The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 13, 2019

Disney has opened the vault to re-release the sensational 1989 animated Musical 'The Little Mermaid' to the UHD format. The presentation features new 2160p/HDR-encoded video, a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and a large assortment of extra content on the included Blu-ray. This release, as well as the companion 1080p Blu-ray, are part of Disney's "Signature Collection." This represents the second classic Disney animated title to release under the label and on the 4K format following 'The Lion King.'

King Triton’s (voiced by Kenneth Mars) daughters are performing in a concert put on by the undersea’s resident composer and conductor, Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright). At the performance, all of Triton’s girls show up, minus star Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson), the 16-year-old apple of her father’s eye. Rather than sing and dance for her father and her people, Ariel prefers a life of adventure, searching through sunken human ships and finding hidden human treasure, like a fork or a pipe. Her father fears her adventurous spirit. Humans, he believes, are a danger to her and the underwater kingdom. He forbids her from returning to the surface, an order she ignores. On her next trip up top, she comes across a human ship which she intimately explores and immediately falls in love with a dashing young man she learns is named Prince Eric (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes), who is searching for the right girl to call his wife. But when a hurricane ravages the ship and leaves Eric washed ashore with only a vague memory of a beautiful girl with an unforgettable voice rescuing him from the burning, breaking wreckage, he dedicates his life to finding her. Meanwhile, Triton’s anger only leads his daughter further astray, prompting her to make a deal with the evil undersea witch Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll) who takes the mermaid’s voice in exchange for transforming her into a human, leaving her unable to vocally prove to her prince that she is the girl he seeks. Ursula’s deal demands that Eric fall in love with Ariel in three days. If he does, Ariel will remain a human forever. If she fails, she will join Ursula’s “collection” of grotesque, subservient creatures. Either way marks the end of her relationship with her undersea family and friends. With time running short, Ariel's friends, including Sebastian, Flounder (voiced by Jason Marin), and Scuttle (voiced by Buddy Hackett), work feverishly to ensure Eric falls for the beautiful mute who is literally just finding her footing out of the sea.

For a comprehensive film review, please see Ken Brown's writing here. Note that the movie score above reflects my own.

The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Disney's previously released 1080p Blu-ray from 2013 was well received for its 2D image quality. The studio has improved upon a very good thing with this 2160p/HDR UHD presentation that does not necessarily see a major increase in sharpness to the original animation but does yield a substantial improvement to color depth and tonal solidification. The HDR color enhancement offers a strikingly rich palette, much more fruitful and full than the previous Blu-ray (and even the remastered Blu-ray), which in direct comparison appears much lighter, lacking the color nuance, impactful depth, and striking contrasting balances in play. Whether in dense and murky underwater areas or awash in bright sunlight up on the surface, the UHD picture reveals a nearly breathtaking color fortification that sets the tones not apart from the previous release -- this is not a revisionist color grading -- but rather brings out the best in every critical and minor shade in the film. Look at a scene in chapter five when Ariel talks with Scuddle up on the surface. There are three key colors in play: Ariel's red hair, the blue water, and Scuttle's feathery white body. Each one finds a level of color punch, depth, detail, and boldness that blows away the Blu-ray. Whites are crisper, reds are more dominant, and blues are deeper. The trade-off is that in some scenes, such as deep under the sea in the area where Ariel stores her assorted human trinkets, some colors lose a little distinction. Take a look at the 15:15 mark, one of the film's darkest scenes in that location. Two chests, a few books, a rope, and a scroll, among a few other items, appear on the frame's right-hand side. These are not difficult to see, but the Blu-ray's lighter color scheme allows the brown accents on the chests and rope to stand out more prominently, whereas on the UHD the brown demarcations are less prominent and take on the characteristics (though not entirely) of the dominant surrounding deep blues. The difference is minor and not bothersome, but it's worth noting. Generally, though, the increase in depth and intensity to everything from the film's title to bold yellow/orange sunsets near film's end are enormous.

