directed byJim Kammerud
Written by
  • Elizabeth Anderson
  • Temple Mathews
  • Elise D'Haene
  • Eddie Guzelian
Based onThe Little Mermaid
by Hans Christian Andersen
Produced by
Starring
Music byDanny Troob
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Home Video
Release date
  • September 19, 2000 (2000-09-19)
Running time
75 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • United States[1]
LanguageEnglish

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a 2000 animated direct-to-video musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and the second installment in The Little Mermaid trilogy. Directed by Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith, the story of the film takes place 12 years after the original, and focuses on Ariel and Eric's daughter Melody, a human princess who longs to swim in the ocean despite her parents' law that the sea is forbidden to her.

Many voice actors from the original film returned for the sequel, including Jodi Benson as Ariel, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, and Buddy Hackett as Scuttle in his final film role before his death in June 2003. Pat Carroll, who voiced Ursula in the first film, returned as Ursula's sister Morgana, the sequel's new villain. Tara Charendoff joined the cast as Melody, Rob Paulsen replaced Christopher Daniel Barnes as Prince Eric and Kay E. Kuter voiced Grimsby replacing Ben Wright who died four months before the first film was released.

The film received largely negative reviews, with criticism directed at the screenplay and rehashed plot points, though the characterization of Melody and Charendoff's performance thereof were praised. In 2008, Disney released a third film, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, which is a prequel to the first film.

Plot

Set two years after the events of the first film, Ariel and Eric celebrate the birth of their daughter Melody on a ship at sea, being the first child to ever be born of both worlds. Ariel's father King Triton presents Melody with a magic locket. The party is interrupted by Ursula's sister Morgana, who threatens to have Melody fed to her pet tiger shark, Undertow, unless Triton surrenders his trident to her so that she can avenge Ursula and take over the ocean. Ariel and Eric foil Morgana's plan, and Triton shrinks Undertow to the size of a piranha. Morgana escapes, declaring that she will someday exact her revenge. Fearing Morgana and remembering Ursula, Ariel decides that, until Morgana is captured, they will have to withhold all knowledge of the sea world from Melody in order to protect her. Triton secretly assigns Sebastian to watch over Melody before tossing the locket into the ocean.

Twelve years later, Melody remains unaware of her mother's mermaid heritage and is forbidden from going into the sea, which is now separeted from the royal castle with a massive wall. Nevertheless, Melody constantly sneaks out to swim, and one day finds the locket. Seeing her name on the locket, she questions her mother about it, but Ariel scolds Melody for disobeying her, resulting in a falling out between them. Frustrated, Melody steals a small boat and sails away from home. She is discovered by Undertow, who leads her straight to Morgana, who uses the remains of Ursula's magic to transform Melody into a mermaid. Meanwhile, upon discovering Melody's disappearance, Ariel and Eric organize a search party to find her, and Triton transforms Ariel back into a mermaid so that she can search the ocean.

As Melody explores her newfound abilities as a mermaid, Morgana warns her that the spell is only temporary and that she needs Triton's magic trident to make it permanent. Unaware that Triton is her grandfather and deceived by Morgana into thinking that he stole the trident, Melody sets off to Atlantica to retrieve it. Along her journey, she befriends Tip and Dash, a clumsy but well-intentioned penguin and walrus duo who help her steal the trident. Upon returning to Morgana's lair, Melody meets Ariel, and is shocked to discover her mother's mermaid heritage. Having been angered by Ariel's decision to lie to her and forbidding her from the sea, Melody gives the trident to Morgana, who then reveals her true intentions, captures Ariel, and traps Melody in a cave by sealing the entrance with a thick layer of ice.

Morgana uses the trident's magic to lord over the ocean, rising to the surface to gloat. Scuttle, Triton, Sebastian, and Eric arrive, and a battle ensues against Morgana and her minions. Tip and Dash attempt to rescue Melody while escaping from Undertow, who has been restored to his original size by Morgana. With Flounder's help, they defeat Undertow and arrive just in time to save Melody from drowning as Morgana's spell wears off on her, transforming her back into a human.

Returning to the surface, Melody confronts Morgana, successfully grabing the trident and throwing it back to Triton who encases Morgana in a block of ice, which sinks underwater. Melody reunites with her family, and Triton offers his granddaughter the choice of becoming a mermaid permanently. Instead, Melody uses the trident to destroy the wall separating her home from the sea, reuniting the humans and the merpeople.

Voice cast

Release

Home media

The film was released directly to video on September 19, 2000.[2] It was released on May 7, 2001, in the UK. On November 6, 2006, the film was released in a bundle together with the original film in the Region 2 release.[3] The original DVD release was later discontinued and a special edition DVD with a deleted song, "Gonna Get My Wish", and a new game was released on December 16, 2008.[4] A package called The Little Mermaid Trilogy, which includes all three Little Mermaid films, was released on the same day.[5] This film, along with The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, was released in a 2-Movie collection on DVD and Blu-ray on November 19, 2013.[6]

Reception

Critical reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 17% of 6 critics gave the film a positive review, and the average rating is 3.8/10.[7] In 2011, Total Film ranked it as 27th among the 50 worst children's films ever made.[8]

Unlike the film and even her mother Ariel, for whom the latter was generally mixed, Melody, the main character, was generally well received by both critics and Little Mermaid fans, who praised her emotional relationship with Ariel, character growth, likability, and Tara Charendoff's performance. In 2019, Screen Rant put her at #9 on Disney's Unofficial Princesses, Ranked.[9] Melody is one of Charendoff's favorite characters to voice, as she was a big fan of the 1989 film growing up.

