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The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
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The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid

1989
Musical, Family/Kids
1h 23m
A mermaid princess makes a faustian bargain with an unscrupulous seahag in order to meet a human prince on land. (imdb)

The Little Mermaid

1989
Musical, Family/Kids
1h 23m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 53.54% from 6614 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(6672)
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Rated 07 Mar 2016
92
84th
The magic touch of Menken & Ashman elevates what could have been a run-of-the-mill fairy tale into something really special. Wonderful music, great characters, and sharper writing than Disney animation had had in years. A classic by any worthwhile measure.
Rated 10 Jun 2021
80
77th
This seemingly innocent film warped my child's mind into thinking they could comb their hair with a fork. Outrageous.
Rated 03 Aug 2019
90
63rd
It took me awhile to get around to it. I did like it quite a bit. The voice acting is all very fitting and the music is obviously infamous and original. It's beautifully clean animation and short length make it an absolute win for Disney, and the ending is quite touching in my opinion. Likable characters and humor help out too. All in all, this deserves the praise it received. Recommend if you somehow missed it like I did.
Rated 09 Feb 2015
95
97th
I honestly don't understand where the hate for this movie comes from. Between Alan Menken's best musical work this side of Hunchback, Disney's best-ever hand-drawn animation, and the best voice cast ever assembled, what aspect of this film is not completely classic? Part of my unabashed love for this is, I'm sure, nostalgia-driven, but it's in serious contention for my favorite Disney movie (right along with Hunchback).
Rated 13 Jul 2012
64
47th
The last glimpse of oddball Disney dreaminess before everything went ultra pop and market-driven. The tragic, unfulfilled longing of the lonely mermaid in the original story here is watered down to sacrificing everything for a chance with a cute boy and some cute stuff. Oh well, at least we got URSULA. Ursula... God how my four year old self loved you. Throaty voice, heavy tits, roaming phallic tentacles. A true goddess who planted the seeds of John Waters in every future weirdo as a child.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
83
69th
Though, the Little Mermaid is a very light and bubbly Disney movie, like many other of the Disney princess films, there is a subtle darkness to it that adds seriousness to the story. It is undeniably a classic, but it fails to pack as big a punch as some of the Disney epics that came out only a few years later like Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Really good!
Rated 29 Mar 2016
75
65th
Hmm, Ursula where have I seen you bef-"Eat shit! Filth is my politics! Filth is my life!"
Rated 18 Jan 2016
100
94th
The earliest of what I consider to be the trilogy of Disney greats (Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin round out that trilogy). The Little Mermaid mixes story telling, themes of growing up and parenting, and music that flows so well with the movie and is great even on its own. Truly Disney at its finest.
Rated 03 Aug 2015
96
95th
It is better down where it's wetter, take it from me! I love this movie. It is just a lot of fun. The music by Alan Menken is what makes it truly shine. All the songs are so catchy and I can't help but feel my heart flutter on the "Kiss the Girl" song. Ariel is probably one of the cutest Disney Princesses with her giant blue eyes and shockingly red hair. Prince Eric is probably one of the cooler Princes as he defeats Ursula (a pretty cool bad lady) in a unique fashion...
Rated 16 Feb 2014
98
99th
Classic. Gorgeous animation, amazing score, memorable songs. This movie kept Disney alive.
Rated 09 Oct 2012
89
79th
An incredibly likable film. Very nice animation and characters, as well as some of the best songs Disney has ever brought. Disney might've faded from the minds of many people for many years. But then, The Little Mermaid came along. They were back.
Rated 20 Jan 2011
88
77th
The movie that kick started the Disney Renaissance. It's a timeless story, and when combined with the vibrant animation and award winning music it's hard to go wrong.
Rated 18 Jul 2010
86
74th
Wonderful Disney animated feature will enchant youngsters and the child in all of us.
Rated 01 Jul 2008
94
95th
Another classic.
Rated 20 Oct 2021
70
52nd
It's unfortunate Divine was probably never considered to voice Ursula. Someone should really splice in his voice to this film. That's a viral video waiting to happen. You're welcome. Disney tried to sanitize the original Anderson story, but still couldn't remove all the weirdness.
