The Little Mermaid Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy.
Love has no boundaries.
Loosely based upon the story by Hans Christian Andersen. Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton, is dissatisfied with life in the sea. She longs to be with the humans above the surface, and is often caught in arguments with her father over those "barbaric fish-eaters". She goes to meet Ursula, the Sea Witch, to strike a deal, but Ursula has bigger plans for this mermaid and her father.
| Rene Auberjonois | Louis |
| Christopher Daniel Barnes | Prince Eric |
| Jodi Benson | Ariel |
| Pat Carroll | Ursula |
| Paddi Edwards | Flotsam & Jetsam |
| Buddy Hackett | Scuttle |
| Jason Marin | Flounder |
| Kenneth Mars | King Triton |
| Edie McClurg | Carlotta |
| Will Ryan | Seahorse |
| Ben Wright | Grimsby |
| Samuel E. Wright | Sebastian |
| Ron Clements |
| John Musker |
7.30 out of 10 (14530 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Charming Disney romance
posted on 15 Aug 2009THE LITTLE MERMAID, in my opinion, is a charming Disney romance. If you ask me, Ursula (voice of Pat Carroll) was truly diabolical. In addition, she was very unattractive. On the other hand, Ariel (voice of Jodi Benson) could truly sing. Well, despite the fact that everyone in this film could sing, Ariel was the best. This was probably be because she did most of the singing. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say everyone involved in this film did very well. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this charming Disney romance to all of you who haven't seen it. You're in for a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.
A triumph
posted on 31 Jul 2009Within the 30 years between 'Sleeping Beauty' and this film it seemed Disney's animated films weren't quite as big a deal as they had been. That's not to say films like 'Peter Pan,' The Jungle Book,' and '101 Dalmations' didn't get any attention and didn't do well in their own right, but it just wasn't the same. One thing I learned when watching the features on the Special Edition DVD of 'The Little Mermaid' that I hadn't known was that the company was considering shutting down the animation department. Then, something happened that changed everything and did a lot of good. This gem is far from the forgettable direct-to-video sequels and occasional misfires we've gotten from Disney. It's the real deal! Pros: Stellar animation and vibrant colors. Catchy songs that, unlike in some animated films, tell us a story. Great voice acting and singing. Plenty of memorable characters. Many funny, exciting, scary, and heartwarming moments. Last, but not least, a beautiful score.Cons: Not a bad thing I can see here. Maybe the film could have been a bit longer, but that's hardly a flaw really.Final thoughts: Not only is this an amazing film, but what it did for Disney is nothing short of, well, amazing. A few years before it was made, the studio was going to close the department down. So I guess you could say that if it weren't for the people who made this film, we wouldn't have the great animated films that came later and what may be the most important part of Disney Studios might not have existed today. On top of that this movie is one of those films that you can watch over and over and never tire of it because it's just that magical.My rating: 5/5
Pure Genius!
posted on 07 Jul 2009How can anyone not love this film? I don't think there is a girl/mum/woman/granny/sister/daughter out there who has not dreamt of being that feisty teenager who has nothing to loose, but her voice! The musical score that accompanies this film is pure genius and is performed to perfection. Now, I love most Disney films I have to admit, and I am not going to pretend that this is THE best but it's certainly one of them, up there with Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King, so anyone who says that this film is no good, has obviously not seen it! The despair that we see in Ariel's face as she watches her beloved Eric announce his engagement to Ursula (of all people) just shows why this film has stood the test of time, and I can guarantee that any child who likes Disney now, if shown The Little Mermaid, will go the swimming pool twice as often as before and start trying to swim like Ariel, or sing like Ariel, or dream of finding their very own Eric! I could sit here and compliment the animation, and the direction, and the voices, and the music of this film until I am blue in the face but I would still not account for the most important thing that gives this film that little extra........and that's the magic of Disney. The magic of make believe and wonder, and that feeling you get when you are a child of how anything can happen. You really get this feeling from The Little Mermaid, a feeling you don't get from other Disney films, like Bedknobs and Broomsticks, or (to some extent) Mary Poppins. Finally, I know I can vouch for all my family when I say that the ending, is masterfully done the way only Disney know how, there was not a dry eye in the house, honest! Now I am 15 years old and I am not a mother, and I don't have any little siblings, so I haven't seen this film in quite a while, but it has stuck with me for this long, and I am not ashamed to say this, but I can still sing along to all the songs, and I do sometimes, when I am alone and I feel happy - 'I Want To Be Where The People Are' suddenly pops in my head. So, don't underestimate the potential of this film, if you are looking for a little touch of magic, of childhood, look no further.
