A Painful Melody of a Bad Sequel | The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Review

[@michaelpaoneproductions]

Interesting bit of trivia: Melody is Tara Strong's favorite character she ever voiced. She was a kid when the first movie came out and everyone she knew wanted to be Ariel. So, when she got the part and got to sing alongside Jodi Benson, it was a dream come true for her.

[@disneyfan8719]

*sigh* As much as I hate the Melody character, It's kind of impossible for me to be cynical towards this in any way. 😟 Heck, the more I think about it... maybe I was too harsh when I said it was her worst performance.

[@disneyfan8719]

Still my least favorite from her though.

[@arbytv5139]

I thought her favorite character she voiced was Toot from Drawn Together

[@michaelpaoneproductions]

@@arbytv5139 It's certainly up there. I think you might be thinking of the DVD extra where she was talking about Toot. She said that it's the character that makes her laugh out of all the characters she does.

[@arbytv5139]

@@michaelpaoneproductions but I could swear that I heard her once say that Toot was her favorite

[@darthstarkiller1912]

RIP Samuel E. Wright, the voice of Sebastian

[@hunterolaughlin]

Even when saying stupid lines like “URSULA’S CRAZY SISTER!”, he’s still able to get a laugh out of me. Even when he gets into his Tom & Jerry-style chase with Chef Louis. God Rest Your Soul, Samuel E. Wright.

[@eugeneketaminekrebs3403]

😔🙏🏼💗

[@josephrowe849]

Oh yeah.. I forgot he died.

[@oskarbergkvist3880]

AND BUDDY HACKETT.

[@jusjetz]

@@oskarbergkvist3880 and Kenneth Mars as King Triton

[@crimsoncrusader518]

Insert joke about Ursula’s crazy sister being an OC character. Do not steal.

[@zainmudassir2964]

Yeah. When you make a new villain in fanfiction

[@masterfarr8265]

how do you become the crazy one when compared to who was considered to be a demon

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

@Stephen Qualio My list would contain Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamps Adventure, Bambi 2 (more mid-quel, but still very good), The Lion King 2 , and Lion King 1 1/2 (again, mid-quel but good)

[@WilsTube]

If you want better versions of Little Mermaid II, there’s two options: The original Little Mermaid Or Moana (because Melody wanting to go to the sea is like in Moana)

[@FunFilmFare]

Also “The Tail of Emily Windsnap” (12 yr old girl learns she’s half human half mermaid, who’s parents forbidden love angered s merman king who hates humans)

[@erainmartinez8175]

I enjoy both of them as they are amazingly good movies next to my favorite sequel movie the jungle book 2

[@CheshireCat-cm1si]

Wil Bourke Or Luca, where a sea monster becomes human to explore the surface.

[@WilsTube]

@@CheshireCat-cm1si good point

[@PianoDisneygal10]

If I wanted a worse version of The Little Mermaid II, I’d watch Moana.

[@yakunohayashi9653]

There is one thing that he didn't criticized about the animation: The human expressions. Ariel expressions are terrible, she looked kind of happy + kind of sad; looked kind of angry + looked kind of evil smile. In the first movie, Ariel's expressions were pretty memorable, so that causes a big issue with the animation of the sequel

[@brendis16851]

She looks like a robot

[@strawberrysoulforever8336]

I remember watching this when I was about nine and noticing something strange about Ariel's expressions but I couldn't figure out why until I rewatched it and realized the animation just did something strange. And kudos on quoting Doug Walker there.

[@Nintendofan781]

yeah the animation is one thing i can agree on when it comes to this film. You can easily tell it was one of those eariler disney sequels where the animation was choppy instead of the high quality animation in most of their films.

[@AA-yc9dq]

When she turns to a mermaid and her and melody are singing, at one point her neck is stretched and keeps getting longer😵‍💫

[@brendis16851]

@@AA-yc9dq Ariel sings a song as she's turning into a giraffe

[@admech590]

Apparently, Tara strong says this is her favorite role. I'm serious.

[@nyanpirethecat2257]

Probably because Tara Strong for years always wanted to have a voice role in a Disney Animated Film.

[@arbytv5139]

I thought her favorite role was Toot from Drawn Together

[@tdfritzthe1st]

My personal favorite character she voiced is Raven from Teen Titans.

[@josephrowe849]

I liked her as Bubbles. (No relation to the sea)

[@MrGabeanator]

i was gonna say that

[@kylgrv]

As flawed as this movie is, I still have a very soft spot for it. I find the idea of someone having a hidden mermaid heritage very interesting, maybe because I'm a big Little Mermaid fan, and I especially love Melody. Yeah, she's very similar to Ariel in the first film, but I still find myself enjoying her moments onscreen, and I also feel l really bad for her when she's mocked by her peers during the birthday dance scene. The poor girl thought she was weird amongst her peers and a social outcast, and to see that insecurity reinforced during the dance scene is really sad to watch. That, along with her following argument with Ariel, is a good reason for why she'd want to run away from home. On a side note, one other big thing about her that I absolutely love is the voice performance given to her by Tara Strong. I consider that one of the best things about this film, since Tara does such a great job in bringing Melody to life, and since she's one of my favorite voice actors in the whole world, it's a sweet bonus that she was brought onboard for this film as the main character. So yeah, Melody is definitely high on my list of favorite Little Mermaid characters, right up there with Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian and Ursula. Meanwhile, the other new characters in this film are a hit-and-miss for me, with me not liking "URSULA'S CRAZY SISTER" Morgana as much as Ursula yet still finding her entertaining on occasion and seeing her as a much better villain than Marina from "Ariel's Beginning", and not liking Tip and Dash much if at all. As adventurous as they want to be, they are way too cowardly for their own right, and even abandon Melody just before she brings the trident to Morgana because of Undertow. I also feel they were more selfish than they were letting on. I'll take Timon and Pumbaa over Tip and Dash any day. But now that we're finished with this adventure under the sea (it may not have been the best, but it was still a fun ride for me), we're going to Paris France to watch a rat achieve his dream of being a chef. In other words, "Ratatouille" is next! And RIP, Samuel E Wright. Thank you for doing a great job in voicing Sebastian.

