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The Little Mermaid (1989)

7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 86,433 users  
Reviews: 178 user | 64 critic

A mermaid princess makes a faustian bargain with an unscrupulous seahag in order to meet a human prince on land.

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Title: The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Little Mermaid (1989) on IMDb 7.5/10

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Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Louis (voice)
...
Eric (voice)
...
Ariel / Vanessa (voice)
...
Ursula (voice)
...
...
Scuttle (voice)
Jason Marin ...
Flounder (voice)
...
Triton (voice)
...
Carlotta (voice)
...
Seahorse (voice)
Ben Wright ...
Grimsby (voice)
...
Sebastian (voice)
Hamilton Camp ...
(voice)
Debbie Shapiro Gravitte ...
(voice) (as Debbie Shapiro)
Robert Weil ...
(voice)
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

mermaid | sea | king | prince | sea witch | See more »

Taglines:

Love has no boundaries. See more »


Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

|

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Little Mermaid 3D  »

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 463,361 (Germany) (24 July 1998)

Gross:

£1,703,401 (UK) (28 August 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints) (original release)| (re-release) (1997)| (re-release) (1997)| (35 mm prints) (original release)| (re-release) (1997)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When The Little Mermaid earned four Golden Globe nominations in 1990, it not only became the first full-length animated feature film to be nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, but it also became the first animated feature to be nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe Award, of any genre, in general. Even though it did not win, Disney's Beauty and the Beast would later on to become the first animated feature film to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), two years later. See more »

Goofs

During the dressing room scene with Ariel and her sisters, the sea flower she picks for her father does not appear until just after she looks at herself in the mirror. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Prince Eric: Isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face... aaah, the perfect day to be at sea!
Grimsby: [leaning over rail] Oh, yes... urp... delightful.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"The Wedding March"
(1843) (uncredited)
from "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61"
Written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Hummed by Buddy Hackett (Scuttle)
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

May Have Saved Disney's Movie Franchise.
3 July 2002 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Disney animated films had become somewhat second-rate by 1989 and it appeared that one of the great genres in the cinema was on life-support. But that all changed with "The Little Mermaid". The film is a cinematic classic that tells the story of a young mermaid princess who just wants to be human so she makes a deal with an evil sea witch to get her wish, but she loses her beautiful voice in the process and she must be kissed by her true love to get it back. A really great motion picture that has some really memorable songs in it. 5 stars out of 5.


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