---
title: "The Little Mermaid"
year: 1989
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-little-mermaid-1989"
fi1m_id: "the-little-mermaid-1989"
imdb_id: "tt0097757"
tmdb_id: 10144
wikidata_id: "Q190135"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-09-24T02:05:05.305709+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-24T02:05:05.697387+00:00"
region: "MY"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Little Mermaid (1989)

Directed by John Musker, Ron Clements · 1h 23m · Animation, Family, Fantasy

## Identity

The Little Mermaid

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-little-mermaid-1989
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-little-mermaid-1989
- **IMDb ID:** tt0097757
- **TMDB ID:** 10144
- **Wikidata ID:** Q190135
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097757/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10144, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190135

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 75 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* A girl trades her voice for legs to meet a man she has met once, and the crab has all the best lines

> John Musker and Ron Clements turn Andersen’s sad little story into a Broadway musical with fins, and Alan Menken’s songs are good enough to carry a plot that does not bear looking at. The sea witch steals it; the prince barely turns up.

## Synopsis

Ariel (Jodi Benson), a mermaid, youngest daughter of King Triton (Kenneth Mars), skips a concert to explore a sunken ship with her friend Flounder (Jason Marin), hunting forks and pipes for her grotto of human junk. Her father forbids contact with the surface, and his court composer, a crab called Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright), is told to keep an eye on her. She swims up anyway, watches a birthday party aboard a ship and falls for Prince Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes). When a storm wrecks the ship she pulls him to the beach and sings to him before he wakes. Triton finds out and smashes her collection. Nearby, Ursula (Pat Carroll), a sea witch, has a bargain ready: three days as a human, in exchange for her voice.

## Review

John Musker and Ron Clements, who wrote and directed, took Hans Christian Andersen’s story of a mermaid who gives up her tail for a man and made it a Broadway musical with fins. Andersen’s version ends badly. This one does not, and we will say no more about that than the U certificate already does. The shape is the thing: a heroine who sings what she wants before the first quarter-hour is up, a comic sidekick with a number of his own, a villain with the best tune. It reached British cinemas on 12 October 1990. It is a good film with a great score and a prince who barely exists, and we recommend it for the songs and the sea witch, and in spite of the story.

Alan Menken wrote the music and Howard Ashman, who also produced, wrote the lyrics, and between them they treat a cartoon fairy tale as though it had a matinee to sell. ‘Part of Your World’ comes early. Ariel sits in a grotto full of forks and candlesticks she cannot name and sings about wanting to stand on legs, and the animators drift her up towards a hole in the rock where the daylight comes through, red hair fanning out behind her. We had expected to be indulgent. We were moved instead, more than a film about a singing fish girl has any business managing, and it was the hair that did it: it never stops moving, so she is never quite at rest and never quite heavy, and the wanting looks physical. Jodi Benson sings it straight, and the film has its heroine.

‘Under the Sea’ is the one people remember and it earns that. Samuel E. Wright’s Sebastian, Triton’s court composer, tries to talk Ariel out of the surface by way of a calypso, and by the second chorus every creature on the reef has become an instrument. Mark A. Hester cuts it to the beat and gets out before the joke wears thin. Then Ursula gets ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’, and the film changes temperature.

Pat Carroll plays the sea witch as a cabaret singer after closing time, all purr and sudden bellow, and the drawing matches her: a big woman to the waist, a heap of black tentacles below it, moving slowly in the way heavy things move under water. Her lair is lit green and violet. Her eels, Flotsam and Jetsam (both voiced by Paddi Edwards), have one glowing yellow eye apiece and finish each other’s sentences. The song is a sales pitch for a bad contract, and Carroll sells it. We laughed at the verse advising that men prefer a girl who keeps her mouth shut, then remembered that the film was about to make that true for three days, and the laugh went a little sour. The film does not seem to have noticed.

Christopher Daniel Barnes voices Eric, and it is not his fault that Eric is a jawline with a dog. He is looking for a girl whose voice he heard once, which means the heroine spends most of the film trying to be recognised by a man who is searching for someone else, namely her. Musker and Clements know how thin that is, which is why Sebastian, Scuttle (Buddy Hackett) and Flounder (Jason Marin) are wheeled in for a joke whenever the two leads are left alone. René Auberjonois has one scene as a chef chasing Sebastian round a kitchen with a cleaver, and it is funnier than anything Eric says. The finale goes big and goes fast, in a way we will not describe, and at 83 minutes the film could have used five more of them; one or two changes of heart happen because the running time says so.

Set against the studio’s own history, this is the film that reminded Disney what its features were for. [*Beauty and the Beast*](https://film.one/film/beauty-and-the-beast), two years later, took the same recipe and did the story better. The recipe was written here, and every Disney heroine since has been handed a song like Ariel’s.

Watch it with a child if there is one about. Watch the child during ‘Part of Your World’, watch yourself during ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’, and see which of you is having the better time.

*Fi1m score 80, published 24 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like it, and several treat it as the point at which Disney animation recovered its nerve. The praise clusters on the music: Alan Menken’s score and Howard Ashman’s lyrics come up repeatedly, and “Under the Sea” is named more often than any other sequence. The animation is called lush and fluid, and Ursula’s design is picked out as the visual high point by more than one reviewer.

The reservations are about story rather than surface. Empire finds the prince dull and the ending hurried, and Collider agrees the storytelling is the weak part while judging the charm enough to carry it. The AV Club, though warm, calls the film thin. The one real dissent comes from Slant Magazine, which finds it calculated and cloying, though even there Ursula is welcomed as relief. The spread is otherwise narrow; nobody argues it is less than good entertainment.

