Disney's The Little Mermaid II

Ariel gives birth to her daughter Melody. There is much singing, rejoicing, etc. etc.

Ursula's sister Morgana breaks up the party and tries to kill baby Melody.

Ariel decides that Melody can never enter the sea or know about her heritage while the old hag is still at large. So, she has a giant wall built around the city.

Twelve-year-old Melody defies her mother by sneaking past the wall and swimming in the sea. Melody wishes she were a mermaid. She whines because she doesn't fit in and nobody understands her. Poor, poor Melody.

Melody meets Morgana, gets turned into a mermaid, does stupid things, and causes all sorts of trouble. We are supposed to be rooting for the little urchin all this time, of course.

What's wrong with this movie? Just about everything. The animation is subpar, the musical numbers are pitiful, and most of the characters are vapid.

It is especially sad to see what's become of Ariel. She's lost all her spunk, vibrance, and charm. Apparently being a human for 12 years has drained her soul and turned her into a boring, ineffectual, and fretful woman.

Personality issues aside, it's ridiculous that Ariel would go to such measures to make sure her daughter Melody doesn't know about her own heritage. Building a wall around the city so that Melody can never see the ocean or know her grandfather? Cutting herself off from the world she came from and from the people she loves, even if there IS yet another sea witch still at large? That's a stretch.

Melody, though, is the worst part. Our new heroine is supposed to be like her mother--longing for another world, dreamy, rebellious, etc. Unfortunately, Melody didn't inherit any of her mother's charm. She comes across as a whiny, ungrateful, self-pitying little brat who needs a spanking.

Are there ANY worthwhile moments in this movie? That's a tough one. Let's see...

• Sebastian is amusing. He gets most of the better lines.


• It's satisfying when Morgana shows her true colors and rubs Melody's nose in her own stupid mistakes. "You've got no one to blame but yourself!"

Yeah, that's about it.