The Little Mermaid is a collection of movies, shows, and other media created by The Walt Disney Company. It is based on the story "The Little Mermaid," written by Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen. The 1989 animated film was very successful, leading to the creation of a sequel, a prequel, a television series, a musical, video games, theme park attractions, and other products. A live-action version of the film was released in 2023. The success of the original film helped start what became known as the Disney Renaissance, making it the first film of that time period.

Development

The Little Mermaid was first planned as part of one of Walt Disney's earliest feature films, a film that would include short stories based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Work on the project began shortly after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the late 1930s, but it was paused because of different problems.

In 1985, Ron Clements, who later co-directed The Great Mouse Detective, found a collection of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales while looking through a bookstore. He shared a two-page idea for a movie based on "The Little Mermaid" with Disney leaders Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg during an idea meeting. At first, Eisner and Katzenberg did not support the project because Disney was working on a sequel to a live-action film called Splash (1984) and thought The Little Mermaid might be too similar. However, the next day, Katzenberg approved the idea for further development. During production in the 1980s, Disney staff discovered original story and artwork from the 1930s project, created by Kay Nielsen. Many changes made in the 1930s to Andersen’s story were the same as changes made by Disney writers in the 1980s. That year, Clements and John Musker, the other co-director of The Great Mouse Detective, expanded the two-page idea into a 20-page rough script. They removed the mermaid’s grandmother from the story and gave more importance to the Merman King and the sea witch.

In 1987, Howard Ashman joined the project after being asked to write a song for Oliver & Company. He suggested changing a minor character, Clarence the crab, to be a Jamaican Rastafarian crab and adjusting the music style to match this change. At the same time, Katzenberg, Clements, Musker, and Ashman changed the story to make it a musical with a structure similar to a Broadway show, where songs are key parts of the story. Ashman and composer Alan Menken, known for their work on the musical Little Shop of Horrors, created all the songs for the film.

The film’s soundtrack, The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, includes songs written by Ashman and Menken, as well as music composed by Menken. The album won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. By February 2007, it had received a 6× Platinum certification from the RIAA. In 2010, Rhapsody named it one of the greatest Disney soundtracks. To celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, an expanded version of the soundtrack was released in 2014 as part of Walt Disney Records: The Legacy Collection.

In addition to the soundtrack, The Little Mermaid inspired other albums. Sebastian from The Little Mermaid and Sebastian: Party Gras! include cover versions of calypso and reggae songs. All songs are performed by Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian the crab, except "Dancing Mood" and "Dance the Day Away," which are performed by Jodi Benson as Ariel. Jodi Benson also sings with Sebastian on "Day-O." Jason Marin provides the speaking voice of Flounder in some tracks. The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea is a concept album that tells the story of a typical day in Ariel’s life, set before the events of the first film.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording is the album for the stage musical version of the film. It includes performances by the show’s cast, such as Tituss Burgess, Sherie Rene Scott, Norm Lewis, Eddie Korbich, and newcomer Sierra Boggess as Ariel.

Common elements

Ariel is a 16-year-old mermaid princess who is unhappy living underwater and wants to learn about humans, even though her father, King Triton, dislikes humans. One night, Ariel, her friend Flounder, and Sebastian go to the ocean surface to watch Prince Eric’s birthday celebration. Ariel falls in love with Eric. A storm hits, and Eric nearly drowns saving his dog, Max, but Ariel saves him by pulling him to the beach. She sings to Eric but dives underwater when Max returns. Later, Eric remembers hearing a girl with a beautiful voice save him and promises to find her. Ariel vows to find a way to be with Eric.

King Triton and his daughters notice Ariel is acting differently, as she is lovesick. Triton asks Sebastian about Ariel’s behavior, and Sebastian accidentally tells him about Ariel saving Eric. Triton becomes angry and destroys Ariel’s collection of human items with his trident. After Triton leaves, two eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, tell Ariel she must visit Ursula, a sea witch, to make her dreams come true. Ursula offers Ariel a deal: she will turn Ariel into a human for three days, but Ariel must give up her voice as payment. Ursula removes Ariel’s voice and stores it in a shell.

