The Little Mermaid

"Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy."

1989 1h 23m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 8,602

AnimationFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

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This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.

“Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jodi Benson
Ariel (voice)
Samuel E. Wright
Sebastian (voice)
Pat Carroll
Ursula (voice)
Christopher Daniel Barnes
Eric (voice)
Kenneth Mars
Triton (voice)
Buddy Hackett
Scuttle (voice)
Jason Marin
Flounder (voice)
René Auberjonois
Louis (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Musker
Writers: John Musker, Ron Clements, Matthew O'Callaghan
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Little Mermaid Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

224+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alan Menken. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark A. Hester shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Musker directs. Alan Menken scores. Mark A. Hester cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Made its money back 5.3× over at the box office.
337 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5Part of the "The Little Mermaid Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6224+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
7Original score by Alan Menken. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Mark A. Hester shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Jodi Benson and Samuel E. Wright and Pat Carroll carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy.".
11IMDB entry: tt0097757 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12The top-rated still from this film on TMDB has 6 community votes — a signal the frame composition stuck with viewers.
13Classified under 25 themes, including "witch", "princess", "sea", "daughter".
14Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Original score: Alan Menken
Editing: Mark A. Hester
VFX supervisor: Mark Dindal
Sound: Mel Metcalfe
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $211,343,479
Return: 528% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Little Mermaid (1989)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Score
Academy Award for Best Original Song

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Little Mermaid Collection

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a direct-to-video sequel to the first film. It was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on VHS in the United States on September 19, 2000. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a direct-to-video prequel to the first film. The film was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on August 26, 2008, and on Region 2 DVD in Europe on September 22, 2008.