[@richardhibbard1066]

I agree with you on the infamous argument scene. I've always hated that scene, because Ariel was so unlikable in that scene! 😡 Maybe, if Ariel remembered the time where she ran away from home after King Triton destroyed her grotto, then she wouldn't have did the same thing to Melody by forbidding HER from following her dreams. 😞

[@hunterolaughlin]

“I’m too old for this. A crab my age should be retired, getting a tan, playing sea golf... SIPPING ON TUNA COLADA! Not babysitting another teenager.” 😂 Despite the bad script, I gotta give it to Samuel E. Wright doing his best to still try to make some of the lines funny. There’ll never be another actor in the role of Sebastian as funny as him. 😔 R.I.P. Samuel E. Wright.

[@arbytv5139]

Actually, I can do a pretty good Sebastian voice

[@hunterolaughlin]

@@arbytv5139 It won’t be the same though. 😔

[@arbytv5139]

@@hunterolaughlin try me

[@Trent-Girone]

I don’t know what it is, but I always keep saying to myself, “THAT’S Flounder?”

[@TheAnchorArmsChad]

RIP: Samuel E Wright Ya were the first Raving Crab before the real Crab Rave ever happened I'll always cherish that hilarious face Sébastien made in the thumbnail

[@andyblanton6570]

These Whoppers

[@pikaace]

My biggest gripe with the plot, is that it ALL could've been avoided. Ariel doesn't want Melody to go to the sea because she's afraid Morgana will find her, right? Then just tell her THE TRUTH. That yes, merpeople are real and that there's ALSO a crazy, tentacled, sea monster down there that wants her dead, THAT'LL keep her out of the water!! And even if it didn't, that would at least keep Melody from being played for a chump by Morgana's plan

[@beethovensfidelio]

Yep! Also, Triton had 12 years to find Morgana! 12 YEARS! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@PianoDisneygal10]

Would it? Parents tell their kids about real dangerous things all the time, and kids still do whatever they want all the time.

[@chandlerwright5460]

Or, hear me out…. Ariel could ask her father to help, taking her and melody down to Atlantica, because while he might be busy, I have ZERO doubts he’d put everything aside to go spend time with his youngest daughter and granddaughter if they asked him, he’d love that

[@yogalover2753]

To be honest Ariel's beginning does have a few good qualities such as showing us why Triton hated humans and it kept Ariel in character so I'd say it's an ok film.

[@Anime_theatre_lover]

Melody and Ariel’s relationship kind of reminds me of some other teen parent relationships I’ve seen in animated movies. Such as Simba and Kiara and Manny and Peaches

[@ninjanibba4259]

The strong willed responsible parent that messed up growing up vs the rebellious child that wants the same thing the parents wanted but somehow comes off worse cuz they can't think 2 seconds?

[@arbytv5139]

If there is at least one good thing about this movie, it’s Tara Strong‘s performance as Melody. Sure the characters Aren’t top notch in this film, but at least the voice actors did do the best job they could.

[@danielgudinojuarez6729]

Honestly with Tara Strong's current status, she sure isn't the same admire as before. Her actions now are the worst

[@arbytv5139]

AniMat: “10:14 - 10:26” Yakko Warner: “Goodnight everybody!”

[@missspark4652]

That's a lot funnier considering Rob Paulson voices Eric in the 2nd film

[@arbytv5139]

@@missspark4652 Excellent observation 👍

[@jamesheatherly4209]

This sequel getting Animat’s Seal of Garbage was something that we could all sea coming. A little Mermaid sequel is something that’s a tridont.

[@Tokuman100]

Patrick Star: Boo!

[@nickdorenkamp959]

These fishy puns smell better than this movie.

[@ogrynmod1765]

I hate you Xd

[@jamesheatherly4209]

@@ogrynmod1765 why?

[@vanellope681]

Lol

[@Zacman1123]

It's official: I'm one of the few people that love this movie.

[@Nintendofan781]

makes two of us. I liked it growing up didn't mind it as an adult lol

[@Zacman1123]

@@Nintendofan781 that makes me feel better.

[@oskarbergkvist3880]

@@Nintendofan781 Makes three of us.

[@kimberlybogert7031]

I like it a bit as a kid too^^ and just seeing clips again kinda made me Nostgical in a way so yeah:3 I even had it on vhs tape once..it's lost now tho:')

[@maggie_knolastname]

I personally loved it

[@zackrules4797]

This movie could've been so much better if it was about Ariel and her daughter, Melody returning to the sea where she could learn and find out about her mother's mermaid heritage from Atlantica, as well as Melody finding out on what she really is and which world she is better belongs in between land and sea.

[@ninjanibba4259]

That's what I thought I was getting too....

[@arbytv5139]

The line, “Ursula’s crazy sister“ is used 5 times in this video. Including, 2:42, 10:47, 11:32, 11:37, 18:54

[@jonnyboy4289]

AT least it's a funny line. XD

[@gamestation2690]

As opposed to Ursula's perfectly sane sister?

[@McCraeTheMediaLover]

At least this was one of a few funny moments in this movie. This should’ve become a meme RIP Samuel E. Wright(AKA Sebastian and Broadway’s Mufasa).

[@CaptainCJ97]

Lmao

[@xnavarro127isback4]

Next Classic Review: Ratatoing…. NOT! Just Kidding, it’s Pixar’s Ratatouille.

[@friepaign3828]

Or wait is Bolt

[@georgerobertson7010]

@@friepaign3828 not it isn’t

[@abnormand78]

Yay

[@friepaign3828]

@@georgerobertson7010 it is

[@samueljones3943]

Bolt takes place in America Ratatouille takes place in Via La France. So since Animat said that this movie takes place in Paris France it's Ratatouille. *no its ratatoing* just playing

[@danielparra6672]

I like the ideas with Melody and it has a right material to make a very interesting sequel to the Disney classic, but this is just the most wasted potential of a Disney Direct To Video sequel I have ever seen. What a shame

[@jamesmoyner7499]

Of course they had to change Ariel to have her be against Melody for things to go forward.

[@thomashuffman3237]

Both Little Mermaid follow-ups had wasted potential. Ariel’s Beginning had an entire opportunity to give us proper explanations as to why Triton hated humans, how Ariel became so fascinated by the human world, even giving an origin story to Ursula. But, nope. They decide to turn it into an underwater rip-off of Footloose.