Eric and Max find Ariel on the beach. At first, Eric thinks she is the girl who saved him, but when he learns she cannot speak, he doubts this. Ariel spends time with Eric, and on the second day, they almost kiss but are stopped by Flotsam and Jetsam. Ursula, pretending to be a human named Vanessa, sings with Ariel’s voice and tricks Eric into forgetting Ariel. The next day, Ariel learns Eric will marry Vanessa on a ship. She cries as the wedding barge leaves. Scuttle tells Ariel that Vanessa is actually Ursula. Ariel and Flounder chase the barge while Sebastian warns Triton. With help from animals, the shell holding Ariel’s voice is broken, restoring her voice and freeing Eric from Ursula’s spell. Eric realizes Ariel saved him and tries to kiss her, but the sun sets, turning Ariel back into a mermaid. Ursula captures Ariel.

Triton confronts Ursula but cannot break their deal. Triton sacrifices himself, becoming a polyp. Ursula takes Triton’s crown and trident, which she planned to steal. She grows giant, creates a whirlpool, and attacks ships. Eric uses the ship to stab Ursula, killing her. Ursula’s power fades, and Triton and others return to their original forms. Triton then changes Ariel into a human with his trident. Ariel and Eric marry.

The story of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea follows Ariel’s daughter, Melody, who wants to explore the ocean and is tricked by Ursula’s sister, Morgana, into stealing the Trident. This film repeats events from the first movie, including Morgana’s desire for the Trident and revenge against Triton.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning takes place before the first movie. King Triton bans music in Atlantica, and Ariel, her sisters, Sebastian, and Flounder rebel. A greedy official, Marina Del Rey, tries to take Sebastian’s job.

This section lists characters who appear in multiple films.
• indicates a character’s voice in disguise.
• indicates a character’s singing voice.

Animated feature films

The Little Mermaid is the first film in the franchise. It was made by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released in theaters on November 17, 1989, by Walt Disney Pictures. Ron Clements and John Musker directed the film, and John Musker and Howard Ashman produced it. The film was very successful with both critics and audiences. The Little Mermaid is part of a time in Disney history called the Disney Renaissance. The story is based on a fairy tale written in 1837 by Hans Christian Andersen with the same name. In 2022, The Little Mermaid was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress because it is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a sequel to the first film. It was released on VHS in the United States on September 19, 2000, by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith directed the film, and Leslie Hough and David Lovegren produced it. In 2006, the film was released together with the original film in Region 2. The original DVD version is no longer available. A special edition DVD with a deleted song called "Gonna Get My Wish" and a new game was released on December 16, 2008. Unlike the first film, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea received mostly negative reviews from critics. Some critics said the film repeated the story of the first film, but the character of Melody was praised.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a prequel to the original film. It 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. Peggy Holmes directed the film, and Kendra Halland produced it. The film includes special features such as deleted scenes, a production featurette hosted by the director, games and activities, and a featurette hosted by Sierra Boggess about the Broadway musical. The film received mixed reviews. Some praised the animation quality, but others criticized the music and the new villain, Marina Del Rey, for not being as good as those in the original film.

Live-action remake

In May 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Disney was working on a live-action version of the film. Three months later, it was announced that Alan Menken would return as the film's composer and write new songs with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who would also help produce the movie with Marc Platt. In December 2018, Rob Marshall was officially chosen as the film's director.

Halle Bailey was cast in the main role as Ariel, and Jonah Hauer-King was cast as Prince Eric. Javier Bardem plays her father, King Triton, while Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, and Nora "Awkwafina" Lum play Ursula, Flounder, and a character who is a different gender than in the original story, respectively.

Main filming was originally planned to start in April 2020, but the film's production was paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was expected to begin as early as July or August 2020. Eventually, filming began by the end of January 2021 at Pinewood Studios in Iver, England. Additional scenes were filmed in Sardinia for about three months during the summer of 2021. Filming ended on July 11, 2021. The film was released on May 26, 2023.

Television

Disney's The Little Mermaid is an animated TV show that follows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid before the events of the first movie. This series was the first Disney TV show created from a major animated film. The show began in the fall of 1992 with an animated special called "A Whale of a Tale" and later moved to Saturday mornings. It originally aired on CBS from 1992 to 1994. Later, it was shown again on The Disney Channel and Toon Disney. Some episodes include musical numbers with songs written specifically for the series. The show's opening theme combines parts of the songs "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," and "Kiss the Girl."

Shorts featuring Sebastian were also shown as part of another Disney Saturday morning series, Marsupilami, which aired on CBS from 1993 to 1995.

