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The Little Mermaid (1989)

Trailer
1:32 | Trailer
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.
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Popularity
1,275
Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rene Auberjonois ... Louis (voice) (as René Auberjonois)
Christopher Daniel Barnes ... Eric (voice)
Jodi Benson ... Ariel (voice)
Pat Carroll ... Ursula (voice)
Paddi Edwards ... Flotsam / Jetsam (voice)
Buddy Hackett ... Scuttle (voice)
Jason Marin Jason Marin ... Flounder (voice)
Kenneth Mars ... Triton (voice)
Edie McClurg ... Carlotta (voice)
Will Ryan ... Seahorse (voice)
Ben Wright ... Grimsby (voice)
Samuel E. Wright ... Sebastian (voice)
Hamilton Camp ... Additional Voices (voice)
Debbie Shapiro Gravitte Debbie Shapiro Gravitte ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Debbie Shapiro)
Robert Weil ... Additional Voices (voice)
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Storyline

In Disney's beguiling animated romp, rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter. Written by Jwelch5742

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy. See more »


Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Daniel Barnes was only 16 years old when he recorded his voice for Prince Eric - the producers felt his voice sounded much older than he really was. See more »

Goofs

When Eric is waiting for Ariel to arrive at dinner, he doesn't cast a shadow. 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. Delightful.
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Alternate Versions

1998 USA VHS release has credits barn-doored with a music video making most of the credits impossible to read and giving the general impression of a TV showing of the film. See more »

Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Balto II: Wolf Quest (2019) See more »

Soundtracks

Part of Your World (Reprise)
(1989) (uncredited)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Performed by Jodi Benson (Ariel)
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User Reviews

 
Loved this film when I was younger and still love it now
1 May 2011 | by thomvicSee all my reviews

The Little Mermaid is one of those films I grew up with when I was a kid - something that the whole family can watch and never really get sick of. The imagination brought into this fairy tale (despite the fact that the ending is vastly changed from the original to please the kids) is simply superb. Songs, music, characters are all terrific.

While I think Beauty and the Beast stands as Disney's best animated film, The Little Mermaid is still one of the top ones to check out. A story about Aeriel - the young mermaid curious about the human world who ends up falling for Prince Eric of the human race.

And all the other cute characters such as Sebastian, Flounder, not to mention a very sinister villain with the Sea Witch. It all makes for a great time and has a good deal of emotion in it too.

I really miss Disney films made in this era - they were done so well and I will always be a huge fan of them. The ones nowadays - while they aren't horrible, just seem to be a bit too modern and hence don't have that magic as the old ones - probably because they focus more on doing references to other things rather than coming up with original ideas that felt fresh.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Little Mermaid 3D See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,031,914, 19 November 1989

Gross USA:

$111,543,479

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$211,343,479
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo | Dolby Atmos (Ultra HD Blu-ray release) (2019)| SDDS (re-release)| Dolby Digital (re-release)| DTS (re-release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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