Almost as good as the Disney Classics
posted on 04 Jul 2009I grew up watching all the Disney Classics like Snow White, and Bambi. Before this movie came out, I had written off Disney animated films.This is a retelling of the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale about a mermaid (Ariel)who falls in love with a human. She goes to the fearsome sea witch (Ursula) for help. The sea witch agrees to help, but the cost is high, she wants Ariel's voice. Now, human legs in place, she has three days to get the prince to fall in love with her and kiss her.Here is where this movie gets "Disneyfied" and gets a happier ending than the classic. In the classic fairy tale, she doesn't win out. Instead, she throws herself back into the sea where she bursts into a million bubbles.Having said that, the music, the animation and the script are all up to the original Walt Disney standards and is definitely worth watching...over and over again!
What?
posted on 28 Jun 2009It's a real shame I have to put in the first truly negative review, because this has to be THE most overrated film of all time. It was cute when I was 9, but I'm all grown up now.The acting and singing are really lame, and the fact Menken and Ashman, who created the classic music for Little Shop of Horrors would stoop this low is beyond me. This isn't even the first of the new classics, wither - that honor belongs to Oliver and Company, which is better, certainly underrated.The only things that comes remotely close to saving this movie is Buddy Hackett as the bird. But he couldn't save this waste of 82 minutes.Bottom Line: Unless you're under the age of 12, AVOID this movie at all costs. Otherwise, you will have that haunting reggae melody in your head for days, and it will drive you insane!
Gorgeous
posted on 29 May 2009Ariel is a fiery, independent teenage mermaid who falls in love with a prince. She literally makes a deal with the devil to get her man. I love how sweet Ariel is with Eric, especially when she can't talk! Sebastian, Scuttle, and Flounder are all very funny, the animation, voice-overs and music are incredible! Who can resist the urge to sing and dance to "Under The Sea"? A fun, enjoyable movie that the whole family will love and treasure.
Highest possible recommendation.
posted on 25 Feb 2009This film was the first of the "new generation" (i.e. post-Michael-Eisner) of Disney animated classics, and remains the best of the new breed. Jodi Benson's voice as Ariel the Mermaid is unmatched in vocal quality -- she's literally the best singer I've ever heard. The animation is Disney-quality (i.e. wonderful), and there are lots and lots of little "underwater touches" in the movie, such as when Triton says, "I consider myself a reasonable merman" instead of "reasonable man." You don't notice them overtly, but they slip their way into your subconscious, so that you really believe you are watching what goes on "under the sea". Add to that a fabulous Allen Menken score and witty Howard Ashman lyrics, sung by Jodi's voice, and you've got what I consider to be the greatest musical film (of any type, including those with live actors) ever made. Highest possible recommendation.
The Little Mermaid
posted on 11 Jan 2009I was 7 years old when "The Little Mermaid" was released in 1989, and it became an overnight classic. I never got to see it in the theaters, but once it was released on video, I mooched off the opportunity to see from anyone who happened own it. I was caught up the aesthetic trappings: the dazzling bright colors, hummable songs (Under the Sea won the Oscar for best song… who knew?), and the refreshingly spunky heroine Ariel, a nice antidote to the more passive Disney princesses of yesteryear. And you should have heard all the off-key renditions of "Part of Your World" that every girl under the age of 15 were belting (raises hand guiltily).Now that I'm 24, older and more cynical, I recently watched the brand new 2-disc DVD of "The Little Mermaid" and must say that it does look better than ever. The older side of me appreciates the mechanics of the animation. Hand drawn animation is becoming a rarity these days and "The Little Mermaid" is easily right up there with "The Wizard of Oz" and "An American in Paris" as one of the best-looking and most colorful films ever made. The character animation is also superb, especially on Ariel. She spends a good portion of the movie silent, so the animators really live up to the challenge of giving her face emotion. I especially love how they dare to allow her to look silly with her facial expressions from time to time (unlike Botox-faced Cinderella or Aurora). I especially love the villain Ursula: lusty, histrionic, and bad to the bone, she's the most entertaining Disney villain in many a moon. Not to mention the most competent: she has henchmen who actually do her bidding correctly, and Ursula is so resourceful and calculating, she practically wins at the end! Pretty impressive, I must say! Pat Carroll deserves special praise as Ursula, whose croaky voice brings to mind Lauren Bacall in a particularly foul mood. The North Carolina-born Samuel E. Wright gives Sebastian a delightful Caribbean accent that never becomes too stereotypical. The late Buddy Hackett, with his decidedly grating voice, as a seagull; c'mon, casting doesn't get any better than that! Yet the real star is Jodi Benson as Ariel. Her sweet, Broadway-friendly voice is packed with feisty innocence and wistful longing. Like Judy Garland and "Over the Rainbow", you can't picture anyone else warbling "Part of Your World".Now for the cynical side of my review: It's understandable that the good folks at Disney wanted to make a happy ending. After all, in the Hans Christian Anderson tale, the mermaid not only trades her voice for legs (by having her tongue cut out… ouch!), but also loses the prince to another woman, so she throws herself into the sea and dies (but at least she goes to heaven). Yet the ending goes out of its way to be happy and it borders on downright saccharine, ending not only with a wedding but also with a parting shot of a rainbow. While I appreciate how the character of Ariel paved the way for the more modern, headstrong Disney female characters (especially my favorites, Belle and Mulan), she's hardly the exemplary "Woman of the '90s" critics make her out to be. Let's not forget that our spunky heroine essentially sells her soul to the evil Ursula just so she can hook up with some guy she's never had so much as a conversation with. And Prince Eric just never seemed worth it to me, he's so vapid and void of personality. I always root for Ariel, at least up to that point, and then I can't help but think, "what an idiot!" All in all, "The Little Mermaid" is a guilty pleasure and is a perfectly good addition to your Disney library.
