The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a 2000 Disney animated feature film and direct-to-video sequel to the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid. Directed by Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith, the story takes place over a decade after the original film, and focuses on Ariel's and Eric's daughter Melody, a human princess who longs to swim in the ocean despite her parents' law that the sea is forbidden to her. This sequel stars the voices of Jodi Benson as Ariel, Tara Strong as Melody and Pat Carroll as Morgana, the film's new villain. It is the last film in the chronology of Walt Disney's version of The Little Mermaid.

Plot
Set some unspecified time after the events of the original film, the film begins with a celebration for Ariel and Eric's newborn daughter Melody on a ship at sea. Ariel's father King Triton presents baby Melody with a magic locket. The party is interrupted by Morgana, sister of the deceased Ursula, who threatens to cause Melody harm, using her as leverage to get Triton's trident. Ariel and Eric work together to foil Morgana's plan.

Fearing Morgana and remembering Ursula, Ariel decides to withhold all knowledge of the sea world from Melody. The locket is tossed into the ocean, and a massive wall is built to separate the royal castle from the sea.

Twelve years later, Melody remains unaware of her mother’s mermaid heritage and is banned from ever going into the sea. However, she has been sneaking out the castle regularly to swim and one day finds her locket. Seeing her name on the locket, Melody confronts her mother in an explosive argument. Angry at her mother's refusal to answer her questions, Melody takes a boat and sails away from home. Her parents soon learn that she is gone, and Triton uses his magic to transform Ariel back into a mermaid to search for Melody.

Melody is lured to Morgana’s lair by her manta rays, and Morgana uses the remains of Ursula's magic to temporarily transform Melody into a mermaid. Morgana says that the transformation will be permanent if Melody can get hold of the trident, which she claims was stolen by Triton. With the help of Tip the penguin and Dash the walrus, Melody successfully returns to Morgana with the trident. Ariel tries to stop Melody, but before she can explain that Morgana is evil, Melody gives the trident to Morgana. With the trident in her grip, Morgana reveals her true intentions. She kiddnapps Ariel and takes her to the surface where she cannot breath because there is no water.

She locks Melody in an ice prison. The spell wears off and she turns back into a human, naked below her waste. She drowns and begins to die because of the freezing water. She gets out with the help of Tip and Dash. Morgana uses the trident's magic to lord over the ocean, rising to the surface to gloat. Scuttle, Triton, Sebastian, and Eric arrive, and a battle ensues against Morgana and her minions. Melody manages to grab the trident and throw it back to Triton by climbing up the cliff on which Morgana is standing and sneaking up on her. Triton uses his trident to encase Morgana in a block of ice, which sinks underwater.

Melody reunites with her family, and Triton offers his granddaughter the option of becoming a mermaid permanently. Instead, she uses the trident to disintegrate the wall separating her home from the sea.

Voice Cast

 * Jodi Benson as Ariel
 * Tara Strong as Melody
 * Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian
 * Pat Carroll as Morgana
 * Rob Paulsen as Prince Eric
 * Kenneth Mars as King Triton
 * Cam Clarke as Flounder
 * Buddy Hackett as Scuttle
 * Clancy Brown as Undertow
 * Max Casella as Tip
 * Stephen Furst as Dash
 * Rene Auberjonois as Louis the Chef
 * Edie McClurg as Carlotta the Maid
 * Kay E. Kuter as Grimsby the Valet
 * Tress MacNeille as Mother Penguin and Baby Penguin
 * Frank Welker as Max the Sheepdog

Release
The film was released direct-to-DVD on September 19, 2000. In 2006, the film was bundled together with the original film in the Region 2 release. The original DVD release has been discontinued. A special edition DVD with a newly discovered deleted song, "Gonna Get My Wish," and a new game was released on December 16, 2008.

Soundtrack
The film's official soundtrack was released on September 19, 2000. The track list is as follows:


 * Down To The Sea
 * Tip and Dash
 * Iko Iko*
 * Octopus's Garden*
 * For A Moment
 * Give A Little Love*
 * Hot, Hot, Hot*
 * Here On The Land and Sea (Finale)

These tracks were originally recorded for the album Sebastian: Party Gras!.