On May 16, 2017, ABC announced plans to broadcast The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live on October 3, 2017. This event would have combined a screening of the film with a concert-style format, similar to live TV productions of Broadway musicals. However, the plan was canceled in August 2017 due to budget problems. In August 2019, ABC revived the project and scheduled it for November 5, 2019. The show would feature Auliʻi Cravalho as Ariel, Queen Latifah as Ursula, and Shaggy as Sebastian. Other cast members included John Stamos as Chef Louis, Amber Riley as the Daughters of Triton Emcee, and Graham Phillips as Prince Eric. The special would include music from the film and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway version, performed live in front of an audience with a large projection screen. The show was produced by Done+Dusted, with Hamish Hamilton and Richard Kraft as producers. It was intended to be ABC's first live musical. The air date was chosen to coincide with the November 12, 2019, launch of Disney+ and to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary. Jodi Benson introduced the special.

At the 2023 Annecy Festival, Disney announced a new animated series titled Ariel for Disney Junior. The show will follow a young Ariel, with character design influenced by Halle Bailey's portrayal of the character and an art style similar to the original film. The series premiered on June 27, 2024.

Stage musical

A version of the musical that played on stage before its Broadway debut premiered in September 2007 in Denver, Colorado, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The music was composed by Alan Menken, the lyrics were written by Glenn Slater, and the story was written by Doug Wright. The musical started performing on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3, 2007, and officially opened on January 10, 2008. The original cast included Sierra Boggess as Ariel, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, Eddie Korbich as Scuttle, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as Flounder, and John Treacy Egan as Chef Louis. Later, Faith Prince performed as Ursula and Drew Seeley performed as Eric.

The show ended its Broadway run on August 30, 2009, after 685 performances and 50 previews.

Video games

There are several video games based on the films, and characters from the movies have appeared in other games that include characters from different stories.

The Little Mermaid video game was created by Capcom for the NES and Game Boy and released in 1991. It is a game for one player where the player controls Ariel in a side-scrolling adventure to defeat Ursula. In the game, Ariel has already met Eric and plans to marry him, but Ursula has taken control of the ocean. After explaining the situation to Eric, Ariel becomes a mermaid again and sets out to rescue the sea. The game is viewed from the side, and Ariel swims most of the time but sometimes jumps on land. She can shoot bubbles to trap enemies and then throw them at other enemies or bosses. She can also dig in the sand to find treasure and collect sea shells to open chests. Treasure found in the sand gives bonus points, while treasure in chests increases the power and range of her bubbles. The gameplay is similar to other Capcom games, such as Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and DuckTales, where characters shoot bubbles from their tails to attack enemies. Ariel can also collect icons in the game to restore health, gain extra lives, or increase the range and power of her bubbles.

There are differences between the NES and Game Boy versions of the game. In the NES version, Ariel starts at the top of the screen and moves to the starting point, while in the Game Boy version, she begins at the starting position. The sound effects and background music are different in each version. The background music in the NES version plays only once at the start of each stage, while the Game Boy version allows the music to repeat. The Game Boy version has simpler backgrounds than the NES version. When a heart is lost, it turns into a heart frame in the NES version but disappears in the Game Boy version. The musical scales and speeds of the boss music also differ between the versions.

Another game, Ariel the Little Mermaid, was published by Sega in 1992 for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Game Gear (a version for the Master System was released in Brazil by Tec Toy). Players can control either Ariel or King Triton to defeat Ursula. To rescue characters, players swim into them as they stand in fixed spots in the underwater world, while avoiding enemies like eels, clams, sharks, and other sea creatures. Friends like Flounder and Sebastian can be summoned for help.

The Little Mermaid Pinball is a Windows game based on the movie. It was developed by Disney Online and released in multiple languages, including English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms, created by Buena Vista Games, was released for the Game Boy Advance. A handheld LCD game titled The Little Mermaid was also released in 1993 by Tiger Electronics.

An interactive storybook version of The Little Mermaid was released on November 25, 1997, for PCs. Players can create their own story using words and pictures.

The Little Mermaid II is based on the movie The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. It features characters from both movies and follows Ariel and her daughter, Melody, on a mission to rescue Prince Eric and stop Ursula and Morgana. The game is a side-scrolling adventure developed by Blitz Games and published by THQ for the Sony PlayStation. It was first released in North America on September 24, 2000, and later in PAL regions.