As noted, there's little obvious improvement to textures, which is not necessarily an issue. Lines are crisp, definition is solid, and clarity is a highlight throughout the film; all of these are improvements over the Blu-ray. Lines enjoy more distinguishing definition and separation. Look at the shot when Ariel first sees her new feet in chapter 17 at the 46:16 mark. Pay special attention to the hair flopping in front of her face off to the left. The little angled edges that stick down are far less distinct on the Blu-ray; the UHD manages to bring out clearer, more perfectly defined textural nuances that in 2160p appear with greater distinction rather than take on a fairly crude shape as seen in 1080p. But these are generally minor upticks that, as important as they may be, cannot hold a candle to the impact HDR brings to the table. The image maintains a pleasing and complimentary grain structure for the duration, showing that there has seen little, if any, tampering from the original film transfer elements. The source appears pristine with no artifacts of note. The UHD shows no compression artifacts, either. Ultimately, beyond a few tightening textures, this one is all about the HDR and the end result is a breathtaking revival of a cherished Disney classic that compliments, not reinvents, the colorful source.

The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's Dolby Atmos soundtrack does not appear to suffer, severely, anyway, from the company's recent trend of limited range and lowered volume. On the contrary, this is a healthy, full-bodied track that is limited by some of the more inherently constrained sound elements but the overall presentation is quite solid. Listeners are almost immediately treated to an example of the track's positive qualities when a shark snaps at Ariel during her introductory scene, presenting with a hearty depth and detail that gives the scene the proper (albeit slightly comical) punch necessary for effect. Cracking thunder preceding a hurricane in chapter nine booms with impressive depth. The subsequent commotion on the seas and on ship's deck proves entertainingly immersive and detailed. The effects lack the loft that one might expect to hear; the top channels are not utilized to obviously discrete effect. On the contrary, the accompanying music feels a little more pronounced up top. Still, the scene, one of the most sonically prominent in the film, is rather fun and borderline spectacular, any top layer adds or misses notwithstanding. The finale offers a more robust engagement of the top end. Clarity just isn't quite there, but the sheer power of a booming Ursla voice, crashing waves, and big music help create a fairly frenzied sonic scene that is every bit the match, if not the better, of that storm scene from earlier in the film. The track creates agreeable lift to the highs when Ariel's voice calls out in near hypnotizing melody both when she loses it and when Ursula makes use of it to trick Eric, who is falling for the voiceless girl. Musical engagement is impressively wide and clear, boasting positive front end stretch and often modest, but well integrated, surround support details. Lyrical clarity and dialogue efficiency are both excellent. Minor reverb accompanies a few scenes as locations allow, but the spoken and sung word are both usually found in the natural front-center position.

The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Little Mermaid's Signature Collection UHD disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray and digital code contain many. Like the others in the series, this set contains some new extras and tinkers around the edges with the previous Diamond Edition's content, much of which is now digital only. In addition to the theatrical exhibition, a Sing-Along mode is also included (Blu-ray only, also available digitally). Below is a breakdown of what's included, what's new, what's missing, and where it canals be found. For coverage of the carryover content, please click here. This release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code and an embossed slipcover.

Supplements on the Blu-ray disc:

• NEW! Alan Menken and the Leading Ladies (1080p, 15:45): Broadway stars Jodi Benson (Ariel), Paige O'Hara (Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas' singing voice), Lillias White (Muse from Hercules), and Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel from Tangled) discuss their animated film collaborations with Alan Menken. Discussions cover acting styles, animating the characters based on the voice actors, and working with Menken and Howard Ashman on the films. This supplement also includes live performance excerpts from their most famous songs. Also available digitally.
• NEW! "What I Want From You Is...Your Voice" (1080p, 5:47): The voice actors who portrayed Sebastian, Scuttle, Urusla, and Ariel discuss their characters, rehearse their lines, and share their stories from working on the film. Also available digitally.
• NEW! Stories From Walt's Office: Gadgets and Gizmos (1080p, 6:01): This supplement takes viewers inside Walt Disney's office and explores his various collectibles -- mostly miniatures -- that people gave to him after discovering he collected them. It also explores some of the ones he made himself. Also available digitally.
• #Treasuresuntold (1080p, 5:40): Coop and Cami Ask the World actors Olivia Sanabia and Ruby Rose Turner reveal some little known facts about the movie. Also available digitally.
• "Part of Your World" Music Video featuring Dcapella (1080p, 3:01). Also available digitally.
• Deleted Character: Harold the Merman (1080p, 2:05). Also available digitally.
• Under the Scene: The Art of Live Action Reference (1080p, 13:13). Also available digitally.
• Howard's Lecture (1080p, 16:27). Also available digitally.
• Audio Commentary: Writers/Directors Ron Clements and John Musker and composer Alan Menken. Also available digitally.
• NEW! Classic Bonus Previews (1080p, 1:09): A highlight reel promoting additional extra content.

Exclusive Digital Extra:

• "Part of Your World" - A Look Back (HD, 5:50): Alan Menken and Jodi Benson discuss the impact of "Part of Your World:" nearly cutting the song from the film and its legacy. They also discuss the film's impact on Disney animation.

Digital-Only Content That Appeared on the Diamond Blu-ray Disc:

• Fathoms Below - Alternate Version
• Backstage with Sebastian
• Advice from Sebastian
• Fight with Ursula - Alternate Ending
• The Little Mermaid - The Story Behind the Story
• @Disney Animation
• Part of Her World: Jodi Benson's Voyage to New Fantasyland
• Storm Warning: The Little Mermaid Special Effects Unit
• "Part of Your World": Listed under "Crab-E-Oke Sing-Along" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Ride the Attraction: Listed as Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired by Disney Imagineers: Ride the Attraction on the Diamond Blu-ray. This supplement is also available digitally with a commentary track, which was not included on the previous Blu-ray.
• Under the Sea Early Presentation Reel
• Disneypedia: Life Under the Sea
• Kiss the Girl Music Video Performed by Ashley Tisdale
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• "Les Poissons": Listed under "Crab-E-Oke Sing-Along" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Sebastian Lost in the Castle
• Behind "The Ride that Almost Was"
• Prologue: Flower Street: Listed as "Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• "Silence is Golden" Song Demo
• "Poor Unfortunate Souls" Extended
• "Under the Sea": Listed under "Crab-E-Oke Sing-Along" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• "Poor Unfortunate Souls": Listed under "Crab-E-Oke Sing-Along" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• "Kiss the Girl": Listed under "Crab-E-Oke Sing-Along" on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Act I: Renaissance Men: Listed as Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Act II: A Symphony of Talent: Listed as Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Act III: Broadway Comes to Burbank: Listed as Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Act IV: Setting Sail: Listed as Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid on the Diamond Blu-ray.
• Act V: A Mermaid Sings: Listed as Treasures Untold: The Making of the Little Mermaid on the Diamond Blu-ray.

Supplements that appear to be missing from both disc and digital that appeared on the Diamond Blu-ray (all listed under the "Backstage Disney" section):

• The Little Match Girl
• John & Ron Make Caricatures of Each Other
• Animators Comment on their Characters
• The Little Mermaid Handshake

The Little Mermaid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Little Mermaid makes quite the splash on the UHD format. The image is stellar, not so much for any added textural clarity within the source animation but rather for the HDR application, which adds considerable color depth and accuracy across the board. The Atmos audio is a highlight, and the bundled supplements are many, with several new additions to the package. The film is terrific, too. It's right at the top of this reviewer's favorite Disney films alongside Beauty and the Beast. Complex characters, simple story beats, and amazing music all contribute to one of the company's true bonafide classics. Disney's UHD release of The Little Mermaid earns my highest recommendation.