The Little Mermaid (1992)

Originally released directly to video on May 27, 1992, The Little Mermaid is a 49-minute animated film based on the classic story, The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Like all other Golden Films productions, the film featured a single theme song, "The World Above", written and composed by Richard Hurwitz and John Arrias.

The Little Mermaid was produced by Golden Films and the American Film Investment Corporation, it was distributed to DVD in 2002 by GoodTimes Entertainment, as part of their "Collectible Classics" line.

Plot
A young, carefree mermaid named Lena lives a happy life in her home under the sea until the very day when she, after disobeying her father, swims up the surface and meets the handsome Prince Stephan. After rescuing her prince from drowning, Lena runs to the aid of the wicked sea-witch Cassandra, who in exchange for her voice gives Lena legs to walk on land and the warning that if Prince Stephan were to marry someone else, Lena would then turn forever into seafoam.

Characters

 * Lena - The heroine of the story, Lena is a carefree, beautiful young mermaid princess living with her father, the Sea-King and her sisters in their grand underwater palace. Lena has a loyal companion, a dolphin named Vink, and it is him to whom she tells about her longing of finding the perfect prince, who will be the love of her life. Lena falls in such a deep love for Prince Stephan that she willingly sacrifices her beautiful voice.


 * Cassandra - Cassandra is the evil Sea-witch dreaded by the mermaids. The Sea-King has forbidden any of his daughters to have anything to do with her. She had two pet minions called Dreyzock and Jhunicka. When Cassandra finds out that Lena has fallen in love with a human prince, she tricks her into trading her beautiful voice for human legs, warning her that if Prince Stephan were to marry someone else, she would then turn into seafoam for all eternity.


 * Vink - A dolphin that is Lena's faithful royal pet. As much as he cares for Lena, he sometimes doesn't feel up to joining her in all of her wild adventures. When he finds out that Lena's life may be in danger, he quickly comes to her rescue and immediately notifies the Sea-King about Cassandra's doing.


 * Prince Stephan - The handsome human prince with whom Lena falls in love. He has a faithful servant and companion named Cosgrove. When they are shipwrecked, they are both safely brought to the beach by Lena, then pulled onto the sands by Princess Anna and her schoolmates, none of which ever know about Lena's existence.


 * Princess Anna - The daughter of the king who fears an attack from Prince Stephan's father, the king of a land foreign to his own. After Prince Stephan believes that only Anna was involved in rescuing him and Cosgrove, he decides to marry her to show his gratitude. Although Princess Anna loves someone else, her father insists on Anna's marriage with Stephan, to prevent his father from attacking his kingdom.

Other characters

 * Tris - Lena's loving sister.


 * The Sea-King - Lena's strict, but caring father.
 * Dreyzock and Jhunicka - Cassandra the sea-witch's two pet manta-rays henchmen.


 * Cosgrove Thackery - Prince Stephan's servant.


 * Maxwell - Princess Anna's lover.

Music

 * Theme: "The World Above", written and composed by Richard Hurwitz and John Arrias.

Classical pieces
(incomplete)
 * "Pictures at an Exhibition: Gnomus" - Modest Mussorgsky
 * "Te Deum: Prelude" - Marc-Antoine Charpentier
 * "Night on Bald Mountain" - Modest Mussorgsky
 * "L'arlesienne: Suite No. 2: Farandole" - Georges Bizet
 * "Ride of the Valkyries" - Richard Wagner
 * "La Traviata: Di Provenza il mar, il suol" - Giuseppe Verdi
 * "Ave María" - Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod