The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (also known by the working title, The Little Mermaid III: Ariel's Beginning and with The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel's Beginning) is a 2008 American animated direct-to-video fantasy film produced by DisneyToon Studios, With the animation production being done by Toon City Animation and DisneyToon Studios Australia, and a prequel to Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid and the third installment in The Little Mermaid trilogy, as well as the direct-to-video follow-up after John Lasseter took over as chairman for the Disney Animation Division. It is also the first in the chronology of the story running through the series and it is based on the fairy tale The Little Mermaid of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen and Disney's The Little Mermaid by Walt Disney Animation Japan and Walt Disney Television. Directed by Peggy Holmes, the film's story is set before the events of the original film, when Ariel is still young, and where all music has been banned from the underwater kingdom of Atlantica by King Triton after being heartbroken at his wife's death, and Ariel attempts to challenge this law. Jodi Benson and Samuel E. Wright (in his final film role before his death in 2021) reprise their roles as Ariel and Sebastian respectively, while Sally Field voices the film's new villainess, Marina Del Rey. Jim Cummings takes over the role as King Triton, replacing Kenneth Mars, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on August 26, 2008. The film received negative reviews with criticism aimed at the script and the music score, but the animation quality and voice performances were praised.