The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy is a pinball game based on The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. It was developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. It was first released in North America and later in PAL regions.

Disney's The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure was released for the Nintendo DS on October 2, 2006.

Characters and settings from the first movie appear in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games by Disney and Square. Atlantica is a world in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts II. Ariel appears as a character in the first game, and Ursula is the boss in that world. Ursula also appears as a boss in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and Ariel returns as a summonable character in Kingdom Hearts III.

Ariel's Musical Surprise was released for iOS on October 10, 2013, by Disney Mobile Studios.

The Little Mermaid: Undersea Treasures is a hidden object game for PCs by Microsoft Studios. It was released as a playable preview on December 20, 2013, with plans for more content in the future.

In the game Disney Magic Kingdoms, Eric's castle is part of the environment. A limited-time event based on The Little Mermaid introduced Ariel, Prince Eric, Flounder, Sebastian, Scuttle, King Triton, and Ursula as playable characters. Attractions like Atlantica, Ariel's Grotto, Ursula's Lair, and Under the Sea are also included. New storylines in the game continue the events of The Little Mermaid, ignoring other material from the franchise.

The video game Disney Mirrorverse includes alternate versions of Ariel from the 1989 film and King Triton from the 202

Other media

Several attractions inspired by The Little Mermaid have been created. Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea is a themed area designed to resemble King Triton's Palace, with buildings shaped like seashells. It includes Ariel's Grotto, where guests can meet Ariel, and Jumpin' Jellyfish, a ride similar to a parachute jump, which is also found at Disney California Adventure. King Triton's Carousel of the Sea is a carousel at Disney California Adventure that features sea horses, flying fish, whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters, and garibaldi. Voyage of the Little Mermaid, a live show that was replaced by The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, is a performance at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida that uses puppets and live actors. Other attractions include The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, a dark ride at Disney California Adventure in Paradise Pier and at the Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland.

Ariel is part of the Disney Princess franchise, which includes dolls, sing-along videos, clothing, and other children's products. Ursula is part of the Disney Villains franchise.

Characters from The Little Mermaid appear in the television series House of Mouse. Some also appear in the spin-off film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, and Ursula is a main villain in Mickey's House of Villains. The characters also appear as meet-and-greet characters at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Ariel appears in Sofia the First: The Floating Palace, a television special that was part of the Sofia the First series and released on DVD in 2013.

The Disney Wish cruise ship has a live show based on The Little Mermaid, which began in 2022.

In 1992, Disney Comics released a four-issue series titled The Little Mermaid Limited Series and two issues of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. In 1994, Marvel Comics published Disney's The Little Mermaid, a twelve-issue series. All these comics are prequels to the film and show Ariel as a mermaid living underwater.

In 1994, twelve prequel novels were published, telling stories about young Ariel and her family. The books include Green-Eyed Pearl and Nefazia Visits the Palace by Suzanne Weyn; Reflections of Arsulu and The Same Old Song by Marilyn Kaye; Arista's New Boyfriend and Ariel the Spy by M. J. Carr; King Triton, Beware!, The Haunted Palace, and The Boyfriend Mix-Up by Katherine Applegate; The Practical-Joke War by Stephanie St. Pierre; The Dolphins of Coral Cove by K. S. Rodriguez; and Alana's Secret Friend by Jess Christopher. Also published in 1994 was Tales from Under the Sea, an illustrated book with 22 stories and poems about the film's characters.

In 2009, Disney Press started a young adult novel series that retells Disney films from the perspective of villains. The third book, Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch, was released in 2016.

Between 2019 and 2020, Dark Horse Comics published a three-issue adaptation of the original film. The comics, written by Cecil Castellucci, retell the story from Ariel's perspective, including her thoughts while on land.

In 2023, Disney Press released books based on the 2023 live-action film. These include The Little Mermaid: Make A Splash, an illustrated picture book by Ashley Franklin and Paul Kellam; The Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolk, a guidebook by Eric Geron; The Little Mermaid: The Novelization by Faith Noelle; The Little Mermaid: This is Ariel by Colin Hosten; and The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide, a young adult novel by J. Elle. This novel is a prequel and was listed on The New York Times Best Seller list, reaching the top ten in the "Young Adult Hardcover Books" category.