A classic!
posted on 11 Jan 2009THE LITTLE MERMAID(1989)**** Voices of Jodi Benson, Chris Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, and Jason Marin.In this disney picture, a mermaid named Ariel(Jodi Benson) is interested in humans and goes to sunken ships and stuff to look for human belongings. One day, Ursula(Pat Carroll) gives Ariel an offer. Ariel could become a human in exchange for her voice. This is by far my favorite disney picture of all and almost my favorite picture of all time. I love everything about the little mermaid. The scenery is spectacular, and the actors are great, too. A mezmorizing picture that will still be enjoyed 20 years from now! Recommended to anyone from the ages of 1 to 100!
The Best Animated Movie I Have Ever Seen.
posted on 05 Jan 2009The voices are great, the story is terrific, the songs are better than words and the animation is perfect. The best animated film I have ever seen by far.Ariel is a teenage mermaid who is closely watched over by her father, King Triton. She is in love with the world above the sea and wishes to go up there one day. She loves Prince Eric from the moment she meets him, but there are some nasty tricks from the scariest monster in the sea called Ursula.I just loved it. My rating : 10/10. My no. 9 best movie.
The Disney Animated Renaissance Begins...
posted on 15 Nov 2008With "The Little Mermaid," Walt Disney animation began a new renaissance comparable to Walt's beloved classics. Disney's adaption of Hans Christian Anderson's tale introduces us to "Little Shop of Horrors" musical composer Alan Menken, who begins his juggernaut victories every other year. Deservedly so! Menken's co-collaborator, Howard Ashman, outs him in fine form. The songs are simple, yet brilliant. As for Ariel's story, it's pure fun and frolic, with a bit of danger swimming on the side. The film's pace never lets up.
Probably worst Disney film
posted on 10 Oct 2008This film is totally overestimated. I acknowledge the songs. They are good,; Disney songs usually are good. But otherwise I cannot see any good points of the film.The story is only to be called crappy. The love story is superficial and in mine eyes not really persuading. The typical Disney villain is, well, typical but not really much else. The same goes for Triton; as a matter of fact there isn't much of character in him. The entire storyline is completely predictable. And the ending...When I saw it, about the last 5 minutes of the film, I only thought, like: "That is the most ridiculous ending you have ever seen." Finally, the animation. It may be personal preferences and such, but from my point of view it did quite well with the nonhuman things, but sucked portraying the prince or Ariel. Ariel was sort of the most hideously drawn main character up till then.Thus my opinion about the film: You can watch it one time, but you will never watch it twice.PS: Oh, and about the whole Disney classics thing: a film of 1989 is no classic! A film of the forties or fifties is a classic (and classics have a quality never reached since). Pray do not desecrate the holy classics of early Disney animation by calling every puny film after not even two decades a goddamn classic.
The beginning of the Renaissance!
posted on 07 Sep 2008The Little Mermaid is a delight. A story about a mermaid princess named Ariel who is more interested in Human life that sea life. She becomes infatuated with a prince named Eric and even saves his life after a storm. She makes a bargain with a sea witch named Ursula to become a human for 3 days. In return she loses her voice which is what the Eric remembers about the girl who saved him. The songs in the film are memorable. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who wrote songs for Little Shop Of Horrors, wrote the songs in the films. Alan Menken also scored the film. He continues with Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and Hercules. A great film worth 10 out of 10!
Least objectionable of the new Disney movies
posted on 04 Sep 2008This movie has a lot of enjoyable features to it, and is not too badly tainted by Disney's now omnipresent anti-male, anti-tradition bias. Ariel is for the most part a genuinely appealing character, and only occasionally falls into the California brat style that Disney movies usually present as their ideal. The anti-male bias comes out in the treatment of her father, King Triton, who is presented as a bigoted blowhard, but he also is allowed to be a popular and kind-hearted ruler, and genuinely fond of his children, which balances the picture to some extent. On the other hand, he is the one who has to learn that he is wrong, not Ariel, whose foolishness puts everyone in peril. When she disappears to pursue Prince Eric, it is her father who is left worried and regretting what he has done, while she is having a carefree adventure on dry land. The handsome prince is a bore, as is usually the case in these movies, but Sebastian and Ursula are presented with a lot of energy and provide the funniest moments in the film.
