The Little Mermaid is an American media franchise created by The Walt Disney Company based on "The Little Mermaid", written by Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen. The success of the 1989 animated film led to a sequel, a prequel, a television series, a musical, several video games, theme park attractions, and other merchandise. A live-action remake of the film was released in 2023. The Little Mermaid paved the way for what would become the Disney Renaissance, with the original film becoming the first film of that era. It is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises.
Development
History The Little Mermaid was originally planned as part of one of Walt Disney's earliest feature films, a proposed package film featuring vignettes of Hans Christian Andersen tales.(2006) Audio Commentary by John Musker, Ron Clements, and Alan Menken Bonus material from The Little Mermaid: Platinum Edition [DVD]. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. Development started soon after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the late 1930s, but was put on hold due to various circumstances.
In 1985, The Great Mouse Detective co-director Ron Clements discovered a collection of Andersen's fairy tales while browsing a bookstore. He presented a two-page draft of a movie based on "The Little Mermaid" to CEO Michael Eisner and Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg at a "gong show" idea suggestion meeting. Eisner and Katzenberg passed the project over, because at that time the studio was in development on a sequel to their live-action mermaid comedy Splash (1984) and felt The Little Mermaid would be too similar a project.(2006) Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid [Documentary featurette]. Bonus material from The Little Mermaid: Platinum Edition DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. The next day, however, Walt Disney Studios chairman Katzenberg greenlit the idea for possible development. While in production in the 1980s, the staff found, by chance, original story and visual development work done by Kay Nielsen for Disney's proposed 1930s Anderson feature. Many of the changes made by the staff in the 1930s to Hans Christian Andersen's original story were coincidentally the same as the changes made by Disney writers in the 1980s. That year, Clements and Great Mouse Detective co-director John Musker expanded the two-page idea into a 20-page rough script, eliminating the role of the mermaid's grandmother and expanding the roles of the Merman King and the sea witch.
Music In 1987, songwriter Howard Ashman became involved with the writing and development of Mermaid after he was asked to contribute a song to Oliver & Company. He proposed changing the minor character Clarence, the English-butler crab, to a Jamaican Rastafarian crab and shifting the music style throughout the film to reflect this. At the same time, Katzenberg, Clements, Musker, and Ashman revised the story format to make Mermaid a musical with a Broadway-style story structure, with the song sequences serving as the tentpoles of the film. Ashman and composer Alan Menken, both noted for their work as the writers of the successful Off-Broadway stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, teamed up to compose the entire song score.
The first film's soundtrack, The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack contains songs from the film written by Ashman and Menken, as well as the film's score composed by Menken. The album received the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. As of February 2007, the album is certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA. In 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time great Disney soundtracks.10 Essential Disney & Pixar Soundtracks Referenced July 27, 2010 To commemorate the film's 25th anniversary, an extended version of the soundtrack was released on November 24, 2014, as part of Walt Disney Records: The Legacy Collection.
Apart from the soundtrack, The Little Mermaid has inspired several more albums. Sebastian from The Little Mermaid and Sebastian: Party Gras! contain cover versions of calypso and reggae songs. All of the songs are performed by Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian the crab with the exception of "Dancing Mood" and "Dance the Day Away", which are performed by Jodi Benson as Ariel, who also joins Sebastian on "Day-O". Jason Marin plays the speaking role of Flounder in the beginning of some tracks. The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea is a concept album; listening to the tracks in order will present the story of a typical day in the life of the mermaid Ariel (set sometime before the events of the first film).
Disney's The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording is the cast album for the musical The Little Mermaid. It features performances from the show's cast, which includes Tituss Burgess, Sherie Rene Scott, Norm Lewis, Eddie Korbich, and newcomer Sierra Boggess as Ariel, the little mermaid.
Common elements Plot and themes Ariel, a beautiful sixteen-year-old mermaid princess, is dissatisfied with life under the sea and curious about the human world, despite her father, King Triton who holds a grudge against humans. One night, Ariel, her best friend Flounder and an unwilling Sebastian travel to the ocean surface to watch a celebration for the birthday of Prince Eric, with whom Ariel falls in love. A sudden storm hits, and Eric almost drowns saving his dog Max but is saved by Ariel, who drags him to the beach. She sings to him but dives underwater when Max returns to Eric. Upon waking, Eric has a vague impression that he was rescued by a girl with a beautiful voice; he vows to find her, and Ariel vows to find a way to join Eric.
Triton and his daughters notice a change in Ariel, who is openly lovesick. Triton questions Sebastian about Ariel's behavior, during which Sebastian accidentally reveals the incident with Eric. Triton furiously confronts Ariel in her grotto, using his trident to destroy her collection of human treasures. After Triton leaves, a pair of eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, convince a crying Ariel that she must visit Ursula the sea witch, if she wants all of her dreams to come true. Ursula makes a deal with Ariel to transform her into a human for three days. Within these three days, Ariel must receive the 'kiss of true love' from Eric; otherwise, she will transform back into a mermaid on the third day and belong to Ursula. As payment for legs, Ariel has to give up her voice, which Ursula takes by magically removing the energy from Ariel's vocal cords and storing it in a nautilus shell.
