Alternate versions for
The Little Mermaid (1989) More at IMDbPro »

• For the re-release in 1998, the German version was completely redubbed. This was done because Disney, due to a bureaucratical error, had not secured the rights to the first dubbing. All voices, except for Ursula (Beate Hasenau), were recast.
  
  
• For the re-release in 1997, the end credits were changed to reflect the use of newer sound formats (Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS).
  
  
• In the Swedish VHS release, a few scenes have been cut. They include most of the song that Louis sings when he chops the fish (only the part when he discovers Sebastian is still in the film), some shots of Triton destroying Ariel's cavern, and some scenes between where Ursula says (towards the end) "Now I am the ruler of all the ocean. The waves obey my every whim" and where she is killed by Eric. This makes the Swedish dubbing on the DVD version a little odd, since these scenes are then in English. These problems has since been corrected for the newer Special Edition DVD, but the changes made to the dubbing are still noticeable to the trained ear.
  
  
• A 2-disc Platinum Edition was released on DVD in October 2006. There are a handful of changes, as well as some things that only appear to be changed.
  • The most noteworthy change is that the infamous priest's knee has been smoothed out the first time it is seen. (For those who prefer accuracy, poke around disc 2 a little bit and see if you find some consolation.)
  • When the credits start crawling, they are sped up a little bit to accommodate several restoration credits near the end. The total credits time is unchanged.
  • The original Dolby Stereo logo has been replaced (as in the 1997-8 re-release) with newer sound specifications (SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS) in the credits.
  • At the end of the credits, "cassette and compact disc from" no longer follows "soundtrack available on"; as well, as with the re-release, a new Walt Disney Records logo is used. What has not changed:
  • The original movie has some computer-generated elements (such as the ship and a staircase Ariel runs down); these are not new, and have been in the movie from its first release.
  • While the re-release used a shorter version of "Under the Sea" in the credits, followed by Ariel singing "Part of Your World," the original version (and the 2006 DVD) feature a slightly longer "Under the Sea" and a wordless choral arrangement of "Part of Your World," so the audio for the credits is faithful to the original.
  
  
  
• 1998 USA VHS release has credits barn-doored with a music video making most of the credits impossible to read and giving the general impression of a TV showing of the film.
  
  
• The magazine Entertainment Weekly published in an article that the 1989 home video version of "The Little Mermaid" includes a less-than-a-second background image of the silhoutte of a menacing knife hovering over a scared Mickey Mouse.
  
  
• During the re-release in 1998, a new Austrian-dubbed version was made and shown in Austrian theatres starting in June 1998. All dialogue for this version was adapted to Austrian expressions and slang.
  
  
• On pre-rerelease VHS versions of the film, there is a scene where Ursula (as Ariel) is marrying Eric (most of this scene is still in newer versions). In one shot you can see the pastor's (Priest's) knee move up and down, which looks convincingly (to some) like an erection. This one shot has been edited out in newer releases of the film, although it is present on the 1999 DVD release.
  
  

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