The Little Mermaid is not only just one of the best, but it also saved Disney's franchise
posted on 04 Sep 2008Such a beautiful story. Even though I had seen a lot of Disney movies during my childhood, I never saw The Little Mermaid until I was 10 at my elementary school. I still remember when I was excited to watch it because and I loved it. Mostly because of the songs and also the gorgeous animation. But the thing I love most about this movie is the music, which won an Oscar for best score, and it really deserved it. The music in this film just never gets old and boring. Ursula is a great villain. She's just so wicked and a pro at being a con-artist. And Floatsam and Jetsam, her two eel henchmen, have such an eerie voice that will give you the chills. So all in all, this is an excellent movie, that I would recommend to anybody, not just girls. It's one of the best Disney films and saved Disney's franchise after releasing some not so successful films in the 1980's.Rating: 10/10 Grade: A+
Why can't we have more of this?
posted on 29 Aug 2008This is such a wonderful story. I love this movie. I remember watching the movie when I was younger and laughing at the prate falls and other obvious funny moments. It wasn't until recently that I noticed all, well most, of the subtle lines of dialog and lyrics. To this day Under the Sea is my favorite song for the lyrics. It is just perfect! (As a matter of fact I'm listening to it as I write this.)With most Disney movies the songs are just there for fun, but with this, they help move the story along. Think about it. Bear Nessecities, what did that accomplish, except take up a couple of minutes. But if you listen to the songs of The Little Mermaid, they have something to offer the story. Just look at Kiss the Girl.Man I wish more movies could be like this.
Disappointing
posted on 14 Aug 2008After watching The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver & Company, I decided to see The Little Mermaid. I went into the cinema with high expectations, but I came out wishing I could have spent those 82 minutes doing something more worthwhile, like watching grass grow, or paint dry. I almost stopped watching Disney movies. But my faith was restored when The Rescuers Down Under came out the next year, and Disney continued with good movies with Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Now I enjoy Disney movies, but I have always avoided that abhorrent, detestable film called The Little Mermaid. If you've never watched this movie - DON'T!
Great movie for little kids
posted on 05 Aug 2008I saw this movie when I was very young and I loved it. It had a perfect fairy-tale ending and totally followed the formula for Disney movies in a great way. It really got it's message across with catchy tunes and fun characters.On the down side, while it had a great message, it didn't stay true to what Hans Christian Andersen wrote. I hadn't read Andersen's version until very recently, but I loved it. I thought it had a much better and far more realistic message than the Disney movie. Andersen said that if you're a good person, while you may not get your reward in life, being good is it's own reward. Disney, on the other hand, said that if you risk everything for the one you love, things will work out in the end. While that's a nice message for little kids that is very unrealistic. Good people are hurt all the time.I've heard people say that if girls grow up watching this, they will learn that big breasts, a small waist, and having a man by your side are what's important in life. This movie was made the year I was born, so naturally, I grew up on it. I don't hold myself to unrealistic standards or feel like I must have a man to go on. So, while I don't know about all the other little girls out there, but Disney didn't corrupt me.
Good Music, Near-Good Entertainment
posted on 03 Jul 2008This is the one. This is the film that started the era of Disney films that were multi-million hits. The Little Mermaid made a huge $84 million on its initial release, and with totals of the 1997 re-release bringing it up. The Little Mermaid is possibly one the best Disney films from the 1980s.The film is based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen. However, there is a good plot, and some entertainment, but what really fills it up is the quality, memorable songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The animation is spectacular with some nice computer animation in there.But it isn't Disney's greatest, but still worthy. I happen to have banned version of the VHS tape from 1990. If you have it, hold onto it, it's rare.
Always been a favorite!
posted on 21 Aug 2009I've watched this movie since I was born basically, and I've loved it since I first saw it. The storyline, while not too complex, is captivating in a way, and the colors and scenery breathtaking. I couldn't get over the chemistry between characters and the catchy tunes when I was young.Recently, at 16, I saw the movie again, for the first time in MANY years. Even still, I loved this movie. I was again captivated by these same things, and learned to love the awkwardly adorable character of Eric (he makes me laugh n.n) I still find myself knowing the words to the songs, and singing along with them. The chemistry between him and Ariel when she can't speak is charming, and sweet to watch. I believe this is one of the last good Disney movies, and it will always be my favorite.With Disney releasing all of the classics on DVD, I hope to acquire all of my favorites, and raise my children on movies such as this, just as I was raised. These movies always had something beneficial to the children, and this is my favorite by far.