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The Little Mermaid (1989) 7.6
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain with an unscrupulous sea-witch in order to meet a human prince on land. |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rene Auberjonois | ... |
Louis
(voice) (as René Auberjonois)
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| Christopher Daniel Barnes | ... |
Eric
(voice)
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| Jodi Benson | ... |
Ariel
(voice)
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| Pat Carroll | ... |
Ursula
(voice)
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| Paddi Edwards | ... |
Flotsam & Jetsam
(voice)
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| Buddy Hackett | ... |
Scuttle
(voice)
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 |
Jason Marin | ... |
Flounder
(voice)
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| Kenneth Mars | ... |
Triton
(voice)
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| Edie McClurg | ... |
Carlotta
(voice)
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| Will Ryan | ... |
Seahorse
(voice)
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Ben Wright | ... |
Grimsby
(voice)
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| Samuel E. Wright | ... |
Sebastian
(voice)
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Hamilton Camp | ... |
Additional Voices
(voice)
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Debbie Shapiro Gravitte | ... |
Additional Voices
(voice) (as Debbie Shapiro)
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Robert Weil | ... |
Additional Voices
(voice)
|
Edit
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Loosely based upon the story by Hans Christian Andersen. Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton, is dissatisfied with life in the sea. She longs to be with the humans above the surface, and is often caught in arguments with her father over those "barbaric fish-eaters". She goes to meet Ursula, the Sea Witch, to strike a deal, but Ursula has bigger plans for this mermaid and her father. Written by Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
Taglines:
Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
17 November 1989 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Little Mermaid 3D See more »Box Office
Budget:
$40,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$9,814,520 (USA) (14 November 1997)Gross:
£1,703,401 (UK) (28 August 1998)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
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.
See more »
(1989) (uncredited)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Performed by Jodi Benson (Ariel)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ariel was quite deliberately made a redhead in order to distinguish her from Daryl Hannah's character in Splash (1984). See more »Goofs
When Ursula is talking to Ariel for the first time, she sits down at her mirror to apply some makeup - when she looks at Ariel, she has on lipstick, but in the next shot, she has none and is applying it from a clam. See more »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.
See more »
Soundtracks
Part of Your World (Reprise)(1989) (uncredited)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Performed by Jodi Benson (Ariel)
See more »
The mermaid herself is charming. She is animated with real passion - and voiced with real passion too, by Jodi Benson, who provides a powerful argument that whoever provides the speaking voice should also provide the singing voice. She is an innocent heroine but by no means a colourless one. That the prince should fall in love with her, on just seeing her and hearing her voice, is entirely credible.
The same could not be said for Andersen's original mermaid, who is a very cold fish indeed, solely concerned with grabbing immortality, considering the prince as no more than a handy means to it. It's this (and the high value placed on Christianity at the expense of decency) that makes Andersen's ending so insufferable. Obviously, another ending had to be found; and while it must be said that the big ending Musker and Clements came up with is a weak one, it must also be said that it's an improvement.
Musker and Clements still have a problem with their finales (witness `Aladdin' and `Hercules'), but they have countervailing strengths, and those strengths are most apparent here. The songs are all exceptionally staged (the well-known `Under the Sea' actually being the least effective), the comedy is sharp and well-timed, and - more obviously here than anywhere else
- they really believe in what they're doing. They give credit to Howard
Ashman for this and they could be right; whatever the reason, an air of innocence and sincerity pervades `The Little Mermaid' which makes it - and her - utterly irresistible.