The Little Mermaid (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Ron Clements
John Musker

Writers:

John Musker (written by) and
Ron Clements (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mermaid | King | Sea | Sea Witch | Prince

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Rene Auberjonois	...	Louis (voice)
Christopher Daniel Barnes	...	Eric (voice)
Jodi Benson	...	Ariel (voice)
Pat Carroll	...	Ursula (voice)
Paddi Edwards	...	Flotsam & Jetsam (voice)
Buddy Hackett	...	Scuttle (voice)
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	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Debbie Shapiro)
Robert Weil	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Also Known As:

La sirenita (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
A Pequena Sereia (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Arielle, die Meerjungfrau (West Germany) [de]
But Ha-Yum Ha-Ktana (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
De kleine zeemeermin (Netherlands) [nl]
Den lilla sjöjungfrun (Sweden) [sv]
Den lille havfrue (Denmark) [da]
Den lille havfruen (Norway) [no]
I mikri gorgona (Greece) [el]
Küçük denizkizi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
La petite sirène (France) [fr]
La sirenetta (Italy) [it]
Mala syrenka (Poland) [pl]
Pieni merenneito (Finland) [fi]
Ritoru maameido (Japan) [ja]

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (original release) | DTS (re-release) (1997) | Dolby Digital (re-release) (1997) | Dolby (35 mm prints) (original release) | SDDS (re-release) (1997)

Certification:

Singapore:G | Iceland:L | West Germany:o.Al. | Canada:G (Quebec) | Portugal:M/4 | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-6/3 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G (PCA #29385) | West Germany:0 (re-release) | Ireland:G | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Deleted scenes: An extended "Fathoms Below" sequence in which it is revealed that Ursula is Triton's sister; alternate version of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" explaining why Ursula was banished by Triton; a scene just before the concert in which Sebastian finds out Ariel is missing; extended scene of Sebastian lost in Eric's castle; Sebastian giving additional advice to Ariel at bedtime; and the fight with Ursula to the ending with no dialog.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Prince Eric and Max the dog are first seen, the ship's balustrade that Max's paws are resting on is clearly visible through his paws.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Finding Nemo (2003)

Soundtrack:

Poor Unfortunate Souls

Disney at it's best

The Little Mermaid is one of Disney's best animated motion pictures. It tells the classic Hans Christian Anderson story of a mermaid who wishes she could be human in order to capture the love of a human prince. The animation is beautiful, in fact I think this is one of Disney's most flawless films. It features lovable characters: Ariel the little mermaid is one of my favorite 'Disney girls', Sebastian the crab, Scuttle the wacky seagull, Flounder the... flounder, Triton Ariel's father the Sea King and of course prince charming- Eric. And don't think I forgot the most despised octopus of the oceans- Ursula and her two eels Flotsam and Jetsum. Great beginning and great ending... and of course a lovable story. The music is beautiful (and rightfully won the Oscar for best score and best song). The score is by Alan Menken (who also provided us with the scores of Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast). Some of the most beautiful Disney songs are in The Little Mermaid- Part of Your World, Kiss the Girl and for a little bit of dancin' Under the Sea. A movie for all ages, you will be enchanted by Ariel's world under the sea, by the wacky characters, the cruel but in a strange way lovable Ursula, the score, the songs, the story and the animation. I hope everybody has The Little Mermaid in their video collection to one day show their children and grandchildren or any youngster (or adult for that matter). You will be captured by Ariel and want to be part of her (most intriguing) world.