Customer Reviews

The Little Mermaid - Based on Hans Christian Andersen's Classic Tale (UAV Corporation)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved this anime as a kid. I loved the heartbreaking truth of the real story of the little mermaid. I was incredibly thrilled to find this on DVD after years of searching for one that wasn't someones bootleg copy taped from the VHS. Imagine my disappointment to see that like 4 minutes had been chopped from the film.
No longer does the sea witch brew the potion before your eyes, no longer does she talk about cutting out Marina's tongue. There is no more sisterly goodbye because you can see breasts. I understand we try to shield our children today, but my goodness, this is a classic how dare we tamper with it!

This is the late 1970's animation from Toi, a Japanese animation house. One viewing and you'll see just how much it 'inspired' Disney. Also, don't let the lame cover art fool you. Why they didn't go with a cell from the animation I'll never know, but this is vintage anime.

The story is not cleaned up like so many other fairy tales have been. She does, indeed, die in this one. There is mild nudity, as she doesn't wear a top as a mermaid, though no breasts are seen. I might be mildly scary for the youngest child, but should fit in fine with your standard princesses.

I searched for this movie for quite some time, and bought it on a whim at a dollar store. I promptly realized I had indeed found a treasure, and bought a few copies for friends.

I love Disney's version of Hans Christian Andersen's Classic Tale, but it didn't stick to the true story of how it was written. Of course since Disney makes movies for family & especially children, they had to change the ending of a very sad story to a happy one. However I've seen this one just as many times as I seen the Disney version, of course the animation to this version is very dated since it was drawn in the 1970's & it was one of the first anime's, but for the story, the voice cast, the narration & the music, was very moving for me. It made me believe in true love and that there's more out there then just us.

P.S. - This film is not for children do to the story line in this version, some nudity (nothing serious) & the front box cover is totally different from the movie.

This is the one I've been looking for on DVD, the one that ends sadly. The picture quality has not been re-mastered for the DVD format; it's the exact same quality that I have on VHS. A few minor scenes were deleted so some transitions are slightly jumpy compared to VHS. But Marina and Fritz are as good as I remember, and the quality is watchable for the cheap price.

Although the DVD I own is a bootleg from England, I have owned this version as well, and would still own it had it not been glitched. But as for DVD specifics, I can tell you that there are NO bonus features, so don't expect any. There's not even a menu for chapter selection, although there are, I believe, 6 chapters. The print quality leaves a lot to be desired, but for a budget DVD, what can you expect?

However, don't let any of this stop you from buying this WONDERFUL movie on DVD, if you can find a copy in the marketplace, eBay, or even in a store. It's hard to find now. Don't let the tacky cartoony cover art fool you, this IS the 1970's anime-style version of The Little Mermaid featuring a mermaid named Marina and her dolphin friend Fritz, beautifully drawn designs, wonderful 70's soft rock-style music, and the original, darker treatment of the story. Even if you're a fan of Disney's version, please try to pick this up, as it's just as well done, and it's nice to see it told in its original incarnation.

In my young time, I've seen this great masterwork of Toei Animation.
The full Andersen story, with the original sad end.
It had stolen tears and when I see it back now, it keeps its original magic.

Too bad that this opus was censored : a lot of scenes are removed. In fact all that show a little piece of nudity. Sorry to tell you censors, but Sirens do not wear t-shirt under water, and young people see more than the scenes you've cut when seeing the tv ads...

As all the reviewers have said, this version of "The Little Mermaid" is not some cheesy cartoon. This is the 70's anime version that is based more on the original story then the happy Disney version. The mermaid's name is Marina and her dolphin friend is Fritz. It was great to finally find this movie on DVD. However, I had one problem with it. When the movie first came out, there was some nudity, though it was nothing serious. The mermaids are bra-less. However, in this DVD version, some of the movie appears choppy because they have edited out parts of certain scenes. Having watched the movie about 1000 times when I was a kid, I remember certain scenes to be longer. However, they only cut about 5 total minutes out of the movie and it is still the great animated film that I remember. To summarize: Movie - 5 stars, DVD version - 4 stars

