Review and Giveaway of The Little Mermaid (Movie) 30th Anniversary Edition

It's hard to believe, but Walt Disney Studio's double Academy Award-winning The Little Mermaid is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, the studio has recently released an updated anniversary edition, complete with all new bonus features and now available digitally as well as on Blu-ray.

Thanks to Walt Disney Studios, I was able to revisit this now-classic movie, which is based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale about a young mermaid who dreams of becoming a human. I loved the digital edition of The Little Mermaid just as much as I loved the feature film when it was first released. I had forgotten how great the songs are (especially "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World") and that plot is more than just a love story, thanks to the evil Ursula's treachery.

The fantastic cast includes Jodi Benson as Ariel, Pat Carrol as Ursula, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Christopher Daniel Barnes as Eric, and Jason Marin as Flounder. There wasn't a weak link among the actors, though you have to love Sebastian and Flounder, don't you? The colors are super, and the movie doesn't disappoint in terms of action, humor, and drama (hello, sharks, shipwrecks, and storms).

I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes features of The Little Mermaid, in which the actors talk about their experiences making the animated movie and how closely they worked with the artists. I also enjoyed seeing the deleted and alternative scenes. Besides the classic bonus features, the anniversary edition includes a sing-a-long mode, which would great fun to watch with your kids (or when you're home alone).

The digital edition has some exclusives. First is "Part of Your World--A 30-Year Retrospective," in which songwriter Alan Menken and Jodi Benson sing and talk about the movie's hit song "Part of Your World." There are also a series of music videos, Easter eggs, and other bonus clips. In fact, there are so many extras, I haven't had time to explore them all.

GIVEAWAY: Again thanks to Walt Disney Studios, I'm able to offer one of my readers a copy of the digital Anniversary Edition of The Little Mermaid to help celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to have a USA mailing address and fill out the following form. I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner on March 6. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll pass his or her mailing address along to the publicists and then delete all data from my computer. The publicists will ship a digital code directly to the winner. Good luck.