Eric and Max find Ariel on the beach. He initially suspects that she is the one who saved his life, but when he learns that she cannot speak, he discards that notion. Nonetheless, Ariel spends time with Eric, and at the end of the second day, they almost kiss but are thwarted by Flotsam and Jetsam. Angered at their narrow escape, Ursula takes the disguise of a beautiful young woman named "Vanessa" and appears onshore singing with Ariel's voice. Eric recognizes the song and, in her disguise, Vanessa/Ursula casts a hypnotic enchantment on Eric to make him forget about Ariel. The next day, Ariel finds out that Eric will be married to the disguised Ursula on a ship. She cries and is left behind when the wedding barge departs. Scuttle discovers that Vanessa is Ursula in disguise, and informs Ariel. As Ariel and Flounder chase the wedding barge, Sebastian informs Triton, and Scuttle is assigned to literally "stall the wedding." With the help of various animals, the nautilus shell around Ursula's neck is broken, restoring Ariel's voice and breaking Ursula's enchantment over Eric. Realizing that Ariel was the girl who saved his life, Eric rushes to kiss her, but the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. Ursula reverts to her true form and kidnaps Ariel.
Triton appears and confronts Ursula, but cannot destroy Ursula's contract with Ariel. Triton chooses to sacrifice himself for his daughter, and is transformed into a polyp. Ursula takes Triton's crown and trident, which was her plan from the beginning. Ursula uses her new power to gloat, transforming into a giant, and forming a whirlpool that disturbs several shipwrecks to the surface, one of which Eric commandeers. Just as Ursula is set to use the trident to destroy Ariel, Eric turns the wheel hard to port and runs Ursula through the abdomen with the ship's splintered bowsprit, mortally wounding her. With Ursula gone, her power breaks and the polyps in Ursula's garden (including Triton) turn back into the old merpeople. Later, after seeing that Ariel really loves Eric and that Eric also saved her in the process, Triton willingly changes her from a mermaid into a human using his trident. She runs into Eric's arms, and the two finally get married.
The plot of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea focuses on Ariel's daughter Melody who longs to be a part of the ocean world and is ultimately manipulated by Ursula's vengeful sister, Morgana, into stealing the Trident for her. The film is essentially a re-telling of the first film, to the point that Morgana has two manta ray cohorts very similar to Flotsam and Jetsam, desires the trident and revenge against Triton, and is even voiced by Pat Carroll.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is set before the events of the original film, in which King Triton has banned music from Atlantica, and Ariel, her sisters, Sebastian and Flounder rebel against this new law while a greedy palace official, Marina Del Rey, seeks to claim Sebastian's position for herself.
Cast and characters
Characters Films Television series Video game Live-action film The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Ariel's Beginning The Little Mermaid Ariel Ariel's Undersea Adventure The Little Mermaid Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Princess Ariel Jodi Benson Mykal-Michelle Harris Jodi Benson Halle Bailey Sebastian Samuel E. Wright Kevin Michael Richardson rowspan="2" Daveed Diggs King Triton Kenneth Mars Jim Cummings Kenneth Mars Taye Diggs Javier Bardem Flounder Jason Marin Cam Clarke Parker Goris Edan Gross Bradley Pierce Gracen Newton Parker Goris Jacob Tremblay Prince Eric Christopher Daniel Barnes Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett Jonah Hauer-King Ursula Pat Carroll rowspan="2" Pat Carroll Amber Riley rowspan="3" Melissa McCarthy Jodi Benson Jessica Alexander Scuttle Buddy Hackett Maurice LaMarche Awkwafina Grimsby Ben Wright Kay E. Kuter Kay E. Kuter Art Malik Chef Louis René Auberjonois René Auberjonois Yanic Truesdale Carlotta Edie McClurg Martina Laird Max colspan="2" Gary and Edna Flotsam and Jetsam Paddi Edwards Paddi Edwards colspan="2" Alana Kimmy Robertson Jennifer Hale Kimmy Robertson Jessica Mikayla Simone Ashley Arista Grey DeLisle Mary Kay Bergman Kajsa Mohammar Adella rowspan="4" Tara Strong Sherry Lynn Nathalie Sorrell Andrina Cathy Cavadini Lorena Andrea Attina Caroline Vasicek Kari Wahlgren Kath Soucie Karolina Conchet Aquata Grey DeLisle Mona Marshall Sienna King Seahorse Herald Will Ryan Charlie Adler Princess Melody Tara Strong Morgana Pat Carroll Tip Max Casella Dash Stephen Furst Undertow Clancy Brown Marina Del Ray Sally Field Benjamin Jeff Bennett Ray-Ray Kevin Michael Richardson Cheeks Ink Spot Rob Paulsen Shelbow Jim Cummings Swifty Rob Paulsen Queen Athena Lorelei Hill Butters Andrea Robinson Swordfish Guards Jeff Bennett Urchin Danny Cooksey Evil Manta Tim Curry Moray Dave Coulier Dudley Emperor Sharga Jim Cummings Jim Cummings Spot Frank Welker Lobster Mobster Joe Alaskey Da Shrimp David Lander Gabriella colspan="2" Ollie Whitby Hertford
Crew