Rated 09 May 2015
10
99th
(2014-15 Disneython #22:) Child bride creepiness of its ending aside, I've largely come to consider this one, from the awesome, majestic reveal of Atlantis at the beginning to the terrifying final battle against Ursula at the end, to be peak Disney. "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World" are probably the two best Disney songs ever. This movie achieves heights of fantasy, music, and emotion rarely seen in animated film. It's completely wonderful; almost every moment classic.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
92
80th
The Little Mermaid ushered in a new golden era for Disney animation with warm and charming hand-drawn characters and catchy musical sequences.
Rated 10 Dec 2013
9
92nd
Hits all the right spots of a great Disney film: emotional characters, top-notch animation, fabulous musical numbers and one of the damn-near best villains Disney's ever created. Even Sebastian's wacky hijinks are bearably funny and cute, compared to many later Disney 'comic reliefs' who just proved annoying or disconcerting.
Rated 02 Aug 2009
79
82nd
Set the modern standard for disney films
Rated 25 Jan 2009
100
95th
Exceptionally charming, contrary to all expectations
Rated 15 Jan 2009
90
92nd
Damn Disney! This actually made me sad, good music too.
Rated 17 Apr 2008
88
75th
The animation is some of the best and most expressive Disney has concocted--it definitely feels like you're under the sea. Sebastian rocks. Although I enjoyed it, it was a little girly when I was a kid. I appreciated it better as I grew up.
Rated 29 Feb 2008
95
92nd
There's a lot I could say about this film, but this pretty much sums it up for me: It never gets old.
Rated 21 Feb 2008
72
45th
Its cute, and I find myself singing under the sea sometimes when I bathe, but I don't have the guts to give it a higher score then this.
Rated 07 Feb 2008
86
80th
One of Disney's best animated films, if not the best. Good songs, good story, good characters...what more can you ask for?
Rated 21 Nov 2007
92
79th
One of the better Disney movies of the 80's and 90's in my opinion. Great music and characters.
Rated 19 Oct 2007
75
89th
Saw it 9 times in the movie theatre. There had never been anything like it at the time, and it single-handedly showed movie goers that a movie-musical could be done if the story and characters and music were well-done and engaging.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
95th
My personal favorite of Disney's traditional animation movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
65th
Good stuff. Good vs. Evil, Love, friends. One of the biggest and most rememberable Disney enemies.
Rated 22 Jun 2007
95
98th
This was the beginning of the Disney Renaissance. The musical score takes leaps forward from previous Disney films, thanks to Ashman and Menken. Jodi Benson's voice is beautiful. The story is good and the film doesn't feel that silly. Excellent.
Rated 01 Feb 2007
87
93rd
A well written children's movie with an excellent score. A young girl who feels she's oppressed by her father escapes to a foreign land for a prince. Hijinks ensue when her father sends a cynical crab to get her back.
Rated 14 Jan 2007
90
92nd
When I was a kid I thought this was the greatest movie ever. It's still great, but now that I'm adult I just realized what a smartass of a lyricist Howard Ashman was - check out the lyrics for "Poor Unfortunate Souls"!
Rated 22 Dec 2006
93
91st
Classic. Beautiful.
Rated 20 Mar 2017
89
93rd
This exotic tale "Under the Sea" was the return to glory for Disney animation. Heralded as the start of the Disney Renaissance the animators didn't just go back into the well of Disney Princess fairy tales, but they went deep into the ocean for one. The classic "true love's kiss" story featuring great songs, but with a new wonderful world of sea creatures to tell the literal fish-out-of-water tale. Maybe not the smartest Princess, but Ariel and the film have plenty of that patented Disney magic
Rated 20 Nov 2016
90
78th
Beautifully animated and featuring an exceptionally talented voice cast, The Little Mermaid features a well-told story and unforgettable characters to boot.
Rated 25 Jun 2011
60
46th
I'm reluctant to like this more because of the shallowness of nearly every character. It's a typical Disney trope - love at first sight and at all costs - but in this case it's particularly grating because at no point does Ariel show herself to be more than an empty-headed contrarian who sells her body for a shot at the dreamy, Patrick Dempsey-lookalike prince.
