Disney's modern success is really due to the original The Little Mermaid. It was the first big successful feature the movie house had had in a long time. This third film installation is actually a prequel. It brings us back in time to the early years of Ariel. Her childhood was filled with happiness, and her family found a great deal of joy in spending time with each other. Her mother Athena seemed to be at the core of their happiness, particularly in relation to music. Athena loved everything musical.

It will probably be of no surprise that the family is crushed when Athena is kidnapped by pirates, never to return. Ariel's father, King Triton is so saddened, he outlaws all music in the kingdom of Atlantica. To make matters even worse, the role of mother is filled by a terrible nanny named Marina (a role played by Sally Field, who seems to take only mean roles in her senior years). Marina is looking to get recognized for her true greatness and keeps trying get the attention of King Triton with the help of a cute sidekick, a manatee named Benjamin.

As those familiar with the series, Ariel rebels as she looks to explore her environs and becomes involved in an underground music club. Like her mother, she finds true happiness in music and wants to bring that back to the kingdom and, more importantly, to her father.

The music, which is mostly in the form of well-known Caribbean music, is good, though not remarkable. The story is also good, with a number of funny moments. At the same time, there are also some moments that seem to lag, which probably explains the reason it was released directly to DVD.

I am finding that Disney is taking less care to produce a few great movies and is instead focusing on producing tons of mediocre or crappy movies knowing that people will pay to see them anyway. It is sad.