[@thomashuffman3237]

@Will N That's a MUCH better explanation!!!

[@McCraeTheMediaLover]

Yeah,they made it to be a complete rehash of the original just for a buck. 💰

[@kristinahuchison2511]

I’d argue Pocahontas 2 and Hunchback 2 also were also the biggest disappointments for a Disney sequel: Quasi getting a boring girlfriend and Pocahontas straight up not ending up with John Smith but instead the dude she “married in reality” (despite Disney completely lied about who John Rolfe was in reality too) Honestly I found the Little Mermaid 2 one of the better sequels, though I’m not a massive fan of the original movie. I just found Melody to be a lot more relatable than Ariel and found her spunky yet curious personality so adorable. Really the ONLY part I hated was Eric not becoming a merman to help look for her, but also Tip and Dash are a blatant ripoff of Timon and Puumba and are pretty annoying

[@pinkduskstone1543]

Melody's arc isn't just an inverted copy of her mom's. Melody's conflict comes from her unique status as someone of mixed races, being a cross between a merperson and a human. Unlike her mom, she does not make the full transition from a life on land to a life in the sea. Melody's lesson is that she doesn't need to change herself to get people to like her (Ariel gets her own lesson about not hiding the truth from loved ones). Although she befriends the merboy Alex, romance isn't Melody's primary, secondary, or even tertiary goal. All of this isn't spelled out (not that it has to be), but it does add more depth to Melody's character and story. Plus, who can really knock Tara Strong's performance in one of her favorite roles of her career?

[@arbytv5139]

I thought Toot from Drawn Together was her favorite role

[@vetarlittorf1807]

Why is this comment not rated higher?

[@Nasser851000]

I guess this is one world Animat doesn't want to be a part of XD

[@arbytv5139]

I don’t blame him either

[@saphirawinters7028]

I actually liked this movie growing up. It instilled the love of the sea and to become a mermaid in me. Plus I ADORE Melody's Locket (I even got a locket a similar version).

[@megakoopa-pokemonandmore6152]

Bruh, compared to Ariel in the first film, she’s pretty hypocritical for her behavior towards Melody. But the part that makes it worse is that Ariel is from the sea and her friends and family live in the sea and with Morgana being almost a non threat, there’s almost no danger in the sea. Unless we want to bring real life things into this

[@MrTimshellscherber]

I blame Michael Eisner.

[@BigLightning4360]

Another animation masterpiece from Brad Bird! That is going to be "TOTALLY WICKED"!

[@Starwarsfanboy0928]

Schafrillas is going to be excited about this one.

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

But we are still wating

[@DocZFlux]

I’m kinda surprised that they didn’t straight up bring Ursula back a la Return of Jafar. I mean, it’s the same voice actress after all!

[@cintronproductions9430]

Well, Jafar could come back because he was trapped inside the lamp, so he was technically still alive. But Ursula was stabbed, struck by lighting AND she exploded into tiny bloody pieces, there's nothing left of her for her to come back. The only way to bring back Ursula is via dark magic or drawing a pentagram and sacrificing a goat, and I doubt any of the characters in the movie would even think of doing this. XD

[@mauriciogarcia4795]

@@cintronproductions9430 Dark magic? I'll get Xehanort.

[@thomashuffman3237]

Yeah. After all, they were able to bring Scar back for season 2 and part of season 3 of the Lion guard.

[@DocZFlux]

@@thomashuffman3237 Wait, WHAT?! I’ve never seen that show. I wanna say “why?”, but I’m someone who actually liked seeing Palpatine in Rise, so I’m not in a position to judge in that instance.

[@thomashuffman3237]

@@DocZFlux here's a clip of Scar in the lion guard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3O1l5h5rZ2Hfbc

[@SpacialRend7]

Sometimes I forget that Undertow is also Mr. Krabs (aka Clancy Brown).

[@arbytv5139]

He sounds like a, (for lack of a better term), less salty version of Mr. Krabs.

[@mauriciogarcia4795]

@@arbytv5139 Having Mr. Krubby Krabby and Sebastian in the same movie. That's great. Lol

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

and Neo Cortex in the first few Crash Bandicoot games.

[@mauriciogarcia4795]

@@BlazeHeartPanther Don't forget the mighty Uka Uka.

[@DrawntoHelluva]

Running gag: Whenever Animat mentions Morgana as Ursula’s crazy sister, he uses Sebastian’s line in audio

[@GabyGeorge1996]

I really can’t bring myself to hate this movie, mostly because I grew up watching it a lot (and because I found the first movie to be too scary as a child). For what it’s worth, Tara Strong has gone on record to say that Melody is her favorite role she’s voiced in anything ever (mostly because, I suspect, she got to work with Jodi Benson). This film does have its own fair share of problems, however, and I will freely admit that. On the other hand, I absolutely adore Melody and related to her a lot growing up

[@orangeslash1667]

The problem is that fairytale movies are not meant to have sequels. Cinderella 3 does not count because it uses time travel.

[@GabyGeorge1996]

@@orangeslash1667 whatever. That’s just your opinion. Sometimes people want to see what the “after” in “happily ever after” is like

[@orangeslash1667]

@@GabyGeorge1996 The goods news is that Melody is pretty much the prototype for Twilight Sparkle from Ponys, so I call this film a win. It also helps that Tara sings in this movie unlike Ponys were she's not allowed to sing at all.

[@wilsonduda1568]

I'm a Melody fan, someday Disney junior will make a sequel tv series of the little mermaid starring Melody

[@moxxiedemongamer3019]

this movie just feels like a Lazy Re-Hash from the original Little Mermaid and it was predictable and Stupid

[@hannaautisticbananas8283]

I remember watching this movie when I was 6 years old

[@mousesnow3900]

I loved this movie when I was little. The only thing I hated was the seal and penguin. Even as a kid I found them really annoying. I had a huge crush on Melody, though- I loved this movie so much as a kid. I think I mainly like it still because of nostalgia smh

[@oliverpony]

I really wished a showed Melody hanging out with other mermkids and them showing her what Atlantica is like and her making friends with them

[@leonheart27adamwright67]

A nice little tribute to Samuel E Wright, the voice of Sebastian, who recently passed away a while ago.

[@ryanward3940]

And he voiced Kron from Disney’s Dinosaur

[@starjewell5445]

The problem is that no one cares about the children of the original characters. We want more of the characters we love.

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

I like the song "For a Moment" (It's catchy and relatable) and the part when Melody ran away from home.

[@themisfitowl2595]

I think in Melody's case she more "rowed" away from home. 😁😁

[@maxmantell5009]

RIP Samuel E. Wright You should’ve done a tribute to him before this

[@cintronproductions9430]

Wait, Melody's friends are a walrus and what seems to be a cartoony emperor penguin, judging by the yellow on his chest. But walruses live in the Arctic while emperor penguins live in the Antarctic... Disney! Did you even do your homework!? They can't see each other in the wild!

[@c0mpu73rguy]

The first movie had a tropical underwater world near Denmark.

[@hunterolaughlin]

Nope. That was DisneyToon Studios. Apparently the writers didn’t do as much homework for this film as the animators and writers did for the original classic from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

[@c0mpu73rguy]

@Will N Weren’t Beast and Snow White castles supposed to be in Germany? I mean Beast’s is even based on the Neuschwanstein.

[@simonj3413]

And we also see narwhals and harp seals in the same area…

[@MTTT19]

Not one of their best movies but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have a slight soft spot for it. Maybe it’s because I am such a big fan of Tara Strong and Clancy Brown.

[@CaptainCat101]

I'm surprised you reviewed this after the third one. Eh, whatever, the Little Mermaid is still my favorite Disney Princess movie.

[@Zinervawyrm]

Ariel Becomes Her Father, The Movie, is what this movie is, and why it rubbed me the wrong way as a kid. But looking back at it, there is another problem, either a glaring one or a very implied dark one. So, everyone in the kingdom clearly knows that Eric married a mermaid and had a half-breed with her, yet, because of "Ursula's crazy sister!" Not only do Eric and Ariel build a sea wall to try to keep Melody in, but no one in the royal court, or even the guests at Melody's birthday party gossiped about this fact, or was like, "What's it like being a mermaid?" Nor has Melody ever overheard such gossip in her nearly 13 years of life? Did her parents make it illegal for the citizens to even mention it? And if so, the fact Melody doesn't find out until "Ursula's crazy sister!" gives her the answers; yeah, sound like Eric and Ariel are running a police state all of a sudden, doesn't it?

[@alexismartinez8343]

❤💖 To be honest, I remembered watching this as a little kid in my nostalgic childhood when me and my parents used to go to the beach ⛱ a lot and going to the aquarium in my elementary school field trips back in the good old days and I was quite interested and optimistic about marine aquatic life and before watching the first film and I did have a crush on Melody at one time and she was once my childhood crush and she is a pretty, bubbly, fun-loving, cute girl 👧🏻 I really wished wanted to hanged out a cute girl like her one day and Melody did remind me a lot of a girl 👧🏻 that I once have a crush on back in elementary school and plus seeing the film in the trailers on different Disney VHS trailers. There are good parts of the film that I enjoyed 😉 like the animation, the score and the voice acting is decent at best. Yeah, re watching this film hasn't aged very well but it's sort of a guilty pleasure of mine. Not truly my favorite and heck there are far worse animated sequels that are worse than this and I would rather watch The Little Mermaid 2 Return to the Sea than any worse DreamWorks, Sony, the Swan Princess, Alpha and Omega, Norm of the North animated sequel any day soon! 🧜🏻‍♀️ 👧🏻 😃😀😄😁😊😉 👍🏻 💖❤

[@jamesmoyner7499]

Next time is the very underrated, but spectacular Ratatouille!

[@friepaign3828]

You mean Bolt

[@arbytv5139]

Underrated? I don’t think so. A Bug’s Life is underrated.

[@alexashbourne6496]

@@friepaign3828 He said Ratatouille, not Bolt.

[@disneyfan8719]

Regarding your statement in 16:11-16:21, I can actually relate to that nowadays the more I think about it since I'M a FROZEN superfan who thinks Frozen II is as important as the first. So with that, I too say more power to em!

[@angstaboyproductions5700]

Same here

[@disneyfan8719]

But with that said, one problem I have with the animation other than being a downgrade to it's characters is that sometimes the characters don't look as expressive as they should. But yeah, to put it short, keep this film the heck away from me! Lol

[@nightinggale5881]

You know, Ursula's 'Crazy sister' was actually going to have a song?!

[@belleroseelizabethsmith8148]

I still find it funny that Ariel was the only Disney princess to have a child in a sequel. Ps this was my favorite sequel beside toy story 2 and trolls world tour

[@belleroseelizabethsmith8148]

@Will N right

[@Tozzywozzy01]

Pretty much every reviewer for this film: "It's pretty much the original in reverse." Me: "It's the original in reverse AND pretty much the same plot as 'Lady And The Tramp II'

[@thomashuffman3237]

Well, Lady and the Tramp 2 at least TRIED! This was just a big half assed mess that clearly nobody put any thought or effort into.

[@sllawson6]

I miss the early 2000s, ironically I was at Disney World when this movie was released and even watched it over there ! That was Fall 2000, correct ?

[@Toonrick12]

Next up: The first Pixar Movie made entirely under Disney's ownership.

[@DanielGarcia-rn3ql]

What movie is it are you talking about

[@arbytv5139]

@@DanielGarcia-rn3ql Ratatouille

[@Joshua_Quinzel_Isley]

I'd rather be a part of Ariel's world than Melody's. Plus "Ursula's crazy sister" LOL & Animat: 10:14 - 10:26 Yakko Warner: Ugh, The stuff they're getting away with on kid's shows these days.

[@thefilmwatcher1216]

This movie isn't terrible, it's just really, really predictable and stupid.

[@LoudHouseCritic2018]

WELL SAID!!!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@thefilmwatcher1216]

@@LoudHouseCritic2018 Thanks.

[@jamesriemer6160]

It's ok I enjoy it

[@14mespider9]

The movies plot is kind of stupid, but I like the main character Melody and the songs are a bit enjoyable just not spectacular. It's one of those guilty pleasure movies.

[@jamesriemer6160]

@@14mespider9 it's a fun guilty pleasure

[@SegaNintendoGuy64]

R.I.P Samuel E. Wright & Stephen Furst.

[@SegaNintendoGuy64]

@Ryan Ward I am aware of that, He's also fanboy from Freakazoid.

[@pinkduskstone1543]

Also, Buddy Hackett (Scuttle), Kenneth Mars (King Triton), and Rene Auberjonois (Chef Louis).

[@SegaNintendoGuy64]

I only go by the characters I remember the most that Stephen Furst voiced Like Fanboy and Booster.

[@richardhibbard1066]

I'm so with you on this subject! I was always disappointed of how this sequel turned out as a kid. Most of the parts were unsatisfying and it was sloppily written, and rushed too as a matter of fact. Not to mention that on the back of the DVD cover has a picture of Ariel and Melody spending time together underwater as mermaids, although it didn't happen in the actual film, which I consider false advertising, but by god, the writers were under an evil spell when they wrote this. There's just so many things that bother me about this sequel, mostly the infamous scene where Ariel tells off Melody and refuses to answer her question about Atlantica, despite the fact that Ariel used to be a mermaid herself when she was younger. I feel like there's a lot in this sequel that needs to be rewritten, and I also felt like we never got to see Ariel and Melody spend time together as mermaids. I didn't want Melody to listen to Morgana since we're not supposed to trust villains to grant our wishes, and we're not supposed to take orders from them either. I just wish there was something to prevent the whole catastrophe from happening after Ariel and Melody's argument, like Ariel having a nightmare after that argument she had with Melody, and Ariel telling Melody the truth, like she should have. Here's how I think it would prevent the whole catastrophe from happening. After the events of the party and Ariel's scolding to Melody, what happens next is that Ariel is having a nightmare about her sisters denouncing her for lying to Melody and forbidding her from Atlantica and the sea forever, and takes custody over Melody as their niece, and then Nightmare Morgana arrives to tie Ariel up with her tentacles and then she mocks Ariel for being a hypocrite regarding being overprotective and forbidding her daughter from visiting the Ocean when she complained about King Triton doing the exact same thing with her regarding the surface, then Nightmare Morgana morphs into Giant Ursula, who amusingly points out how the royal family of Atlantica always seems to make the same mistakes of forbidding their children from following their dreams, destroying their family bonds in the process, and ending up pushing their children right into a sea witch's tentacles, and then with Nightmare Ursula cackling her iconic laugh, she says "So much for Happily Ever After!" then kills Ariel with the trident, just like what the real Ursula almost did in the first film, then it's all over when Ariel wakes up from her nightmare, then Eric wakes up too and asks Ariel if she's alright, but Ariel replies no and tells him that she had a terrible nightmare about her sisters denouncing her and Ursula returning to kill her, and feels ashamed for not telling Melody the truth earlier and not protecting her from the humiliation at the party. So it's up to Ariel to apologize to Melody and tell her the truth before it's too late. As Ariel leaves the castle to look for Melody, Sabastian catches up with her and informs her that Melody is sailing away from the castle to go far out at sea, and it wasn't long before Ariel sees Melody preparing to sail away from her, and, so she yells for her to come back, but Melody angrily replies "You won't answer my question, so I'm just gonna leave you and find out for myself!", but Ariel wouldn't give up her chance to tell Melody the truth, and so she once again tells Melody to come back, but Melody is still angry and so she yells "Go away!" (which is a similarity to how Buzz Lightyear told Woody to go away in the first "Toy Story" movie during the scene where they're lost in the Dinoco gas station), but Ariel still wouldn't give up, and so she once again told her to come back, but Melody angrily replies "You're so unfair to me! I wish you weren't my mother!", which hurts Ariel's feelings and causes her run away crying, which pleases Morgana as she tells Melody to keep sailing to her, although she's far away from her. Back at the shore, Sebastian swims up to Melody and scolds her for hurting her mother's feelings. Melody tries to explain to Sebastian that her mother Ariel lied to her and wouldn't answer her question about Atlantica, but Sebastian demands Melody to apologize to Ariel, but Melody refuses and explains that Ariel should've apologized to her, and Sebastian acknowledges that's what Ariel was trying to tell her before her feelings were hurt. It wasn't long before Melody realizes what she said to Ariel and feels ashamed for hurting her mother's feelings, and so she immediately turns around and sails back to the shore, which angers Morgana as her plan to lure Melody has foiled and so she vows revenge for later in the film. Back at the shore, Melody hops off the sailboat and slowly walks to her crying mother and asks her if she's okay, and Ariel sadly replies "no", then Melody tries to apologize, but Ariel owns up for herself and claims that it was actually her own fault and apologizes to Melody for lying and not answering her question about the necklace earlier and tearfully asks for forgiveness. After all that hard thinking, Melody happily forgives her mother Ariel and cheers her up with a song called "I Remember", which made Ariel remember her former mother, Queen Athena (who sadly got crushed to death by a moving pirate ship in "Ariel's Beginning"), and soon enough, Ariel felt a lot better and a lot happier after being forgiven by her daughter, and finally, Ariel takes Melody back to her bedroom and tells her the truth about her past as a mermaid by reading her a storybook about it as a bedtime story. After that, as Ariel was tucking Melody in her bed, Melody apologizes to her for trying to run away from home, and Ariel happily forgives her. During the heart-to-heart chat right before bed, Melody starts to feel left out from the sea, and wishes she could become a mermaid, like her mother was. Ariel cheers up Melody and tells her that she'll have King Triton transform them into mermaids the next day, which made Melody feel just a bit better, and so she thanks Ariel for granting her wish, then Ariel sings a reprise of "Down to the Sea" (in a toned-down, tear-jerking and heartwarming way, which is a similarity to the reprise of "As Long as There's Christmas" from "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas") at the end of the song, Melody peacefully went to sleep as Ariel tucks her in and gives her a mother's goodnight kiss before leaving the bedroom. Also, if somebody was to transform Melody into a mermaid, then it needs to be King Triton, not Morgana, that way we'll get to see Melody spending time with her mother Ariel under the sea as mermaids, like we always wanted. One thing though, why did Morgana even bother to go to all the trouble of manipulating Melody into stealing the trident when she could have just stole it herself in the first place?

