Melody: The Tail of An Unofficial Disney Princess

 

Melody is an animated character who is widely known as the star of the direct sequel to the Disney classic The Little Mermaid (1989). Fictionally speaking, as the daughter of Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, she is a princess of two royal connections. As a half mermaid and half human she is a princess on land and in the sea.

Up until Disney's Descendants live action franchise kicked off in 2015, Ariel was the only Disney Princess, that presented an offspring to the public. She still is the only Disney Princess character to present an offspring in animated form. Especially of the original 8; including Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Aurora (1959), Belle (1991), Jasmine (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998). Tiana (2009) was the first African-American Disney Princess and the last Disney Princess drawn in the traditional 2D format before Rapunzel (2010), Merida (2012), Moana (2016) and Raya (2021) ushered in the franchises CGI Disney Princess era. This, making Melody even more special, due to her rather close connection with the Disney Princess club through her mother without having any official membership herself. Also due to the fact that her film was released in 2000 long before Rapunzel became the first Disney Princess in 2010 to be animated in CGI. One could only imagine what it would be like if Melody officially joined them.

Since the release of 2000's direct-to-video film, Melody has been among the list of a few highly considered "unofficial Disney Princesses" (those who fit criteria and otherwise would be an official Disney Princess if not for a few reasons).

Similar to her aunt's  (Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina) who are born Princess's as well but are not apart of the Disney Princess franchise lineup, Melody probably is the only female Disney character who has a right to be an official Disney Princess more than others. Considering her character actually is a Disney Princess plus her mother is already an official member of the club.

She's received an honorable mention on MsMojo's 2017 list of "Top 10 Characters that Should Be Official Disney Princesses" on YouTube, ranked #7 on BuzzFeed's 2020 list "10 Unofficial Disney Princesses, Ranked" as well as The Things 2019 list "10 Alternate Disney Princesses Who Should Get The Official Title" on YouTube and at least one other list created by that same channel.

Upon the release of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, critics did not receive the film well. In 2011, Total Film ranked it as 27th among the 50 worst children's films ever made. Although Modern Gurlz did rank it at #4 on their list, "Ranking All of Disney's Direct-To-Video Sequels".

Melody (voiced by Tara Strong) was considered a highlight of the movie and earned praise for her character growth, design, likability, and Strong's performance. The film was the tenth most successful direct-to-video product of 2000 with retail revenues of $121 million.

Melody performs three songs in the film. "For a Moment" (a mother-daughter duet with Ariel which landed at #4 on Ms. Mojo's list for "Top 10 Best Disney Sequel Songs" in 2023), "Tip and Dash" (with her sidekicks) and "Here on the Land and Sea" (another duet with Ariel and Sabastian).

All three of which was released on the official film soundtrack. She is also a playable character in the PlayStation and computer games, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Activity Center and The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy. The film has also spawned countless collectable dolls, books and video games.

As of 2023, since the live-action remake of her mother's 1989 classic, there have been rumblings of a possible sequel. The film's director, Rob Marshall, hinted at the potential for sequels if the film is successful. In May 2023, the film's stars Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King spoke about The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, saying that they liked it and they would agree to reprise their roles if it were adapted into live action.

What do you think? Should Melody be an official Disney Princess?

NickRewind Dead After Ten Years Strong

 After more than a decade on cable television during the digital and streaming era of the world, the programming block NickRewind is gone!

The block launched on July 25, 2011 as The '90s Are All That. Despite having a strong and serious fan backing from 90s kids and younger generations, entertainment insiders, media and fan-based non-profit organizations like Save '90s Nick since 2013, NickRewind had a quiet fade out on January 31, 2022.

NickRewind has had several different names throughout the course of it's run. You may recognize "The Splat" or "NickSplat" just to name a few.

However, the idea for the block has always been the same. Airing in the late hours on TeenNick the block was dedicated to original Nickelodeon shows that started it all.

At the time of this article it is February 2022. By now, streaming has taken over the majority of consumer viewership for big names like Disney Channel (who's parent company created the streaming service Disney+). People don't watch cable television like they used to. Instead they watch whatever might have aired on television via streaming services.

The NickRewind block was the only time these old favorites had a chance to shine on television again as they once did and it was a nice way to relive some nostalgic memories.

The NickRewind official YouTube channel tells all fans of the block all they need to know without any initial announcement of the block ending. For the past year, no other kind of content was uploaded to the channel other than from iCarly and Victorious. NO NICKTOONS!

All fingers point to the streaming service, Paramount+. Nickelodeon doesn't need to waste their time airing shows like Rugrats and Hey Arnold! when those shows are available on the Paramount+ streaming service.

No one is surprised! Maybe just a little disappointed. With the end of NickRewind, we draw another step closer to the end of the cable era. Any programming block that isn't doing well will likely get the boot as well as countless other shows and networks.

Like Fox Kids and Kids WB before them, NickRewind will continue to exist despite being not airing on television. The branding will still be active online.