The Little Mermaid (1989) movie poster

The Little Mermaid (1989)

"Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy."
ThumbScore
👍 80%Google users liked it ⓘ
Critics Score
🎬 90%
AnimationFamilyFantasy

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Where to Watch

Streaming
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Director
John Musker, Ron Clements
Runtime
1h 23m
Rated
G
Country
United States of America
Language
English
TMDB Rating
7.4/10 (8,338 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
88

Cast

Jodi Benson as Ariel / Vanessa (voice) · 73% avg
Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian (voice) · 76% avg
Pat Carroll as Ursula (voice)
Christopher Daniel Barnes as Prince Eric (voice) · 73% avg
Kenneth Mars as King Triton (voice) · 72% avg
Buddy Hackett as Scuttle (voice) · 77% avg
Jason Marin as Flounder (voice)
René Auberjonois as Louis (voice) · 74% avg

Is The Little Mermaid good?

Most people think so. 80% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 90%.

Where it ranks on ThumbScore

Rank in its genre
#285 / 661 · Animation
Rank in its year
#40 / 65 · 1989
Rank among its director's films
#7 / 7 · John Musker

By audience score, among films with 500 or more votes.

Overview

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. Wikipedia ↗

About the Film

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical romantic fantasy produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, the film follows Ariel, a 16-year-old mermaid princess voiced by Jodi Benson, who is fascinated by the human world above the ocean's surface. After falling in love with Prince Eric, Ariel makes a desperate bargain with the sea witch Ursula, voiced by Pat Carroll, trading her beautiful voice for human legs to pursue her dream of living on land.

The Little Mermaid is widely credited with single-handedly launching the Disney Renaissance, the period of critical and commercial revival that would produce some of the studio's most beloved films. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's score, featuring "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," and "Kiss the Girl," brought a Broadway musical sensibility to Disney animation that revitalized the studio's storytelling approach. Jodi Benson's vocal performance gave Ariel a warmth and yearning that made her immediately sympathetic.

Pat Carroll's Ursula, inspired by the drag performer Divine, was one of Disney's most entertainingly villainous creations. The Little Mermaid earned $211 million worldwide and won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

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What Reddit Thinks

r/movies
⬆ 58,754💬 921 comments
John Musker, the Co-Director of 'The Little Mermaid', 'Aladdin', and 'Moana' retires from Disney after 40 years of work.
Top comment: "This guy has an impressive directing filmography at Disney: -The Great Mouse Detective -The Little..."
r/MovieDetails
⬆ 36,749💬 342 comments
In The Little Mermaid (1989), you can see the king and his advisor from Cinderella (1950) at the wedding.
Top comment: "Hi! This is our new Moviedetailsmodbot! --- If this post fits /r/MovieDetails, UPVOTE this..."
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