As for the video and remix, I heard the old DVD was no bread winner either. Single layer with a lot of softening and a non-anamorphic transfer. Remix wise, I'm always a fan of the original audio. I just don't understand why they always have to mess with the sound.
That said, I'm buyin it for the extras. It's extremely rare that I do such (this is only the second time). I'll probably still watch the film on my old original VHS or one of the many recordings I made off TV. That means watching either the '89 or '97 sound mixes (I'm pretty sure that's what Disney played after that point). The Little Mermaid was one of the first films I watch at home in stereo[I had a mono tv back then] I haven't compared recently, but I remember the 97 mix on the Disney Channel sounding far more forceful than the original VHS tape. I could be wrong though.