The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

I bought the new DVD "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning" this week and I must say, I loved it! It is a MUCH better story than "Return to the Sea". "Ariel's Beginning" is actually a prequel, taking place about a year before the events of the original. It tells the tale of a time when music was forbidden from the kingdom of Atlantica. It does a good job of telling how certain characters got to be where they were in "The Little Mermaid", including Ariel's introduction to Flounder. I thought the story had a lot of heart. There were moments that really touched you. The characters were well-done. Ariel is back to being the independent, head strong troublemaker we're so used to. There is just something about a responsible Ariel that made "Return to the Sea" so wrong. What's great about this movie is how more attention is given to Ariel's sisters. You're able to see who they are, how different each one is, and how they interact with each other. Ariel's interaction with her sisters are some of the best parts of the movie. I do have two complaints though. One is with the characterization of Flounder. He is way too brave in this film. That is not the Flounder we know at all. He's supposed to be a guppy! And second, for a movie whose story revolves around music, the music in the film isn't all that memorable. No song really stands out for me. "Ariel's Beginning" isn't a perfect movie. It doesn't hold a candle to the original and belongs nowhere near any theatrical release. But for a DVD prequel, it's pretty darn good. It also reminded me that I really need to get out to New York to see the Broadway show. That thought has slipped my mind since I joined the Disney cast. We'll see how that goes.

Sierra Performs at the Tony's

It's been a while since a Little Mermaid post. So here's one. It's Sierra Boggess singing a shortened version of Part Of Your World at the Tony Awards.

Original Cast Recording

I came home today and found a wonderful surprise in my mailbox. It was The Little Mermaid Original Cast Recording, sent straight from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre! The CD was officially released this week, but I got the special version you can only get from the actual theatre... cause I'm a nerd like that! Anyways, I have to say this is the greatest CD I have ever heard! It's just so amazing!!! We've had the leaked Broadway workshop to listen to for the last two years but now the final version is out and it is so worth the wait! It's really funny to hear how some of the workshop songs have changed. But I think they've changed for the better. This CD is so beautiful, it literally had me in tears listening to it. OMG, this is pretty much the soundtrack of my life.

Thoughts on some of the songs.

"The World Above" - This was not in the workshop so it was a complete surprise. This is Ariel singing about how much she feel she belongs in the human world. It is so pretty and it feels like the lyrics were written just for me. It may just be my favorite of all the new songs.

This is where I belong
Beneath the clear wide blue here!
I feel completely new here in the world above!
It's like my life was wrong
And somehow, now, at last I'm in
My own skin
Up here in the world above!

There's so much light here
Light and space!
The sun's so bright here
Upon my face!
It feels so right here
Warm as love...
Life seems to be
Almost calling to me
From this strange new world above!

"I Want the Good Times Back" - I really like this song because it tells the backstory of King Triton and Ursula. They're apparently brother and sister! Wow!

"She's in Love" - This is a very silly, catchy, and almost out of place song sung my Ariel's sisters and Flounder. Some of the lines are hilarious!

"Her Voice" - This pretty much stayed the same from the workshop. Eric sings about the voice that haunts him.

"Beyond My Wildest Dreams" - My favorite from the workshop, it's been changed a bit. It's no longer just Ariel singing in her head. There are other people singing about her, which makes it resemble "Belle" somewhat. I love the change. It really conveys the scene of this wide-eyed yet confusing girl seeing this new world for the first time.

"One Step Closer" - This is another song that wasn't in the workshop. It's awesome! Eric teaches Ariel to dance. The song makes you want to dance yourself!

"If Only" - This has undergone a serious makeover since the workshop. No longer just a duet between Eric and Ariel, they mixed in Sebastian's reprise and a new section for King Triton. This is such a beautiful, yet heartbreaking song. If you don't feel something during this song, you have no heart.

"The Contest" - This wasn't in the workshop either but it's so funny. It's a bunch of women butchering "Part of Your World" trying to impress Eric.

"Part of Your World" - "Part of Your World" is the soul of the story and the anthem of dreamers everywhere. It's a difficult song to sing because to do it right, you have to feel it. Sierra Boggess did the song justice. I don't know how Disney found her, but they found the perfect Ariel!

These aren't all the songs. There are 29 total, but these wee the ones that really jumped out at me. I love them all though. I love this CD!

Sierra Performs on Today

NBC is now getting in on the Mermaid publicity. Here, Sierra Boggess is interviewed and performs Part of Your World on the Today show. She's so sweet! Disney really did find the perfect Ariel.

Toy Story - The Musical

The Little Mermaid isn't the only new Disney musical getting attention these days. Disney Cruise Line is set to debut "Toy Story - The Musical" on the Disney Wonder this spring. Check out this backstage video!

Opening Night Souvenir

Look what came in the mail for me! A official Playbill from opening night! I so want to get this signed by Sierra!

Sealed:



Framed:

Great Mermaid Videos!

ABC News recently aired some clips from The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Check them out!

Under the Sea: (This doesn't feel like Under the Sea to me)



Part of Your World: (Absolutely beautiful!)

Ariel Finds A Dress

BroadwayWorld.com has up an article that tags along with Sierra Boggess as she looks for her opening night gown. Sierra even provides captions to all the photos. They're adorable!

Check them out!

Virtual Opening Night

Tonight was the official opening night for The Little Mermaid on Broadway. And to celebrate it, playbillradio.com aired a virtual opening night with interviews with the cast and broadcast the entire cast recording! I guess they didn't anticipate the demand for it and the site was down for most of it. By the time I finally got through, it was playing the final songs of the show. Though I didn't get to listen to the whole show, what I did hear was fantastic! OMG, "If Only"! It was amazing to finally hear some of the final versions of those workshop songs that were leaked over a year ago. The changes were definitely noticeable. For what I was able to hear, they were for the better. I love the final version of "If Only"! I can't wait to hear the final version of "Beyond My Wildest Dreams." I'm am so excited over this show. I HAVE TO SEE THIS! I'm aiming for sometime late Spring or early Summer. I have to see Sierra and the original cast. I've already pre-ordered the limited edition picture cd of the cast recording. I also ordered a hat, a shirt, and a framed copy of the opening night Playbill. I can't wait!

New Little Mermaid Video

There's a new video out for The Little Mermaid on Broadway and it's the best clip yet. It shows the best musical scenes from the show and finally reveals Sebastian's costume!

Check it out!

Sierra Boggess = <3

New Broadway Pics

The official Little Mermaid Broadway site has a bunch of new pictures up! Go see!



Official Site

Cast Video

Check out this video of the cast from The Little Mermaid doing a photoshoot. The costumes look great... except Flounder, what's up with him?

Ariel Swims!

Check out this newly released picture from the Little Mermaid on Broadway. This is the first picture showing how the mermaids actually appear in the show and swim around. They use Heelys to move around with a fin attached to their hips. It must make for a great illusion!

Hurricanes - 4, Penguins - 1

Ouch! What a stinker! We were thoroughly outplayed at pretty every facet of the game tonight. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Nothing went right. The Canes played awesome defense, they weren't giving us anything to work with. There's still 81 games left in the season but you never wanna have a bad start. I remember the start we had two seasons ago. Come on Pens, get it together!

On other news...



Disney released some new photos of the The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I so want to go New York this fall. *sigh*