[@animationnerd2748]

Next up Animat is heading to Paris,France to talk about Brad Bird’s Second Pixar Movie which is also one of the most Beloved Animated Films of the 2000s

[@nickdorenkamp959]

Also known as Pixar's first movie set entirely in foreign location with humans (sorry Cars 2 never happened.That was just another Mater Tall Tale.) This would be followed by Brave in 2012, Coco in 2017, and most recently Luca.

[@chrisguara]

Now comes the question: Did Pixar made one of their finest dishes? Or a rat infestation is not the movie's biggest problem?

[@Phillybags]

I remember liking it when I was younger. I just rewatched it and realized the plot wonky. Especially how Melody stole the trident, and gave it to Morgan’s over her own Mother.

[@celebrityguest.9530]

you see i get what you're saying about not understanding melody's motivations but personally i understand her completely. like okay to be fair i speak of this being mixed race and not having had much connection to/understanding of my native family growing up (thanks to some of the..cute..depictions i got to grow up on) but like i always understood where melody was coming from. she grew up only knowing one part of her family and something was always missing, the ocean was half her family's home and she never had the privilege to grow up there so she just didn't get to have touch with that culture, that world even, so like it's no wonder she'd long to be there!! this might be a very bold thing of me to say but for the movie's pitfalls i have to say, i understood melody's motivations so much more than i ever understood ariel's. she's not looking for some thing outside of her. she's looking for something that's always been within her that she never got to have.

[@potrelviewer9536]

_ Morgana: "Even lOoOnger if you'd like..." _ Nogla: "How do I make it longer?" _ John Oliver: "About YAY Big!!"

[@dansiciliano4506]

Two words for my take on this movie: IT SUCKS!! Four words for my take on the next review: I can hardly wait!!:)

[@Nasser851000]

♫ Under the sea...this sequel screams money! ♫

[@MrTimshellscherber]

I blame Michael Eisner.

[@arbytv5139]

1:13 Okay, I can’t blame you for that.

[@GuardianGrarl]

You know... i've already killed my argument twice by using "you" & "i" on the internet, but in my book TLM II is a sequel that deserves praise. Its not a marvel of animation or music/songs but watching it again is far from a waste of time and it has a lot of things to enjoy. The look on Erik's face alone when Ariel turns into a mermaid again is enough !!

[@siobhonc]

Finally someone with some sense. It's actually a great movie compared to the garbage live action remake

[@GuardianGrarl]

@@siobhonc Opened your reply with praising and you just had to ride the live action remake hate wagon... "sigh" God damn it.

[@siobhonc]

@@GuardianGrarl Of course. At least in The Little Mermaid II Ariel still looked like Ariel. And I'm not riding any wagon. Just saying what I think.

[@GuardianGrarl]

@@siobhonc Well cool, say what you think, you have every right to do so. But unless Ariel in the live action remake looked like Chef Louis, she was still Ariel, acted like Ariel and sang/spoke like Ariel. And having a problem with Bailey looking different is at this point just stupid.

[@siobhonc]

@@GuardianGrarl I don't think it's stupid to want the live action remake to be true to the original animation because Ariel's character has been established for 30 years. But it's also more than that - it's Disney's agenda behind the race swapping that I have a problem with. You think they would replace Black Panther with a White guy? Why are established white/red headed characters being black washed but it's not acceptable if it's done the other way around? And what is with all the forced feminism changes in the movie? I"m female and personally hate it. But we're both entitled to our opinion and it's ok to disagree.

[@starfish44fairygirl42]

I love Melody's character and like the story being in reverse, even if it's lazy (because it makes me relate to Melody by her wanting to go to the sea) but hate how poorly executed it is and the songs are terrible. It's also boring to watch unlike other Disney films. In away though I dissgree with Melody having a lesser reason to want to be a mermaid, because Melody was meant to be born a mermaid as she has mermaid blood, but Ariel on the other hand wasn't born a human, Melody is a mermaid in human form so was meant to be apart of that world.

[@FunFilmFare]

The only thing this sequel did better is its message for children. Unlike her mom changing herself just for a guy she knew for only 3 days--Melody learns to accept herself just as she is (and even uses that to help everyone in the end).

[@AA-yc9dq]

She wanted to be human before she met Eric tho

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@AA-yc9dq Yes, but Ariel still left her family and friends for a guy whose name is literally three letters away from the word “generic”. Unless Ariel was able to find friends on land, it’s kind of sad that she spends all of her days with her husband Eric, and no one else. All of that sounds tantamount to an unhealthy abusive relationship: *complete isolation from your family and friends; being forced to drastically change your body to please your partner; being forced to remain silent and therefore not express your thoughts and feelings to your partner; and not being allowed to go outside the house (of course, staying home due to a plague doesn’t count, but you know what I mean!).* Even if Ariel wanted to be human, she wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for her love of Prince Eric, much like how the mermaid in the fairy tale couldn’t get her immortal soul unless the prince loved her in return.

[@shayla106]

@@beethovensfidelio No, she didn’t stop projecting. She’s been wanting to explore the human world, her father destroying her human treasures is what pushed her over the edge.

[@beethovensfidelio]

@@shayla106 Where did I say she was projecting?

[@matthewn1566]

At least the original voices returned. There's somerhing.

[@pinkduskstone1543]

Except for Eric and Flounder. Rob Paulsen and Cam Clarke take over for Christopher Daniel Barnes and Jason Marin respectively. Paulsen also replaces Jeff Bennett as Eric from the TV series.

[@hunterolaughlin]

@@pinkduskstone1543 Ironic considering Christopher Daniel Barnes also did voice work on TV. He frigging voiced Spider-Man in the 1994 animated series.

[@autumbreeze1129]

@@pinkduskstone1543 wait. Since when does Eric appear in the TV show? I know I haven't watched the series in over 20 years, but, if Eric appears in the series, how in the world did I miss THAT?

[@nicholasczech6973]

I thought this was a good sequel for Disney’s famous Little Mermaid.

[@friepaign3828]

Me too

[@Leaqua21]

Same, I think my nostalgia played tricks on me...

[@14mespider9]

Same here. Even though this movie has it's flaws it was still enjoyable to watch.

[@mollymcmurtrie8037]

Actually Ariel always wanted to do this ever since she was a little girl she always dreamed and wanted to do this and wanted to learn

[@samuelquan3826]

I wouldn't go far to say that this is a bad direct video sequel. It's one of those movies that it's a coin toss either you like it or you don't

[@CaptainMohando]

Instead of review the movie I'll review the main characters Melody: Personally: 9/10 Design: 9.5/10 Voice acting 9/10 The characters herself: 9/10 I even think Melody is better then Ariel.

