The Little Mermaid II coming to video in September

Sequel to "The Little Mermaid" to be released September 5, 2000

Direct-to-video Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea on Video and DVD

Walt Disney Home Video is bringing The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea to video and DVD on September 5, 2000, the first sequel to the celebrated 1989 film, The Little Mermaid.

This all-new, animated adventure marks the return of Ariel, Sebastian the Crab, Scuttle the Seabird, Flounder, King Triton, Prince Eric and many of the other favorites that made The Little Mermaid unforgettable. The movie also introduces new characters, along with a set of enchanting new songs. Fans will meet Ariel's daughter, Melody, and Ursula's wicked sister, Morgana, in high-seas excitement that finds Melody longing to voyage into the sea as a mermaid.

The success of The Little Mermaid sparked a spectacular animation renaissance at Disney, as the animated masterpieces Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King soon followed in Ariel's wake. With The Little Mermaid leading the way, animated feature films rapidly re-established themselves as critical and commercial favorites in filmed entertainment. The Little Mermaid is among the top 10 animated bestsellers of all time on video.

In The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Ariel and Prince Eric live a happily married life on land, and the couple are blessed by a daughter, Melody. When Ariel and Eric face a new threat from Ursula's sinister sibling, Morgana, they're forced to conceal Melody's true mermaid heritage from the child. Melody, as feisty as her mother, is curious about her roots and ventures into the sea against her parents' wishes.

There she meets new friends, but in her dream to become a mermaid, she becomes a pawn in Morgana's plot against Ariel's father, King Triton. Ariel must once more "return to the sea" and reunite with her childhood friends -- Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle -- in order to rescue her daughter and save Triton's underwater kingdom.

The returning voice cast of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea includes Broadway star Jodi Benson (Flubber, Crazy for You) as the beautiful, golden-voiced Ariel. Samuel E. Wright (Mufassa in The Lion King on Broadway) reprises his role as Sebastian, the unselfish shellfish. Buddy Hackett (The Love Bug) returns as Scuttle, the lovable seagull, and Pat Carroll (Evening Shade) is back as Ursula's sister, the sinister Morgana.

The Little Mermaid II:Return to the Sea also features new cast members Tara Charendoff as Melody, Ariel's headstrong, beautiful daughter; Max Cassella as Tip the Penguin; and Stephen Furst as Dash the Walrus.

-- Posted January 7, 2000

Source: Company Press Release