Soundtracks Reviews

Soundtrack Review: The Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition Soundtrack)

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 6, 2006, 19:52 GMT

Timed to coincide with the DVD release, Disney re-releases the soundtrack to the Little Mermaid in this 2-disc edition. The question remains as to whether this a worthy purchase or not (more on that in a minute). The first disc is basically the same disc that they released originally.

One of the best things about the movie The Little Mermaid is the wonderful songs and score by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. These still hold up wonderfully and are worth listening to over and over again. My personal favorites are "Poor Unfortunate Souls" (always love the Disney villains) and "Les Poissons." However great love has grown over time for "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl," and "Under the Sea" by myself and the rest of the world. I was initially excited by the prospect of this two-disc set. I recently reviewed the DVD and there was lots of talk of Howard Ashman singing the songs for demos. I was expecting a lot of that material to appear on this, boy was I disappointed. I guess I got used to the Disney Soundtrack releases of the past, Mary Poppins and Peter Pan come to mind, that included such treasures from the vast vaults of the Disney Archives (including demo versions, etc.). It’s rather sad that DVD releases of Disney classics can count on one “extra feature” being there – the re-imagining of a classic song by a current Disney Channel tween singer. That’s what is on the second disc of this set. The four new tracks are "Kiss the Girl" performed by Ashley Tisdale, "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Jonas Brothers, "Part of Your World" by Jessica Simpson, and "Under the Sea" by Raven-Symone. Did I like them? Let’s put it this way, the poor, unfortunate soul was I for having to listen to the Jonas Brothers version of that song. Jessica Simpson’s version was probably the one that I found least offensive and Raven-Symone’s song wasn’t too bad. However, I really didn’t like Tisdale’s interpretation of "Kiss the Girl" and absolutely loathed the Jonas Brothers’ "Poor Unfortunate Souls." Butchery says I. The CD does boast some more special features. It includes a music video of the Jonas Brothers’ "Poor Unfortunate Souls" (which I loathed even more!) and a making of video of Tisdale’s song. If you want Tisdale’s actual video you have to buy the DVD (no fools those Disney marketineers). I could be wrong, but I thought that the original CD release of the soundtrack is out of print. If you missed adding that one to your collection then you’ll want to get this re-release. I suppose if you’re a fan of those performers that redid the songs then you’ll want to pick up this (and you probably hate me now, especially Jonas Brothers fans no doubt). Otherwise, I’d say that there’s not too much on this release to recommend it if you have the original release. If they would’ve included the Ashman vocals or unused songs (or the like) I would’ve heartily recommended it, but sadly they did not. The Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition Soundtrack) is now available at Amazon. Visit the soundtrack database for more information and a complete track listing.