The Little Mermaid (1989 movie)

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The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American-Danish animated musical fantasy comedy movie produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. The 28th movie made by the company, it is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. There is a message that said: "Didn't you all learn from The Land Before Time?

The movie was first released into movie theaters on November 17, 1989 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures. It was re-released on November 17, 1997. Disney said that there would be a 3D re-release on September 13, 2013.[1] This was cancelled on January 14, 2013 because the other Disney 3D re-releases were not as successful as Disney had hoped they would be.[2]

In January 1990, The Little Mermaid had three Academy Award nominations. The movie won two of the awards. They were for Best Song ("Under the Sea") and Best Score. The movie also earned four Golden Globe nominations. It won the awards for Best Song ("Under the Sea") and Best Score.[3]

The movie has a TV show, a sequel, and a prequel, which was the last direct-to-video sequel, because John Lasseter, a person who directed most Pixar movies, was nominated Disney's new chief creative officer. Lasseter also canceled all home video sequels that were in development (e.g.: The Aristocats II). A live-action adaption of the film was released on May 26, 2023.

The story[change | change source]

The movie is about a mermaid princess named Ariel. She and her best friend, a fish named Flounder, explore the ocean looking for human things. They talk to a seagull named Scuttle who explains each thing that they find (but not accurately). Ariel does not like living in the sea and wants to live on land, where people are. One day she sees a ship of people and meets a prince named Eric. She saves his life from drowning. When Ariel's father, King Triton, finds out that she saved a human man from drowning, he destroys all the things she has kept in her grotto. After that, two eels named Flotsam and Jetsam tell her about a seawitch named Ursula. They tell her that Ursula can make her dreams come true. She follows them to Ursula's lair where she has magic potions. She uses her magic to turn Ariel into a human for exactly three days, in exchange for her voice. In order to stay human, she has to kiss Prince Eric, or else she will turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. Eric shows her his palace and helps her adapt. On the second day, Sebastian the crab gathers the other sea animals together and they sing "Kiss the Girl", hoping to make Eric kiss Ariel. The plan almost works, but Flotsam and Jetsam cause the boat to sink. Ursula decides that enough is enough and uses Ariel's voice to turn herself into a beautiful girl named Vanessa. She casts a hypnotic spell on Eric to make him forget about Ariel. The next day, everyone finds out that Eric is getting married, and Ariel is very sad. Scuttle finds out that the girl Eric is marrying is Ursula in disguise. He tells Ariel and manages to create disruption, delaying the wedding. The seashell Ursula is wearing breaks and Ariel's voice comes back. She tries to kiss Eric, but the sun sets and she turns back into a mermaid. Ursula offers to let Ariel go if Triton takes her place. He accepts it and turns into a plant. With help from Sebastian and Flounder, Prince Eric and Ariel defeat Ursula. Ursula dies and all the plants she had turn back into mermaids. Finally King Triton gives Ariel her wish and she is allowed to marry Prince Eric.

Cast[change | change source]

Additional voices were provided by Stephen J. Anderson, Tony Anselmo, Robert Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Cam Clarke, Tim Curry, Baron Davis, Debi Derryberry, Bill Farmer, Jess Harnell, James Earl Jones, Oliver M. Johnston, Phil LaMarr, Sherry Lynn, Danny Mann, Lynn Dolin Mann, Arne B. Markussen, Mona Marshall, Laraine Newman, Kathleen O'Connor, Devika Parikh, Denise Pickering, Phil Proctor, Jan Rabson, Michael Redman, Steve Susskind, Brian Tochi, Joseph Turano, Jim Ward and Robert S. Zwirn.

References[change | change source]

  1. Smith, Grady (October 4, 2011). "'Beauty and the Beast,' 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Finding Nemo,' 'Monsters, Inc.' get 3-D re-releases". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  2. Fritz, Ben (January 14, 2013). "Disney cancels 'Little Mermaid 3-D,' dates 'Pirates 5' for 2015". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  3. "The 47th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1952)". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "The-Little-Mermaid – Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". The New York Times. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  5. Grant, John (1998). Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters (3rd ed.). Hyperion. pp. 344–345. ISBN 0-7868-6336-6.

References[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]