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Whether you like this series or not will depend on how much you favor story over animation. The Mermaid-series harbor a fascinating universe with intense stories and a fairytale like quality. Problem is the animation is very lackluster. It's all done by computer and features none of the gorgeous hand drawn anime we're so used to seeing. Instead everything on screen is kept very simple and the environments have no dept whatsoever. Back in 1991 another version of the 'Mermaid's Forest' tale (also included in the new series, as a new, but lesser two-part take) was made, where both the story and the animation were so much better. Unfortunately this is only available on VHS. The previous version was also much more violent and featured nudity, which gave the story a sharper, more sinister edge. This new take on the saga is more like kiddie matinée stuff in comparison. So, check out this series if you like the work of Rumiko Takahashi, but don't expect too much magic. I'm sure everyone who happen to see the 1991 version will agree.

Very good little chiller which takes the 'blind girl in peril' set-up and makes the most of it. What really sets this movie apart from other similar movies like 'Wait until Dark' and 'Blink', and even compared to the chase sequences in the recent 'The Village', is that the camera-work in a superb way manages to make us feel somewhat blind ourselves. Through sharp and unusual angles a lot of vital details are hidden from us, like the whereabouts of the victims, until the shocking truth is displayed. The identity of the killer is also obscured by just showing his hands or boots as he wrecks havoc, similar to the style used in the old Italian 'giallo' movies. You just never know who can be trusted or who knows what. Mia Farrow gives a powerful performance as the tormented main character, as she demonstrates her awesome ability to play scared, fragile women, not unlike her role in 'Rosemary's Baby'.

Some things nevertheless keep this movie from being a complete classic. The middle section of the movie is the strongest, with the blind girl continuing her daily business in the mansion, not knowing all the other inhabitants have been offed and that the killer is lurking nearby. After this the story whimpers out a bit. After a quick confrontation with the killer she keeps running and running until the end of the film, without ever being pursued, which takes away a lot of the tension. Maybe they should've kept the action in or around the house to build up to the climax. I also think the character of the gardener, who gives away a vital plot element he really had no possibility of knowing, is an irritating add on - even if he serves as a red herring.

Nevertheless a good reminder of the days when horror movies were grim and effective, instead of watered out with lame humor and irony.

One of the movies I remember most fondly from my childhood. Although both fairly simplistic and in a way more real life-like compared to Disney standards, the animation serves the story wonderfully and adds much to the overall charm. Director Robert Taylor had previously made the twisted 'Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat', which reflects itself in 'Heidi's Song' in some really trippy dream sequences. In some cases it even seems like a throwback to the psychedelic animation of the 60's. And the songs are all instant hummable classics that could work just as well in a stage production. One stand out is for example the beautiful and melancholy 'Prince Charming' number with the wheelchair bound Clara.

This movie didn't fare well with the cinema audience at the time of it's release and was soon forgotten, even though produced by the famous Hanna-Barbera studio in an attempt to follow up their previous success with 'Charlotte's Web'. Unfortunately it hasn't gained much of a reputation on the home video market either. One reason of course being there are so many other adaptations of the Heidi story available. Still, this animated version for me remains one of the most entertaining. For many of us who saw the movie on it's original release, it's considerable charm and appeal still linger, so hopefully a future DVD release can manage to bring 'Heidi's Song' out to an even wider audience.