This is one of those movies that is just so engrained on me I find it impossible to write a real review of it, but my site would feel kind of empty without it, and I did just watch it for the first time in a long time (I tend to watch the sequel more, lol, trust me I’m slapping my wrists as I type …). Actually, I don’t know the whole movie here by heart as much as I thought I would – sure there’s no surprises anymore, but it’s the music that’s engrained on me more than anything else. I had the soundtrack on cassette, probably on its first release … it was practically glued into my walkman and may have been one of the few recordings I ever actually “wore out” by listening to so much (I definitely know I cut up the liner notes to cover my dormitory wall in pics of Ariel at the height of my crush on her, lol). I have memories, too, that instantly make me blush feverishly, of walking around school singing along to it out loud, lol.

Anyway, I guess that’s the kind of movie it is. It’s not one you can dissect and analyse – though I did, at college, and it’s sort of fascinating, FYI – it just gets inside you, from that first appearance of the mer-people to Alan Menken’s instrumental “Part of Your World”, the first glimpse of Ariel’s red hair bobbing up over the sunken ship bow to another version of the same theme, past the soaring song itself, the ultimate Disney “Want” song, and you’re still only 20 minutes in. You still have the reprise, Eric’s playing it on the flute on the beach, and of course, when Ariel loses her voice to wicked Ursula. There are a ton of great songs in this movie, but on this viewing I couldn’t help but focus on that one theme. This movie is really like a masterclass in how to make the most of a great theme without over using it. The runtime barely hits 80 minutes, yet that theme must occur at least 10 times throughout, always at significant moments, and it never even begins to grind.

I’d love to see this one on the big screen … I was about to say “again” there but I just realised I never did, Aladdin was my first and I didn’t see any of the re-releases till Mulan came out before Tarzan. And you know what, I guess Prince Eric isn’t quite as bad as I’ve always made him out to be … just (and I cringe to say it but I’m too tired of writing now to find a better way) very “male” ... which I guess is the point, lol.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 10:12 pm in 5 hearts, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.