The Little Mermaid (1989)

My Review

“The Little Mermaid” is an animated musical fantasy film about a 16-year-old mermaid who falls in love with a human prince. She makes a deal with a sea witch to exchange her singing voice for legs to enable her to live on land for three days. The drama proceeds from there, well directed and written by John Musker and Ron Clements. It was adapted from the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen of Denmark. This film features innovative animation, creative story telling, and a great musical score by Alan Menken, who won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Under the Sea” music by Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman).

The voice cast includes Jodi Benson as Princess Ariel, Christopher Daniel Barnes as Prince Eric, Pat Carroll as Ursula, Buddy Hackett as Scuttle, Ben Wright as Grimsby, Edie McClurg as Eric’s maid, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, and Rene Auberjonois as the chef. “The Little Mermaid” was the ninth highest grossing film of 1989 for Walt Disney Animation and Walt Disney Pictures. It was composed and filmed at Walt Disney Feature Animation in Glendale, California. A live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” was released in 2023 starring Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.