The Little Mermaid (1989)

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Ron Clements, John Musker

Writer:

Hans Christian Andersen, Howard Ashman, Gerrit Graham

Release Date:

Nov 17, 1989

Runtime:

1hr 23m

Synopsis

A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.

Cast

  • Rene Auberjonois
  • Christopher Daniel Barnes
  • Jodi Benson
  • Pat Carroll
  • Paddi Edwards
  • Buddy Hackett
  • Jason Marin
  • Kenneth Mars
  • Edie McClurg
  • Samuel E. Wright

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.7
1.8M
168.7K
318.4K
RATINGS 7.1K FANS
3.7
  • Nov 19, 2019

    A good lesson on the importance of contract law.

    2.7K Likes
    Max Power
    Max Power
    Apr 4, 2017

    My favorite disney princess named after a font.

    2.1K Likes
    Robin
    Robin
    Feb 27, 2021

    One sees many things as an adult that one did not see as a child, but I was most impressed by how gorgeous the underwater animation of Ariel’s hair is. It’s just fun to watch her hair float around!

    1.2K Likes
    Matt Singer
    Matt Singer
  •
    Jun 14, 2018

    me, with literally no evidence whatsoever: i feel like every girl whose favourite disney prince was eric is a lesbian now

    1.2K Likes
    Ellie ✨
    Ellie ✨
    Mar 29, 2025

    daughter did NOT like when ursula got big

    1.1K Likes
    David Sims
    David Sims
    Feb 19, 2021

    “I consider myself a reasonable merman” is a truly hysterical line

    1.1K Likes
    nickusen
    nickusen
  •
    Mar 17, 2021

    A hoarder with daddy issues, truly the best Disney princess for me.

    1.0K Likes
    Dina
    Dina
    Jul 9, 2020

    one star added for the fact every song is a banger

    977 Likes
    gwen
    gwen
    Jun 3, 2019

    Human Ursula is hot, not gonna lie

    876 Likes
    Rach Rhodes
    Rach Rhodes
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

92%
Community 23,893
❤️ LOVE
14%
👍 LIKE
78%
😐 MEH
7%
👎 DISLIKE
1%
Top Reviews
  • amee
    amee disliked
    The Little Mermaid

    imagine trading your mermaid tail for a man who is balding… moana could never

    😂 😭 7 3Y
    sam
    sam liked
    The Little Mermaid

    I love The Little Mermaid! One of my favorite Disney Movies! I adore how she was able to communicate her personality even when she couldn’t speak. I loved how they animated her hair and the water. Ursula has one of the best Disney villain songs in my book, love her to death!

    2 🔥 2 3Y
    Nicholas Hogan
    Nicholas Hogan disliked
    The Little Mermaid

    Teaches kids that you can do anything in life if you’re attractive enough

    🤔 🥱 2 3Y
  • lizi
    lizi liked
    The Little Mermaid

    shes so me collecting trash

    2 2Y
    Ben Lecker
    Ben Lecker liked
    The Little Mermaid

    This is a fun movie, it’s absolutely a classic that was one of my favorites as a kid and it still holds up well. It’s a fun story with some good voice acting and some great songs. Overall a good movie but hard to rate. Maybe a 7/10 cause it’s a kid movie?

    🔥 1 7M
    lia
    lia loved
    The Little Mermaid

    My first ever Disney movie that my dad bought for me when I was like 6 years old. Honestly one of my favorite. I think ever little girl should experience watching this

    🔥 1 3Y
  • Kward0610
    Kward0610 loved
    The Little Mermaid

    One of my favorite Disney movies. An absolute classic with great songs and beautiful animation. One of the best Disney films of all time.

    1 2Y
    BENNY
    BENNY liked
    The Little Mermaid

    7/10 Things from my childhood.

    🔥 1 3M
    ur mum
    ur mum disliked
    The Little Mermaid

    i dislike ariel with a passion

    😂 1 3Y
View More Popular The Little Mermaid Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

4.9
28
4
0
0
0
POPULAR TAGS
#familyfriendly
#original
#lovestory
#kidslovedit
#mustsee
#<3

Reviews

  • KP
    Katie Patricia
    #seeingitagain
    #mustsee
    #allthefeels

    has always been my favorite Disney princess movie and will never change. I feel the magic all over again, every time I see it

    LH
    Loreen Hanson
    #lovestory
    #seeingitagain
    JM
    Josue Medina
    #lovestory
    #datenight
    #<3
  • NM
    Nichole Moore
    #original
    #familyfriendly
    #mustsee
    JS
    Jordan Simpson
    #original
    DB
    David Brown
    #original
    #kidslovedit
    #familyfriendly
  • GP
    Gabriela Paz
    #familyfriendly
    #lovestory
    #fantasy
    SM
    Seyla Martinez
    #seeingitagain
    #original
    #familyfriendly
    HH
    handbanana888 handbanana888
    #familyfriendly
    #kidslovedit
    #original
Read all 32 customer reviews

Metacritic

88
metacritic
Based on 24 Critics
7.6

USER SCORE (269)

Generally favorable reviews based on 269 Reviews
100

Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid is a jolly and inventive animated fantasy - a movie that's so creative and so much fun it deserves comparison with the best Disney work of the past.

View full review
Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
88

It may not be a transcendent masterpiece of the Disney canon, but The Little Mermaid is still very heartening: It suggests the Disney magic isn't lost after all.

View full review
Metacritic review by Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
90

Impudent, grandiose, a multilevel crowd-pleaser--almost returns the Disney animated features to their glory traditions of the '30s and '40s.

View full review
Metacritic review by Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Los Angeles Times
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as G (General Audiences), so all ages are admitted.
How long is The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989)?
The movie is 1hr 23min long.
What's The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989) about?
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.
Who's the cast of The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989)?
  • Rene Auberjonois as Louis
  • Christopher Daniel Barnes as Eric
  • Jodi Benson as Ariel
  • Pat Carroll as Ursula
  • Paddi Edwards as Flotsam, Jetsam
  • Buddy Hackett as Scuttle
  • Jason Marin as Flounder
  • Kenneth Mars as Triton
  • Edie McClurg as Carlotta
  • Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian
Who's the director behind The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989)?
Ron Clements and John Musker directed The Little Mermaid (1989) (1989).