Ariel is ready to make waves at home with the home release of the live action THE LITTLE MERMAID. The film is now available at digital retailers (including Apple TV, Prime Video and Vudu/Fandango) and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.
With a hosted copy of the film, we were able to take a full look at the offerings including a sing-along version of the film, song breakdowns, bloopers, and exclusive featurettes.
Hotter Under The Water works as a classic making-of documentary covering a width breath of the production of the film from the songs to the casting, to the extensive pre-production work including pre-visualization, choreography, and the crazy lengths to create an entire world under the sea. The content stretches out to just under 30 minutes and is a pretty deep dive into everything you’d want to know about the film.
As is typical with home releases, this bonus feature is actualyl split up into digestible chapters that include A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue (a general recap with director Rob Marshall and other cast and crew), I Know Something’s Starting Right Now (a look at the casting of the film with Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King and others), Down Where It’s Wetter (a surprisingly open and candid look at the extensive visual effects), Explore That Shore Up Above (a look at the more practical sets including Prince Eric’s castle, the beach, and the fully manufactured lagoon for “Kiss the Girl”) and Do What The Music Say (featuring composer Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda who created new songs and accentuated the returning classics.)
With a director like Rob Marshall, it’s no surprise that there’s some really great and expansive attention to detail in the Song Breakdowns section. These surprisingly robust featurettes actually end up totaling up to just over 20 minutes of content. Combined with the previous feature, this is just about a full hour of movie magic on full display. Below are the official recaps, courtesy of Disney.
- Wild Unchartered Waters – Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King, gets his own song, written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Go behind the song, from the writing to the recording, to the filming on a practical ship.
- Under the Sea – Get a first-hand look at how professional dancers helped bring director Rob Marshall’s vision to life as they stood in for the various animated sea creatures that sing and dance in this showstopping number.
- Kiss The Girl – Float along and get a frog’s-eye view of the beautiful set built to film the live-action version of this classic song.
- Poor Unfortunate Souls – Join Melissa McCarthy (Ursula) as she takes us on the journey of making her character’s signature song.
Additional content includes The Scuttlebutt On Sidekicks which is a fun 6-minute look at the CG cast of characters including Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle with a special closer look at the new song “The Scuttlebutt.” There’s also the cute 3-minute Passing The Dinglehopper which features Jodi Benson (the original voice of Ariel) and actress Halle Bailey chatting about the legacy of the franchise and the proverbial passing of the baton with this film.
The Bloopers are surprisingly light for this feature but with Melissa McCarthy in tow there’s of course room for a chuckle or too. The behind-the-scenes look are always a hoot considering how much of the underwater scenes are almost fully computer-generated imagery.
If you missed it in theaters, you can also watch the Sing Along Version of the film which features on-screen lyrics so you can sing at the top of your lungs with nobody around to listen.
See it for Yourself
THE LITTLE MERMAID is available now on digital (Apple TV, Prime Video and Vudu/Fandango) and on physical 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.
