The Little Mermaid (franchise) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Little Mermaid
Creator	Walt Disney Animation Studios Ron Clements John Musker
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Films and television
Films	The Little Mermaid (1989)
Animated series	The Little Mermaid (1992–94)
Television specials	The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)
Direct-to-video	The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
Theatrical presentations
Musicals	The Little Mermaid (2007)
Games
Video games	The Little Mermaid (1991) Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992) Ariel's Story Studio (1997) Disney's The Little Mermaid Print Studio (1998) Disney's The Little Mermaid Activity Center (1998) Disney's The Little Mermaid 2 Activity Center (2000) The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy (2000) The Little Mermaid Pinball (2005)
Audio
Soundtracks	The Little Mermaid: Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (1989) The Little Mermaid: Splash Hits (1992) Songs from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea & More! (2000)
Original music	Sebastian from The Little Mermaid (1990) Sebastian: Party Gras! (1991) The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea (1992)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attractions	Voyage of the Little Mermaid (1992–present) Ariel's Grotto (1996–present) Jumpin' Jellyfish (2001–present) King Triton's Carousel of the Sea (2001–18) Mermaid Lagoon (2001–present) Scuttle's Scooters (2001–present) The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure/Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid (2011–present)

The Little Mermaid is a popular Disney story series. It all started with the successful 1989 animated movie, The Little Mermaid. This movie was so popular that it led to many other things. These include a direct-to-video sequel (a movie that continues the story) and a prequel (a movie that tells what happened before). There was also a TV show, a musical, video games, and fun rides at theme parks.

The original The Little Mermaid movie was very important for Disney. It was the first film of an exciting time called the Disney Renaissance. This was a period when Disney made many highly successful animated movies.

Animated Films

The Original Little Mermaid Movie

The Little Mermaid is the first movie in this series. Walt Disney Animation Studios made it, and it came out in theaters on November 17, 1989. Ron Clements and John Musker directed the film. It was a big hit with both critics and audiences.

This movie is the 28th Disney animated feature film. It is based on a famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen from 1837.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a movie that continues the story of the first film. It was released straight to video on September 19, 2000. Jim Kammerud and Brian Smith directed it.

This movie did not get as good reviews as the first one. Many critics felt it was too similar to the original story.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a movie that tells a story from before the first film. It came out on DVD on August 26, 2008. Peggy Holmes directed this film.

This movie had some special features, like scenes that were cut from the final film. It also had games and a look behind the scenes. People liked the animation, but some thought the music and the new villain, Marina Del Rey, were not as good as in the first movie.

Live-Action Films

In May 2016, Disney announced they were planning a live-action version of the film. This means real actors would play the characters. Alan Menken, who wrote music for the original, is back to write new songs with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In June 2019, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy would play Ursula. Jacob Tremblay would be Flounder, and Nora "Awkwafina" Lum would play a female Scuttle. In July, Halle Bailey was chosen to play Ariel. Javier Bardem was also in talks to play King Triton.

Filming for the movie started in January 2021 at Pinewood Studios in England.

Television Shows

The Little Mermaid TV Series

Disney's The Little Mermaid is an animated TV show. It shows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid before the first movie happened. This was the first Disney TV show to come from a major animated film.

The series first aired in 1992 and ran until 1994 on CBS. Later, it was shown again on The Disney Channel and Toon Disney. The show had new songs and combined parts of "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," and "Kiss the Girl" for its opening theme.

The Little Mermaid Live!

On November 5, 2019, ABC aired The Little Mermaid Live!. This was a special TV event that showed the movie with live performances. Actors sang the songs from the film and the Broadway musical.

Auliʻi Cravalho played Ariel, Queen Latifah was Ursula, and Shaggy played Sebastian. Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel, introduced the show. It was a way to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary.

Stage Musical

A stage musical version of The Little Mermaid opened in September 2007 in Denver, Colorado. It had music by Alan Menken and new lyrics by Glenn Slater. The musical then moved to Broadway in New York City, opening officially on January 10, 2008.

The first cast included Sierra Boggess as Ariel and Norm Lewis as King Triton. The show ran on Broadway until August 30, 2009.

Video Games

Many video games have been made based on The Little Mermaid movies. Characters from the films also appear in other crossover games.

The First Little Mermaid Video Game

The first The Little Mermaid video game was made by Capcom in 1991. It was for the NES and Game Boy. In this game, you play as Ariel. She has to stop Ursula, who has taken over the ocean.

Ariel can swim and shoot bubbles to trap enemies. She can then throw the trapped enemies. She can also dig for treasure and find items to make her bubbles stronger.

Ariel the Little Mermaid Game

Ariel the Little Mermaid is another video game released by Sega in 1992. It was for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Game Gear. In this game, you can play as either Ariel or King Triton. Your goal is to defeat Ursula.

You swim through the water, saving victims and dodging enemies like eels and sharks. Friends like Flounder and Sebastian can help you.

The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy

The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy is a pinball video game. It is based on the movie The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Nintendo published it for the Game Boy Color handheld system.

The Little Mermaid Pinball

The Little Mermaid Pinball is a Windows pinball video game. It is based on the first The Little Mermaid movie. Disney Online developed it. It was released in many languages around the world.

Other Little Mermaid Games

• The Little Mermaid: Magic in Two Kingdoms was released for the Game Boy Advance.
• Disney's The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure came out on the Nintendo DS in 2006.
• Ariel and other characters appear in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games. Ursula is a boss in the world of Atlantica.
• Ariel's Musical Surprise was a game released for iOS devices in 2013.
• The Little Mermaid: Undersea Treasures is a hidden object PC game released in 2013.

Other Media and Attractions

The Little Mermaid story has inspired many other things.

• Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea is a themed area. It looks like King Triton's palace and has rides and attractions.
• Ariel's Grotto is a place where you can meet Ariel.
• Jumpin' Jellyfish is a fun ride that takes you up and down like a jellyfish.
• King Triton's Carousel of the Sea is a carousel with sea creatures instead of horses.
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a live show at Disney Hollywood Studios. It uses puppets and actors to tell the story.
• The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure is a dark ride at Disney California Adventure and the Magic Kingdom.

Ariel is also part of the Disney Princess group. This means she is featured on many products like dolls, clothes, and more. Ursula is part of the Disney Villains group.

Many characters from the franchise appear in the Disney Channel show Disney's House of Mouse. They also appear in spin-off films like Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. You can also meet the characters at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Ariel appeared in Sofia the First: The Floating Palace, a TV special from the series Sofia the First.

Printed Stories

Disney Comics released comic books about The Little Mermaid in 1992. Marvel Comics also released a comic series in 1994. These comics told stories about Ariel when she was still a mermaid living under the sea.

A series of twelve books were published in 1994. These books told new adventures of young Ariel, her sisters, and her father. Some titles include "Green-Eyed Pearl" and "The Haunted Palace."

In 2009, Disney Press started a young adult novel series. These books retell Disney animated films from the point of view of the villains. One book in this series is Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch, which came out in 2016.

Main Characters and Voice Actors

Film Crew

See also

In Spanish: La Sirenita (franquicia) para niños