The Little Mermaid (1989 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Little Mermaid |
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Original theatrical release poster by John Alvin
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| Music by | Alan Menken |
| Editing by | Mark Hester |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1989 |
| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Money made | $233 million |
The Little Mermaid is a beloved animated musical fantasy film. It was made by Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Pictures in 1989. This movie is the 28th animated feature film from Disney. It is based on a classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.
The story is about Ariel, a young mermaid princess. She dreams of living in the human world. Ariel falls in love with a human prince named Eric. To be with him, she makes a magical deal with the sea witch, Ursula.
The film was written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The amazing music was created by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman. Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters, including Jodi Benson as Ariel and Pat Carroll as Ursula.
Disney had thought about making this story into a film before. But it wasn't until 1985 that Clements and Musker decided to adapt the fairy tale. They suggested it to Disney, and it was approved. The team worked hard to create a movie that felt like a Broadway show, with many catchy songs.
The Little Mermaid was released on November 17, 1989. Critics loved it, praising its animation, music, and characters. It was also a huge success at the box office. The movie earned $84 million when it first came out. In total, it made $233 million worldwide.
This film is famous for bringing Disney animation back to life. It started a special time for Disney movies called the Disney Renaissance. The Little Mermaid also won two Academy Awards. It won for Best Original Score (for the music) and Best Original Song for "Under the Sea".
The movie's success led to many other projects. There was a stage musical that opened on Broadway in 2008. There's also a live-action film adaptation being made. In 2019, a live musical TV show aired on ABC.
Contents
The Story of Ariel's Adventure
Ariel is a 16-year-old mermaid princess. She lives in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. But Ariel is not happy with just underwater life. She is very curious about the human world above the ocean.
Ariel loves to collect human items in her secret grotto. Her best friend, List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Flounder, a fish, often joins her. They also visit List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Scuttle, a seagull. Scuttle tries to explain human things, but he often gets them wrong!
Ariel's father is List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#King Triton, the powerful ruler of Atlantica. He has forbidden merpeople from contacting humans. Sebastian, a crab who works for King Triton, also warns Ariel. But Ariel ignores their warnings.
One night, Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian go to the surface. They watch a birthday party for List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Prince Eric on a ship. Ariel falls in love with Eric. Suddenly, a big storm hits, and the ship is wrecked. Ariel saves Eric and brings him to shore. She sings to him, but leaves before he fully wakes up.
Eric is fascinated by the beautiful voice he heard. He promises to find the girl who saved him. Ariel, in turn, promises to find a way to join him in his world. King Triton notices Ariel's strange behavior. Sebastian tells him about Ariel's love for Eric. Triton gets very angry and destroys Ariel's collection of human treasures.
After Triton leaves, two sneaky eels, List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Flotsam and Jetsam, convince Ariel to visit List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Ursula, the sea witch.
A Dangerous Deal
Ursula offers Ariel a deal. She will turn Ariel into a human for three days. In return, Ariel must give Ursula her beautiful voice. Ursula puts Ariel's voice into a special shell. During these three days, Ariel must get a "kiss of true love" from Eric. If she does, she will stay human forever. If not, she will turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. Ariel agrees to the deal.
Ariel gets human legs and is taken to the surface by Flounder and Sebastian. Eric finds Ariel on the beach. He takes her to his castle, not knowing she is the one who saved him. Ariel spends time with Eric, and they almost kiss on the second day. But Flotsam and Jetsam stop them.
Ursula is angry that Ariel is close to success. She turns herself into a beautiful young woman named Vanessa. Ursula uses Ariel's voice to sing. Eric hears the song and thinks Vanessa is the girl who saved him. Ursula then uses magic to make Eric forget about Ariel.
The next day, Ariel learns that Eric will marry Vanessa. Scuttle discovers that Vanessa is really Ursula! He quickly tells Ariel. Ariel rushes to stop the wedding. Sebastian tells King Triton what is happening. Scuttle and other sea animals cause chaos at the wedding.
In the confusion, the shell around Ursula's neck breaks. Ariel's voice returns, and Ursula's magic spell on Eric is broken. Eric realizes Ariel is the girl who saved him. He tries to kiss her, but the sun sets. Ariel turns back into a mermaid.
Ursula then kidnaps Ariel. King Triton confronts Ursula and demands Ariel's release. But the deal cannot be broken. To save Ariel, Triton agrees to take her place as Ursula's prisoner. He gives up his powerful trident. Ariel is freed, but Triton turns into a small sea creature and loses his power.
Ursula declares herself the new ruler of the ocean. But before she can use the trident, Ariel and Eric fight back. Ursula tries to hurt Eric, but Ariel stops her. Ursula accidentally kills her own eels, Flotsam and Jetsam. Furious, Ursula uses the trident to grow into a giant monster.
Ariel and Eric reunite on the surface. Ursula towers over them, controlling the entire ocean. She creates a storm and brings sunken ships to the surface. Just as Ursula is about to harm Ariel, Eric takes control of a wrecked ship. He defeats Ursula by using the ship's sharp front part.
With Ursula defeated, King Triton and the other sea creatures return to normal. Triton sees how much Ariel truly loves Eric. He willingly changes Ariel into a human permanently. Ariel and Eric get married on a ship and sail away happily.
Meet the Voices Behind the Characters
The amazing characters in The Little Mermaid were brought to life by talented voice actors:
- Jodi Benson as Princess Ariel: A curious mermaid princess who dreams of being human. Jodi Benson also voiced Vanessa, Ursula's human disguise.
- Christopher Daniel Barnes as List of The Little Mermaid characters#Prince Eric: A human prince saved by Ariel, determined to find his rescuer.
- Pat Carroll as Ursula: The sneaky sea witch who takes Ariel's voice.
- Kenneth Mars as List of The Little Mermaid characters#King Triton: Ariel's father and the powerful ruler of Atlantica.
- Samuel E. Wright as List of The Little Mermaid characters#Sebastian: A crab who is King Triton's advisor and a talented musician.
- Jason Marin as List of Disney's The Little Mermaid characters#Flounder: Ariel's best friend, a loyal fish.
- Buddy Hackett as Scuttle: A funny seagull who gives Ariel wrong information about human things.
- René Auberjonois as Chef Louis: Eric's wild chef who loves to cook seafood, especially crabs like Sebastian!
The Little Mermaid in Live-Action
The story of The Little Mermaid has been so popular that it has inspired new versions, including live-action projects.
The Live-Action Movie
In 2016, Disney announced plans for a live-action movie version of The Little Mermaid. Alan Menken, who wrote the music for the original animated film, returned to write new songs. He worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Rob Marshall was chosen to direct the film. The script was written by Jane Goldman and David Magee.
In 2019, the main cast members were announced:
- Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel.
- Melissa McCarthy was chosen to play Ursula.
- Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder.
- Awkwafina voices Scuttle.
- Javier Bardem plays King Triton.
- Jonah Hauer-King was cast as Prince Eric.
- Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian.
Filming for the live-action movie began in 2021. It was delayed a bit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new movie aims to give Ariel even more power in her story.
The Little Mermaid Live! TV Show
In 2019, ABC aired a special live musical TV show called The Little Mermaid Live!. This show celebrated the 30th anniversary of the original film. It combined parts of the animated movie with live performances of songs.
The main cast included:
- Auli'i Cravalho as Ariel
- Queen Latifah as Ursula
- Shaggy as Sebastian
- John Stamos as Chef Louis
- Graham Phillips as Prince Eric
The special was a way to promote the new Disney+ streaming service. It allowed fans to enjoy the classic songs and story in a new way.
See also
In Spanish: La sirenita (película de 1989) para niños