My little sisters and I have been searching for this version of the Little Mermaid for years. Anyway, I'm writting because I can't help but laugh at all the reviewers who are saying this is bad for children because the mermaid dies at the end. I watched this movie over and over when my dad bought it for me. I was 8years old. It never scarred me or made me think that in order to be loved i have to sacrifice everything. Stop trying to wrap your children in bubbles away from real life. It's not doing them any good. This movie stayed with me in a positive way. I identified with the mermaid and everytime I watched this movie I hoped that somehow that idiot prince would realize that the woman who's perfect for him was right next to him and not that broad he was betrothed to. I made my younger sisters both watch the movie when they got around to the ages of 7 and 8 because I wanted them to understand it. They loved the movie. We prefer it a million times to the disney version. (And yes the disney one is great too, I love ursulua). It's not giving us the same crap of "one day your prince will come". This one is more realistic. And if you read the original story (you can look it up on wikipedia if you want) you will even get why she turns to foam and everything related to that.

My point is. I was not traumatized by this movie. Neither were my little sisters. I'm an adult now in my mid twenties and both my sisters are in their late teens. They're bugging me to buy this movie because we can't find our VHS version. As a parent, you know your own child and if they can handle this movie. Sit and watch it with them if you haven't seen it before. I will definitely show this movie to my children someday and have all ready shared this movie with some of my friends kids. They liked it too, even though we all cried at the end. :P

This is the anime version, but with no japanese language track and the cover is completely different from the actual movie. How odd. But anyway, there are five minutes taken out as many other reviewers have said. Buy the imported version if you can. You get those five minutes and a case that matches.

Yes, this is the original Little Mermaid that you remember from childhood, the one with Marina, Fritz, the evil cat, the whole thing. I have no idea why they put a horrible picture that is not from the movie on the cover of the DVD, what a waste when the film is full of beautiful images. I didn't buy this DVD for ages, afraid it wouldn't be the right one, I didn't trust the other photos that had been upload. I should have. I was so thrilled to have this film added to my DVD collection, finally.
This was one of two movies that my dad would rent for my when I was sick and had to stay home from school, the other was The Last Unicorn. I loved being sick.
For those of you who grew up on this movie, I don't need to sell you on how amazing it is, but for those of you who have yet to have the pleasure of experiencing this film, don't hesitate to buy it. True, it is dated, but it is classic. I love the later Disney version of the tale with Ariel, but this one will always have a special place in my heart. It follows the original Hans Christian Anderson story very closely, with only a few alterations that don't alter the tale in the slightest. I have a read a couple reviews that caution that this film is not appropriate for younger children due to the 'tragedy' at the end. Yes, most younger children will cry. Many adults will cry as well. It is ok for children to see films where everything doesn't turn out picture perfect. How sad it would be if they never learned how to handle it when life is sad and difficult. On the contrary, this film should be mandatory for all children. The lessons about selflessness, true love, sacrifice, and the true meaning and purpose of life in this story are timeless and are in desperate need in a time when most are only willing to do what benefits them. What a wonderful experience for parent to experience with their child. You will absolutely treasure this movie, if you are an adult parent, a child, or a simply a lover of wonderful storytelling and mermaids!

I just have to say that I have been looking for this specific version of the little mermaid for a few years now. It has been over 20 years since I saw it!

As a little kid my parents came home one day and said we bought this new invention called a VCR... and what a treat they had thought to get me a movie called the little mermaid. Obviously this was in the early 80s. I sat down and watched the movie over and over again until sadly my parents had to return it to the rental store. While sad, this movie stuck with me for years. Then I heard Disney was coming out with something called the little mermaid. I was 10 years old at the time and went in expecting the same movie... that was before I knew that movies are often remade and don't always follow the original storyline.... I remember yelling that this was not the 'real' version to anyone who would listen. Ariel seemed so fake! My friends had mermaid fever while I was just upset with the whole injustice of it all. I am glad to have the original in my hands again!