Rated 09 Jun 2019
100
84th
This was when Disney regained their footing, and remembered that children actually have brains.
Rated 08 May 2019
10
91st
It'd been maybe six years since I saw this last? I forgot how much I love it. I may actually love it more now than I ever have. It's such a beautiful little old school love story that does a much better job building its romance than people tend to give it credit these days, and Ariel and Eric are an adorable couple. The film captured the magic of the classic Disney fairy tales and seamlessly brought it into the modern (at the time) era, ultimately launching the Disney Renaissance.
Rated 06 Apr 2018
88
83rd
A gorgeous animated classic with timeless music. RIP Howard Ashman.
Rated 05 Apr 2018
75
47th
A rather good exemple of a Disney production.
Rated 18 Oct 2016
66
36th
Don't remember this all that well. Would only rewatch at a singalong screening with a packed audience of parents and kids.
Rated 09 Jan 2016
65
52nd
I'm usually head over heels for a good Disney animated film, but this one is just not up there with the rest. It has the more old-fashioned style and catchy songs that started the Disney Renaissance in the 1990s, but on the whole the story of The Little Mermaid leaves a lot to be desired. Ariel's motives seem less like actual issues and more like first-world problems, making me less sympathetic towards her cause than many other Disney princesses. It's not bad by any means: it's just not great.
Rated 23 Aug 2015
70
53rd
I think Finding Nemo beats this in the visuals for under the sea
Rated 06 Aug 2015
84
74th
Very good Disney movie, anyone complaining about Ariel is missing the point.
Rated 19 Nov 2014
65
67th
Some regressive gender politics aside, this is a solidly crafted piece of work. The tightness of the film's construction, the way the songs, not only being good as songs, remain solidly rooted in the dramatic context of the story, expressing the emotions of the characters and moving the plot along as opposed to other musicals where the songs are just sort of there and make the plot grind to a halt. The animation is charming.
Rated 04 Jun 2012
55
23rd
According to this mermaids are cunts, who are only bearable when doing award-bait songs or silent movie routines. Seriously, think about how much of a stupid little daddy's girl Ariel is. And do we ever know for certain that she didn't eat any one the seafood in that castle? Freaking green-tailed cannibal.
Rated 19 May 2012
70
65th
I was in love with the little mermaid back when I was a kid. That may sound weird to you, but hey! In the end ALL GIRLS SMELL LIKE FISH!! AMIRITE?! HUH!? HAHA! (oh God, kill me...)
Rated 15 May 2012
33
20th
Should have been directed by John Waters.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
66
51st
Well animated familiar Disney premise.
Rated 11 Nov 2009
61
27th
It's bland and surprisingly incompetent in many of the visual aspects. Story-wise, it just sort of goes through the motions. Ursula carries the whole movie.
Rated 30 Aug 2007
85
92nd
New 80s animation style that resurrected Disney (the studios not the man of course)
Rated 18 Feb 2007
3
38th
Not one of the best Disneys but probably the best of the newer ones, other than Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King and Aladdin and...oh fuck it, it's a decent movie. I dunno.
Rated 04 Jun 2024
89
80th
An 83 minute runtime that exhibits everything great about the renaissance Disney era. The songs are all fantastic, including the all-time great "Part of your World". The only thing that I hate is that Eric has to be the one to save the day besides doing almost anything of significance in the film.
Rated 10 Feb 2024
57
23rd
Some stronger and some weaker animation, not particularly memorable songs and Disney’s damn fetish of making the villains flamboyantly and obviously gay make this a less than worthwhile effort.
Rated 17 Dec 2023
70
42nd
I was in my early 20's when the Disney renaissance happened, and there was zero chance that I was going to see these movies. Frankly, I have watched almost all of the animated Disney films I have ever seen as an adult, and while I really like a few, there's no magic for me.
Rated 20 Oct 2023
85
94th
The most magical disney film perhaps. Its a vocal dream and pleasing to the ear throughout. A sweet story which was so nice and a overall great film. Also, how come this film has a better death and impaling then any recent starwars film? Sort your stuff out disney
Rated 15 Oct 2023
80
79th
the fluke really is the duke of soul
Rated 13 Apr 2023
72
62nd
Just a fun little adventure with an S-Tier villain
Rated 19 Feb 2023
68
35th
audiovisual 68 overall feeling 68 avg 68
Rated 05 Nov 2022
75
77th
Likeable Disney classic with a great score.