Home video sales

The film was the tenth-most-successful direct-to-video release of 2000, with retail revenues of $121 million.[10] The film sold 6 million VHS and DVD units in 2000.[11]

Soundtrack

Songs from The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea & More!
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2000 (2000-09-19)
Recorded2000
Length25:21
LabelWalt Disney Records
ProducerBambi Moe, Don Mizell, Leonard Jones, Shepard Stern

The film's official soundtrack was released on September 19, 2000,[12] and again on October 31, 2000, in a special edition double pack with the original film's soundtrack.[13] Additionally, two limited-edition two-track samplers were released on CD as a promotion for the soundtrack.[14]

No.TitleWriter(s)Recording artist(s)Length
1."Down to the Sea"Michael and Patty SilversherJodi Benson, Rob Paulsen, Clancy Brown, Kay E. Kuter, Samuel E. Wright and Chorus3:29
2."Tip and Dash"Michael and Patty SilversherMax Casella, Stephen Furst, Tara Charendoff1:59
3."Iko Iko" (*)Barbara Ann Hawkins, Jessie Thomas, Joan Johnson, Maralyn Jones, Joe Jones, Rose Lee Hawkins, Sharon JonesWright3:49
4."Octopus's Garden" (*)Richard StarkeyWright2:47
5."For a Moment"Michael and Patty SilversherBenson, Charendoff2:28
6."Give a Little Love" (*)Albert Hammond, Diane WarrenWright3:57
7."Hot, Hot, Hot"Alphonsus CassellWright5:08
8."Here on the Land and Sea" (Finale)Michael and Patty SilversherBenson, Charendoff, Wright and Chorus1:44
Total length:25:21
Limited edition two track CD 1[14]
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording artist(s)Length
1."Part of Your World"Alan Menken, Howard AshmanChely Wright3:25
2."Limbo Rock" (*) Samuel E. Wright2:29
Limited edition two track CD 2[14]
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording artist(s)Length
1."Here on the Land and Sea" (Finale)Michael and Patty SilversherJodi Benson, Tara Charendoff, Samuel E. Wright and Chorus1:44
2."Coconut" (*)Harry NilssonWright 

Note: *These tracks were originally recorded for the album Sebastian: Party Gras!.

The film's ending credits play a new recording of Part of Your World, performed by country singer Chely Wright. Another version of the song, performed by Ann Marie Boskovich, was used in some international releases of the film.[15]

Legacy

When asked about a possible sequel for the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, stars Halle Bailey (Ariel) and Jonah Hauer-King (Eric) mentioned Return to the Sea and considered a similar plot with Melody's character. In the same interview, Bailey added that she "loves" the sequel, while Hauer-King suggested that Eric, too, be transformed into a merman in the potential sequel as well.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (2000)". Allmovie. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. ↑ The Little Mermaid II - Return to the Sea: Tara Strong, Pat Carroll, Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Max Casella, Stephen Furst, Rob Paulsen, Clancy Brown, Cam Clarke, René Auberjonois, Brian Smith, Jim Kammerud, David Lovegren, Leslie Hough, Eddie Guzelian, Elise D'Haene, Elizabeth Anderson, Temple Mathews: Movies & TV. ASIN 6305940959.
  3. ↑ "The Little Mermaid/the Little Mermaid II Box Set DVD: Amazon.co.uk: The Little Mermaid: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. 6 November 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  4. ↑ "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea [Special Edition]: Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Max Casella, Stephen Furst, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Rob Paulsen, Sam Wright, Tara Charendoff, Jim Kammerud, Brian Smith: Movies & TV". Amazon. 16 December 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  5. ↑ "The Little Mermaid Trilogy: The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea Special Edition, .: Movies & TV". Amazon. 16 December 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Little Mermaid II and Ariel's Beginning: 2-Movie Collection". Amazon. 19 November 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Winning, Josh (November 8, 2011). "50 Worst Kids Movies". Total Film. GamesRadar. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Disney's Unofficial Princesses, Ranked". Screen Rant. 22 August 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Top 2000 Homevideo titles". Variety. January 8, 2001. p. 79.
  11. ↑ Annual Report 2000 (PDF) (Report). The Walt Disney Company. 2001. p. 31. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea: Jodi Benson, Tara Strong: Music". Amazon. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  13. ↑ "The Little Mermaid & Little Mermaid II (Special Edition Double Pack)". Amazon. 1989. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  14. 1 2 3 "Little Mermaid II - 2 Song CD: Ariel, Sebastian, Melody: Music". Amazon. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ Miccio, Anthony (January 28, 2009). "Idol Lies: Is Anne Marie Boskovich this week's Joanna Pacitti?". Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Little Mermaid 2: Remake Stars Reveal Their Sequel Hopes". 28 May 2023.
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