The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Animation · Adventure · Family · 2000
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
Movie details
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
“Return to the sea.”
2000 Animation · Adventure · Family 1h 15m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.4 / 10
Community rating
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Mulan II
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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
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Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
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Spellbound
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When a powerful spell turns her parents into giant monsters, a teenage princess must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late.
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Teenage Moana answers the Ocean's call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with infamous demigod Maui on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people.
Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie
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When her beloved dollhouse is accidentally claimed by an eccentric cat lady during a road trip to Cat Francisco, Gabby embarks on a real-world adventure to reunite the Gabby Cats and rescue her most prized possession before it is too late.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
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Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.
Moana
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In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Barbie: Dolphin Magic
Animation · 2017
Barbie and her sisters take off on another exciting, global adventure to visit their friend Ken at his summer internship at a beautiful and exotic coral reef.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Jim Kammerud
Written by
Temple Mathews · Elizabeth Anderson
Jodi Benson
Ariel (voice)
Samuel E. Wright
Sebastian (voice)
Tara Strong
Melody (voice)
Pat Carroll
Morgana (voice)
Buddy Hackett
Scuttle (voice)
Kenneth Mars
King Triton (voice)
Max Casella
Tip (voice)
Court is in session
Put The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.