Rated 15 Sep 2022
88
70th
Not my favorite princess movie but still fantastic in it's own right
Rated 24 Nov 2021
60
52nd
She’s kind of a dodo and who cares about Eric? But the art is crazy cool as ever, and some songs are catchy.
Rated 11 Aug 2021
63
57th
Host ratings: 69 / 71 / 88. Podcast review link: https://rydeorwrong.podcaster.de/rydeorwrong/folge-029-arielle-die-meerjungfrau-1989-snake-eyes-detective-pikachu-spuk-in-hill-house/
Rated 24 Jul 2021
70
75th
good film, personally don't like it
Rated 26 Jun 2021
69
75th
I remembered the animation being cleaner and smoother than that, I guess a kid's memory does that. The plot is kind of short, to the point they had to stretch it with many musical numbers, and only 1-2 characters had charisma (Poseidon and Ursula). But I guess some kids could like it still.
Rated 28 May 2020
65
76th
☆ One of the better disney princess movies. I am always so in awe of the animation on any production like this! It's so impressive. ☆
Rated 23 Apr 2020
70
75th
Disney'in ilk kadın karakterin animasyonu. Güzeller güzeli Ariel, insanların dünyasını merak etmektedir. Arkadaşlarıyla beraber, bir cadı tarafından kuyruğu gider. Ayakları olunca Prens'le tanışır ve aşık olur. Çok büyük titizlikle yaratılan animasyon, şarkılarıyla da mest ediyor. Sonu çok hızlı bir silsile olsa da cadıyı, prensimiz yeniyor. Barış da sağlanıyor. Çuval giysem güzelim.
Rated 17 Apr 2020
77
38th
The moral to the story is probably more notable than the actual movie itself. It's a mostly middling Disney classic. But it has some great songs and fun moments. Some things get a little creepy when you think to hard about them. But that's a Disney classic for you.
Rated 20 Mar 2020
54
60th
Seen: 2+.
Rated 26 Jan 2020
55
35th
Good songs.
Rated 19 Jan 2020
85
54th
Very catchy songs. Doesn't adhere to Hans Christian Andersen's original version, but it's still a delight to watch, even when you're older.
Rated 23 Nov 2019
70
54th
Sebastian: "Ariel, listen to me. The human world is a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there."
Rated 08 Jul 2019
65
45th
With its iconic music, awesome protagonist, and plenty of memorable side characters- plus a great villain- there are many, many reasons why it's a classic and has remained one for 30 years. However, its story can seem rushed in more than a few parts, and certain elements of it become a touch convoluted towards the ending. The romance isn't entirely believable, as the two leads never really communicate much. All in all, though, it's definitely worth a look for its charming heroine alone.
Rated 04 Jun 2019
87
89th
rvw. june 2019 90. jan 2021 87, had a feeling it would be dipped now. i realized he didnt trash her room he trapped the sunken ship shit lmao and the end battle is a bit better than last time. seagull is still a star. noticed ursula also put a spell on eric. i guess i dont love the songs/characters/story as much as i used to think i did :P and part of your world shoulda won the oscar
Rated 28 Feb 2019
80
32nd
Hmmm... It's a classic, but the story doesn't quite hold up very well today.
Rated 23 Jan 2019
59
61st
Of Disney's second golden age, I consider this to be fairly weak, maybe the worst. Whereas later films in the 90's challenged some of the classic fairy-tale concepts, this film embraced them and not necessarily in the best way, either. That being said, this is still a well-made fairy-tale and probably still worth watching.
Rated 10 Dec 2018
71
32nd
While the central romance feels very underdeveloped and the characters are fairly simple, the movie remains charming enough and has some good songs and entertaining sequences.
Rated 15 Nov 2018
70
76th
At least Ariel's excuse was that she's 16 and naive. Why's the prince marrying randos? Great setting and memorable songs. Ursula's the best villain. Fav scene: Ariel's song about knick-knacks.