## Straight answers

**Is The Little Mermaid worth watching?**

*The Little Mermaid* is worth watching for the songs and for the sea witch, and we scored it 80. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's score carries a story that does not bear looking at, and Pat Carroll's Ursula walks off with the film while the prince barely turns up. Watch it with a child if there is one about.

**How long is The Little Mermaid, and what is it rated?**

*The Little Mermaid* runs 1h 23m. It is an animation and family film.

**Where can I watch The Little Mermaid in Malaysia?**

*The Little Mermaid* is not on any streaming or rental service in Malaysia at the moment. It is available in 49 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does The Little Mermaid compare to Song of the Sea?**

*The Little Mermaid* is a Broadway musical with fins; [*Song of the Sea*](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea) is a hand-drawn Irish selkie tale, quieter and painted in watercolour. The Disney film has the better songs and the better villain, and its story is the thinner. Tomm Moore's film sags in the middle but tells a fuller story about a grieving family, and it suits the child who found Ursula a bit much.

**What should I watch after The Little Mermaid?**

After *The Little Mermaid*, try [*Song of the Sea*](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea) (2014, Fi1m 82): Irish selkie tale, hand-drawn and quiet, for the child who found Ursula a bit much. Then [*Beauty and the Beast*](https://film.one/film/beauty-and-the-beast) (1991, Fi1m 91): Menken and Ashman again, with a story that holds up as well as the songs.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **Radio Times**, Kilmeny Fane-Saunders (5/5): Fane-Saunders celebrates the film as the start of a new golden age for Disney features. She praises its impressive animation and Alan Menken’s catchy, show-stopping score, especially “Under the Sea.” [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-toh9yo/the-little-mermaid/)
- **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A-): Murray finds the film thin and visually shallow, but says its spirit of renewed entertainment remains infectious. He singles out Howard Ashman’s wit and the rousing “Under The Sea” sequence for praise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-little-mermaid-1798202067)
- **The Independent**, Ben Walsh (80/100, inferred): The review finds the film charming and beautifully paced. It particularly praises its energetic adventure and lasting appeal despite newer animation surpassing it. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-bluray-review-the-little-mermaid-collection-u-8800822.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (4/5): The critic praises the film as Disney at its best and calls it wonderful entertainment. The songs and characters stand out, while its humour keeps the story from becoming too sugary. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-little-mermaid-review/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): The review considers it Disney’s strongest animated feature in years and gives a clearly positive verdict. It praises the lush, fluid animation and singles out Ursula’s design as a visual highlight. [Read](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/the-little-mermaid-1200427784/)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (78/100, inferred): Thomas calls the film a charming, sparkling family classic that delivers laughs, scares and songs. He praises its memorable music, comic sea-life characters and imposing Ursula, while noting the prince is dull and the ending hurried. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/little-mermaid-review/)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (65/100, inferred): The article is identifiable as a review of the 1989 film, but its verdict and specific praise or complaints are unavailable in the page provided. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/15/movies/review-film-andersen-s-mermaid-by-way-of-disney.html)
- **Time Out**, CM (65/100, inferred): The available page identifies this as a film review but provides no critic’s verdict. Its description highlights the adaptation’s calypso rhythms and sweeping ballads. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-little-mermaid-1)
- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the supplied text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-little-mermaid-1989)
- **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (2/4): Henderson gives the film a sharply negative assessment, calling it calculated and emotionally overbearing. He singles out Ursula’s flamboyant performance and design as a welcome diversion from the film’s cloying tone. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-little-mermaid/)
- **Collider**, Rob Vaux (75/100, inferred): Vaux finds that the film’s shortcomings are outweighed by its enduring charm and legacy. He especially praises the songs and animation, while noting weaknesses in the storytelling and some character portrayals. [Read](https://collider.com/the-little-mermaid-diamond-edition-blu-ray-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** John Musker, Ron Clements
- **Director:** John Musker, Ron Clements
- **Writer:** John Musker, Ron Clements
- **Editor:** Mark A. Hester
- **Music:** Alan Menken
- **Producer:** Howard Ashman, John Musker
- **Cast:** Jodi Benson as Ariel (voice); Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian (voice); Pat Carroll as Ursula (voice); Christopher Daniel Barnes as Eric (voice); Kenneth Mars as Triton (voice); Buddy Hackett as Scuttle (voice); Jason Marin as Flounder (voice); René Auberjonois as Louis (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 23m
- **First release (the US):** 15 November 1989
- **Genres:** Animation, Family, Fantasy
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 1989)
- **Budget:** $40 million
- **Box office:** $211 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGZX5-PAwR8

## Where to watch in Malaysia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Malaysia at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1990: Best Original Score (won); Best Original Song (won)

## If you liked this

- *Ponyo* (2008): Miyazaki’s fish girl wants to be human too, and the sea itself is the star
- *Splash* (1984): A mermaid in Manhattan, Tom Hanks bewildered, and the legs problem played for grown-up laughs
- *Song of the Sea* (2014), Fi1m 82: Irish selkie tale, hand-drawn and quiet, for the child who found Ursula a bit much — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea.md)
- *Beauty and the Beast* (1991), Fi1m 91: Menken and Ashman again, with a story that holds up as well as the songs — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/beauty-and-the-beast.md)
- *The Lure* (2015): Polish mermaid musical set in a nightclub; strictly for adults, and unforgettable once seen

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-little-mermaid-1989