Toon Talk: Little Mermaid DVD
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(c) Disney

Also located in the “Backstage Disney�? section are featurettes on the film’s visual effects (Storm Warning: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Special Effects Unit), the original story’s author Hans Christian Andersen (‘The Little Mermaid’: The Story Behind the Story), an early presentation reel featuring the original demo recording of “Under the Sea�?, the original theatrical trailer, and several art galleries, including one devoted exclusively to the artwork of Kay Nielsen, who provided early concept art for Walt’s original attempt at adapting the story way back in the early 1940s.

But the inarguable highlight of the new material in this set is the new animated short film The Little Match Girl. Produced by Roy Disney, directed by Roger Allers (a story man on The Little Mermaid) and also based on a beloved Andersen classic, this haunting, beautifully realized short, like such other wonderful works as One by One (found on the Lion King II DVD) and the Oscar-nominated Lorenzo, was originally slated to be included in the third Fantasia feature, which was the victim of another shake-up within Disney Animation. At least with DVD we are able to see such “orphans�? in the original forms.

In the “Deleted Scenes�? section we are treated to extended versions of the songs “Fathoms Below�? (where it was revealed that Ursula was Triton’s sister!) and “Poor Unfortunate Souls�? that may or may not make it into the upcoming Broadway version of the movie, as well as additional scenes to steal for Sebastian, an alternate ending, and an audio only demo recording of “Silence is Golden�?, the original version of Ursula’s big number, hear performed by Menken (this recording, as well as demos for all the Mermaid songs, can be found on the invaluable The Music Behind the Magic CD box set).

Another exciting highlight is found in the usually kid-centric “Games and Activities�? section with Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired by Disney Imagineers. Viewers can “Ride the Attraction That Almost Was�?, a proposed Little Mermaid dark ride for Disneyland that never got off the drawing board. “Board�? a clam-mobile and travel, well, “under the sea�? to see Imagineered recreations of all the favorite scenes from the movie, including Ariel’s grotto, Ursula’s lair and “Kiss the Girl�?, both above and below the water. Viewing options include an audio commentary, storyboards and models, and a “track viewer�? to see where you are in the attraction. You can even “see�? the ride with the “lights on�?. A “Behind the Scenes�? featurette discusses the origins of the ride but never quite explains why it never happened. Nevertheless, this feature is a great alternative to the typical DVD games.