[@jacobbelow4136]

That wall that Ariel has built to keep Melody out of the sea is easily the most illogical thing about this movie. I mean, you really wouldn't want to tell your daughter about her heritage or that she was about to be eaten by a shark, so that she might grow to be wary of strangers of recognize a threat when she sees one? But okay, let's assume that keeping it all a secret IS the best option for a minute...why not just take Melody and move inland so that it would be harder for her to sneak out to sea? I mean it would make for less problems with the fishing business...then again, with Ariel being a queen now, maybe she outlawed the consumption of sea creatures...Ugh, I fell into the trap of thinking about this sequel too much; I mean, the writers apparently didn't put much care into this, so why should I? I mean, say what you will about Anna's and Elsa's parents, they at least left Arandelle to look for an answer to Elsa's powers, and it's not like they could just move their whole family away and leave their kingdom without a ruler.

[@pinkduskstone1543]

The wall represents that Ariel is preventing Melody from being herself. Melody's conflict stems from her hang-ups as a mixed-race species. At the end of the movie, she's the one to tear down the wall, representing the reunion of humans and merpeople.

[@tatarsauce6314]

Something I never thought of was that since Melody pretty much did the same shit Ariel did in the original. What does that say about Ariel and Eric as parents? You’d think Ariel would do everything to prevent exactly what happens and Melody literally drowns which Ariel never experienced. I dunno, some good shit could’ve came out of it, oh well.

[@starrsmith3810]

The only good thing about this movie is the animation and Melody….that is literally it

[@erichfiedler1481]

Oof, this is a tough one to sit through, let's hope you're next review of a Disney Direct-To-Video sequel is the beloved Lion King II: Simba's Pride. Until then, the next classic review is gonna have us cooking in the kitchen, with a little chef named Remy

[@CreativeCreatorCreates]

So I saw the o.g. In the theater in ...what 89? It was magical. Usually sequels aren’t strong enough to stand on their own.

[@seancollins7447]

When I heard Paris and the phrase anyone can cook, I knew your next classic review is going to be Ratatouille and long overdue as well.

[@WreckInSilenceRecords]

"Take off her seashells and go down where it's wetter with some guy she saw" why does that so sound so explicit? lol.

[@diegobareno5820]

With a the Little Mermaid tv series and prequel, is it so hard to think of anything further that could be done than just going back to before the first movie?

[@greshaminc156]

Yeah, I barely remember the Little Mermaid 2 since it’s just a cheap forgettable sequel to a Disney masterpiece. The original little mermaid is much better. Also it’s finally time to cook some ratatouille!!

[@rowdy8683]

No disrespect to Tara Strong, she truly Is a great actress but I think she still did a decent job as Melody and don't want any hate thinking we hate her for this one since he does have other worst roles she regrets doing or was jsut paid to like normal but yeah this truly was just a minor rehash of the 1st movie while also ripping off other Disney Characters like for Timon and Pumbba with the penguin and walrus duo. We're surprised Melody herself never made any future appearances outside of his movie not even In Descendant all grown up or other projects similar to The Lion Guard.

[@admech590]

I heard Tara strong loved this role... But hey, at least she enjoyed her time

[@hunterolaughlin]

It appears that Tara Strong and Pat Carroll are the only ones having fun with their roles despite the material they’re working with.

[@rowdy8683]

@@admech590 Our human friend "Joey" he loved Melody alot as a kid but didn't like to be laughed at for liking her. He even met her and Tara was pleased to hear that he loved her character portrayal of Melody.

[@untitledjunk03]

FINALLY! You’re doing another Brad Bird film, Ratatouille!

[@thomashuffman3237]

Dude, this is a CLASSIC compared to Ariel’s Beginning!

[@14mespider9]

Exactly! I would rather watch this movie than Ariel's Beginning!

[@thomashuffman3237]

@@14mespider9 yeah. This movie just bored me. Ariel's Beginning full on pissed me off.

[@14mespider9]

@@thomashuffman3237 Same here. With Return of the Sea I liked the songs and the main character and the villain. With Ariel's Beginning the only things I liked were the animation and Ariel's Sisters. They should have had more scenes.

[@thomashuffman3237]

@@14mespider9 Oh, and Triton could have been WAY more likable, and Flounder should have been closer to his original personality. And, the villain should have been Ursula. But, Triton was the biggest problem. IMO, Ariel's Beginning should have been called The Little Mermaid: The Jerkass Triton movie.

[@14mespider9]

@@thomashuffman3237 LOL Right. Also, what would you have done to make the movie better?

[@RPGFlare64]

2:42 Ursula’s crazy sister!! LOL

[@brianlevine871]

I haven't seen much of this movie in years outside of Bobsheaux's review (and now this one). I remember liking Ariel/Eric and Flounder becoming parents, having most of the original voice actors return, and the respective performances of Tara Strong and Clancy Brown as Melody and the shark. As for the animation, it's a real hit and miss deal nowadays. Some of it has nice fluent movements, but other times it looks very stiff, like the characters would randomly pause for a moment. It's kind of jarring seeing such inconsistent movements in the characters. Now with that little rant out of the way, I'm sure Remy's cooking will perk things up next time.

[@kunlesanders]

If Morgana never attacked Melody and Ariel's family in the first place, none of this would have ever happened.

[@montyheisenberg36]

If the sequel was different, I would’ve had it be about Ariel and the gang journey to hunt down Ursula (who survived and had a bulk of her fat trimmed), melody begins to like it down with the ocean, since it gives her a more free spirit

[@angelofmusic1992]

I know this movie is a piece of crap, but it's still a guilty pleasure for me. I'm totally nostalgic for it and I remember feeling that Melody wanting to leave the human world and be a mermaid was a lot more relatable than Ariel wanting the opposite. Who wouldn't want to be a mermaid? XD

[@thatweirdgirlinthecorner3073]

I use to watch this movie on VHS like a thousand times when I was a kid.

[@arbytv5139]

Now that you’ve reviewed all the sequels of it, I can’t wait to see your review of the original little mermaid.