Rated 06 Jun 2018
70
35th
The movie's theme is not giving enough space to the young by the elders but the protagonist keeps getting out of perils at others's expense (I actually laughed at how -spoiler- she got her voice back. No lessons were required to learn that day) despite getting into them in the first place because of her own recklessness. Other than that, I enjoyed the movie.
Rated 03 Jan 2018
77
54th
It doesn't lend itself to much of a wider audience beyond the Disney Princess crowd. However the film is very well animated and the songs are probably among the catchiest the studio has ever had. The villain is fun to watch and the romantic story is not nearly as contrived as past Disney projects. Aside from the villain however, it doesn't lend itself to much repeat viewing due to a lack of consistent comedy.
Rated 23 Apr 2017
58
22nd
As I have to watch these in French, I cannot really assess the "musical" part. As an animation from 1989 it has some really slick sequences. However, maybe I'm reading too much into it but spare me I don't get to watch many stuff these days, its glorification of being a bimbo (and Ariel is definitely a bimbo) did not sit well with me. At least it is not a message I wanna convey to my daughter. Ursula, Triton and Sebastian are all interesting side characters.
Rated 09 Apr 2017
4
56th
music + Ursula > everything else
Rated 13 Jan 2017
89
41st
An achievement to be sure but the ultimate message of this film shaves off a few points for me.
Rated 21 Nov 2016
87
80th
disney classic
Rated 20 Nov 2016
80
53rd
Very pretty, great music. The Grimm's version was better...
Rated 18 Oct 2016
60
39th
The animation looks really old 25 years on; that's a good thing, compared to some of the computer animation Disney would indulge in later, the comedy beats here look like a classic Disney short. Good songs, too. The story... eh, other things have changed in 25 years too.
Rated 27 Jul 2016
55
32nd
null
Rated 20 Apr 2016
13
64th
W4E1P1S1V1M2A1R2.
Rated 15 Oct 2015
65
11th
This movie has corrupted girls behaviour and life approach for an entire generation and beyond. It's a tale where a girl fall in love with a complete stranger man and disown his past, family, life, bodyshape and voice to have the opportunity to meet him again. For a fake love. It is terrible. Nothing else to say. This is too much for me. 65 because, as all Disney movies, the animation is impressive, it's funny, songs are catchy and characters are unforgettables.
Rated 10 Sep 2015
95
63rd
There is a formula to the classic, "magical" Disney films. It can be boiled down to the story, the characters and the songs. Every classic Disney film, every Disney film that is a favourite from childhood and makes people's "top ten" lists, has these key elements. What I found when I watched The Little Mermaid though, was that some of these films actually have "classic" status but aren't as good as you remember.
Rated 26 Jul 2015
81
18th
~2
Rated 24 May 2015
75
67th
While the story never did much for me I really loved the songs. I haven't seen this since I was a child and remember very little about everything that happened after she grew legs. The underwater stuff was cool though.
Rated 14 May 2015
78
41st
But how did Ariel know how to walk perfectly the instant she got legs?
Rated 12 May 2015
9
89th
The best Disney film to hit theaters in thirty years, "The Little Mermaid" (with some help from "The Great Mouse Detective") revitalized Walt Disney Animation Studios with its wonderful animation, story, and score.
Rated 29 Mar 2015
61
46th
3.05/5
Rated 12 Mar 2015
68
28th
I ever recall watching this as a kid, and I'm glad I missed out, I didn't like it this time, and I doubt I would've liked it then too.
Rated 22 Feb 2015
3
30th
some of the musical scenes are great fun, especially the one where ariel meets ursula for the first time, up there with aladdin meeting the genie in terms of things exploding madly on the screen. no need to talk about everything else, lol.
Rated 27 Dec 2014
60
34th
On the lower end of Disney animation films for me, and I've loved quite a few of them.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
78
70th
(2nd viewing)
Rated 08 Jul 2014
65
31st
This isn't a movie I can hate. Its good guys are pretty likeable, and the animation is decent. Of the big Disney movies this is one I don't care for very much, but mostly because its story is just not something I'm super interested in. Not bad by any means, and with some good points, its just not a Disney movie for me.

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