Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie Review

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is an adaptation of the beloved children’s classic. Based on the tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid is a more faithful adaptation of the original than the Disney animated musical. The Little Mermaid is both darker and more in tune with the original story by Hans Christian Andersen and this aspect makes it something that will stand out more to fans of the story.

Though The Little Mermaid anime adaptation has plenty in common with the Disney animated musical classic, there are some differences between the Disney version and the anime version. The anime film version is arguably superior to the Disney animated film in some respects. Produced by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball Z, Galaxy Express 999), Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid features theme music performed by Kumiko Ohsugi.

Executive produced by Chiaki Imada (Adieu Galaxy Express 999, Taro the Dragon Boy), The Little Mermaid is a charming classic and an essential anime gem. Featuring the voices of Fumie Kashiyama, Tarō Shigaki, Haruko Kitahama, Hidekatsu Shibata, Kazuko Sawada, Mariko Miyagi, Miyoko Asō, and Rihoko Yoshida. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is a must-see for fans of classic Japanese anime.

Marina (Fumie Kashiyama) is a young princess of the sea. As a princess of the undersea, Marina has a special role in her kingdom. Despite being a royal princess of the underwater kingdom, Marina often finds herself wondering about the world above the water and on land.

Marina spends time swimming about with her pal Fritz the Dolphin (Mariko Miyagi) and gathering treasures. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with a handsome young man who is a Prince (Tarō Shigaki) causes Marina to ponder about a romantic future. Could Marina find true love on the surface of the land? The romantic sparks fly.

However, Marina is limited to swimming in the ocean and can’t get her fin out of the water. Marina soon decides to make a bargain with the evil sea witch (Haruko Kitahama). The sea witch promises Marina her chance at true love with the handsome boy on land.

To get her wish, Marina must be willing to give up her beautiful voice. Not only must Marina give up her voice but if she is unable to attract the boy and make him fall in love with her without her voice she will fail at her mission and transform into ordinary foam – losing her entire body in the process and everything she held dear in the undersea kingdom.

The character exploration of Marina is something that makes this anime classic well worthwhile. The lead protagonist is a wonderful character for the series. The character has plenty of heart and great pathos.

The character designs by Reiko Okuyama (Attack on Tomorrow, Taro the Dragon Boy) are superb and add a lot to the production. Okuyama is a talented character designer. The designs feel perfect and certainly add a lot to the feature-film. The aesthetic style of the designs is classic and sophisticated.

The animation is one of the strengths of the production. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is an excellent production in terms of animation quality. The animation adds to the layers of the film and the design effort. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid features art direction by Mataji Urata (Horus - Prince of the Sun, Puss 'n Boots) and Mitsunari Makino (Umi no Triton, Mahou Shoujo Lalabel). The animation direction by Reiko Okuyama (Rainbow Sentai Robin, 30,000 Miles Under the Sea) is also terrific. The animation is one of the key strengths of the filmmaking and what makes it so special. There is so much wonder to the artistry and the animators brought something special to the table with this gem of an animated classic.

The score composed by Takekuni Hirayoshi is beautiful and serene. The score adds a sense of calm and whimsy to the production. The score adds to the classic storytelling quality. What superb music – the score adding so much charm and depth.

Written by Ikuko Oyabu (World's Famous Stories for Children: Thumb Princess) and Mieko Osanai, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is a beautifully told story. Oyabu is a gifted writer and the fun script has plenty of great elements to make the story arguably better told than the Disney classic. As someone who loves both versions (the Disney animated gem and the Japanese version) it is nice to recognize the great quality storytelling as inherit to the original fable while also seeing the unique interpretations of the scripting.

Directed by Tomoharu Katsumata (Saint Seiya, Cutie Honey), Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is an essential classic for fans of the tale. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid provides entertaining filmmaking, ambitious animation, and heartfelt storytelling. Director Katsumata is a gifted filmmaker with a keen understanding of the narrative and the production. Katsumata made the film exciting and engaging throughout. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is a must-see film – anime fans will cherish it.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, The Little Mermaid is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The high-definition video quality is exceptional on the release. Colors pop with considerable depth and detail. The film scan looks filmic and beautiful throughout the presentation. Background animation and line art look quite superb. Wonderful artistry by the animation team and so well preserved by Discotek Media.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English uncompressed PCM 2.0 and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is exceptional. Dialogue sounds crisp, clear, and well reproduced. The sound fidelity is excellent and there is much to appreciate about the fine detail in the audio presentation. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious issues with spelling or grammar.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes a gorgeous o-card slipcover. The beautiful slipcover has unique key artwork different from the artwork underneath the slipcover. The release essentially provides two key pieces of art (one for the slipcover and one for the under-sleeve artwork). The package design is excellent and adds to the collectability of the release.

On disc supplements include:

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:41)

English Trailer (HD, 1:37)

Clean Intro & Outro (SD, 6:11)

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Little Mermaid is an enormously charming and entertaining anime classic. The Japanese anime gem is a must-see. The filmmaking is superb and the classic style of artistry is something that makes the film essential. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high- definition video presentation and lossless audio. The release also includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover and some on-disc extras. Highly recommended.