[@friepaign3828]

Will he give it the seal of garbage or approval?

[@arbytv5139]

@@friepaign3828 maybe, we’ll have to wait and see

[@cintronproductions9430]

Maybe, if he reviews the original, he can mention how people hate Ariel nowadays for, in their words, "abandoning her family and kingdom over a guy she just met", and he can point out that this is stupid and that Ariel actually wanted to go to the surface because she was fascinated by it, and she already wanted to go before meeting Eric, who made her even more fascinated, and her father destroying her treasures was the last straw that motivated her to go to Ursula, it wasn't Eric. Jeez, poor Ariel is hated as much as Mabel Pines, and for an even stupider reason. Ok, Mabel is kinda selfish but she's still a great and lovable character, Dipper and Grunkle Stan can be selfish too but nobody bats an eye about it, but when Mabel is selfish the fans treat her like garbage? What? And people hate Ariel because they claim she left her family for a guy even tho, like I just explained, she didn't? WHAT!? People, please stop hating Ariel and Mabel, they need a hug!

[@friepaign3828]

@@cintronproductions9430 but what if he hates it for that reason?

[@jonnyboy4289]

@@friepaign3828 I don't know. But, I have a bad feeling that people are going to love the live action remake more than the original because of that reason. Once people love the live action remake more than the original, the original is going be wiped out, erased, forgotten, history. In other words, when the remake becomes a success and people love it more than the original, the original is going to be replaced by the remake.

[@chellastation]

The Little Mermaid sequel is more like a guilty pleasure for me. The only Disney sequel I really liked was Simba's pride.

[@14mespider9]

I agree. Also. what about Cinderella 3?

[@chellastation]

@@14mespider9 OMG Cinderella 3 was really good. Thank you.

[@14mespider9]

@@chellastation No problem.

[@forestgrump4723]

I was actually pretty impressed by this film, the amount of care they put in was definitely more than most disney sequels get. Tip and Dash can go die on a hole, but everything that didn't involve them was fun. The original is better because of course it is, but for a straight to video film this was well done IMO.

[@the-nina-beans88]

Well what we could do to kinda fix the plot. For example split the character Morgana in to 2 separate characters. The crazy side actually being Ursula’s mother who mad that her favorite daughter was killed. And Morgana is the sibling raised to be Ursula’s replacement and it criticized by the mother. ( and Morgana could be around 13 around the same age a. Melody.) Make they story more about being warey of any one from Ursula’s side of the family and have Melody be carefully watched in the ocean by Sebastian and flounder. … Melody sneaks off and ends up being friends with Morgana who was practicing her magic and Melody starts giving Morgana positive encouragement ( something villain refused to do and insted critize her) She accidentally uses her magic revealing her location to Sebastian and he alerts king triton who captures Morgana. Ariel and Eric are alerted of this and they have Melody stay in her room for safety Mean while Morgana is thrown into prison and is told told to reveal the location of her crazy mother .

[@jlev1028]

So Little Mermaid II is basically the animated equivalent of The Force Awakens? Figured as much.

[@kunlesanders]

*Melody:* (crying) I'm not "Rey". Please stop calling me that. That girl in the Star Wars "Sequel Trilogy" is a copycat and an imposter. And besides, she's not a Skywalker or neither a Jedi, she's was pretending to be one.

[@cerebralsamurai8382]

Tara Strong is really the only saving grace of this movie

[@remiremsar5946]

My God they had one job, they could have made it a simple adventure type of story, have Melody knowing everything from the beginning and making the desition to end it herself, have her tricking Morgana, have Morgana actually tricking her back, I don't know dude, make her act like she has the synopsis feature activated FFS.

[@thecupheadfan1837]

Story: 3/10 Animation: 8/10 Characters: 5/10 Overall: 5/10

[@e1iteyoshi998]

For a minute when you said "Paris" i honestly thought you were gonna review Rugrats in Paris.

[@themisfitowl2595]

Oof! Scathing review! I actually kinda liked this movie when I saw it, but then again, I identify very strongly with actually wanting to be a mermaid instead of a human so I never questioned Melody's motive to live in the sea. I did often question Ariel's motive to hide her merfolk heritage from her daughter. Like really? You couldn't tell Melody any more than "The sea is dangerous" and that's it? You don't suppose Melody might benefit from knowing that the sister of a sea witch you helped to kill now wants to kidnap her as revenge? I always felt that this movie worked on the principle of "History repeats itself" Ariel as a parent, ends up making the same mistakes her father made with her with similar results, and Melody ends up making the same bad deal that her mother made, again with similar results.

[@legodavid9260]

At the very least, I still prefer this movie over Ariel's Beginning. This one at least feels like it still adds something to the original movie, while Ariel's Beginning feels pretty much worthless.

[@kristinahuchison2511]

I’d say that one was a lot more interesting for world building and actually showing Ariel’s relationship with her sisters. In this one only like 3 of 6 actually appeared and it was only in the introduction song. Plus it did actually show why their mom wasn’t in the first movie and why Triton hated humans so much. Yeah its definitely not a perfect movie, but I really do enjoy a lot of seeing more of Atlantica and Ariel’s troubled relationship with her dad. With this one, there’s a lot more problems: Morgana is a skinny Ursula just less threatening, Eric only appears for like 7 minutes tops (no I am not joking) and lets Ariel make all the parenting decisions instead of having a more active role in his daughter’s life, again Ariel’s sisters don’t appear for the entire stinking movie, and the plot is basically a reverse of the original movie. Ariel had no reason to flat out forbid Melody from the sea (especially when her room is literally decorated in ocean themes) instead of just freaking telling her a dangerous sea creature is after her. I get as a little girl Melody wouldn’t completely understand, but as a tween surely she’d understand why the ocean is off limits until Morgana is captured. They really couldn’t do a Kiara situation where she’s constantly escorted outside the palace and she gets tired of being treated like a baby?

[@arbytv5139]

Rest in peace Samuel E. Wright

[@hunterolaughlin]

“URSULA’S CRAZY SISTER!!!” 😂 Sorry. Even if that line is cringe, Samuel E. Wright still manages to find a way to make it so funny and quotable. No wonder that quote’s become a meme.

[@arbytv5139]

@@hunterolaughlin It’s Okay. Besides, I kind of agree with you.