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?