Ariel has but three days to make Eric fall in love with her. If he does, she'll live happily ever after in his world. If he doesn't, Ursula will enslave her.
The Little Mermaid on DVD
The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 11/10/2009)
The Little Mermaid has been fully restored and released to DVD! This is the two-disc Platinum Edition, which features a commentary, deleted scenes, the making of The Little Mermaid, and of course games and activities.
The Little Mermaid and the Disney Renaissance
The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, kicking off what is now known as the Disney Renaissance period (1989 - 1999). Disney hadn't been doing so well at the box office during the 1980s; for example, Disney's The Great Mouse Detective did poorly compared to Don Bluth's American Tail.But The Little Mermaid changed all that, rekindling the magic that had long been absent in Disney films. It did so well that it won two Academy Awards, and it also marked Disney's return to musicals.
Ariel (Little Mermaid) by Disney
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Princess Ariel
Ariel is the youngest of King Triton's seven daughters, and her father's favorite--despite the fact that she gives him the most grief! She is beautiful, curious, rebellious, adventurous, and headstrong.She longs to live in the world above the sea. Although her father forbids her from going to the surface, she ignores the rule completely. She is entranced by all the human artifacts she collects from shipwrecks, and can't understand how humans can be as bad as her father says they are.
She falls in love with the human prince Eric and is willing to do just about anything to be with him in his world.
Learn more about Ariel
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Princess Ariel
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Ariel is a mermaid, and the youngest of King Triton's seven daughters. Although she seems to have a happy life under the sea, she is intensely curious about humans and longs to join them on land. She falls in love with a human, Prince Eric, and resc...
Little Mermaid T-Shirt
Ariel (Little Mermaid) by Disney
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Prince Eric
We don't know much about Prince Eric except that he's handsome, good-natured, and a romantic. Although he's under a lot of pressure to get married, he refuses to settle down with just anyone. As he tells his manservant Grimsby, "When I find her, I'll know. Without a doubt. It'll just, bam, hit me, like lightning."Despite his noble blood, he is a mariner who often helps his fleet with duties on the ship. He is drawn to the sea, and he plays the flute.
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Prince Eric
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Prince Eric is the human that Ariel falls in love with in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Theirs is a forbidden love, since mermaids like Ariel aren't allowed to have any contact with the human world. Eric might be a prince, but that hasn't stopped him...
Sebastian the Crab
Sebastian is Atlantica's royal court composer. Although he would rather be singing, writing music, and conducting concerts, King Triton gives him the job of looking after Ariel and making sure she stays out of trouble.Sebastian isn't happy about being a babysitter for a headstrong teenager. It isn't long before he finds himself torn between the choice of doing what King Triton would want, or letting Ariel follow her heart.
Sebastian the Crab T-shirt
Little Mermaid by Disney
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Learn more about Sebastian
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Sebastian the Crab
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Sebastian the Crab is, well, a crab. He's also the co-star in The Little Mermaid. Officially he's the royal court composer and musical instructor for King Triton's daughters, but he's also given the assignment of keeping an eye on the most headstrong...
Ursula the Sea Witch
Half woman, half octopus, Ursula is a sea witch who has been banished from King Triton's palace... presumably for being conniving, evil, and generally unpleasant. She's waiting for the chance to have her revenge.She uses Ariel for her own underhanded purposes: She gives the princess human legs, taking her voice as payment. She gives Ariel three days to make Prince Eric fall in love with her; if Ariel fails, she'll turn back into a mermaid and becomes Ursula's property.
Ursula has no intention of letting Ariel succeed, of course.
Learn more about Ursula
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Ursula the Sea Witch
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Ursula is the villainess in The Little Mermaid. She is a cecaelia, or part woman and part octopus. However, she's more commonly known as the sea witch, and she has a reputation for being nasty. King Triton banished Ursula from his palace, and the se...
Ursula T-Shirt
The Little Mermaid: The Return to Musicals
Although the early Disney movies were filled with songs, the studio had largely drifted away from musical numbers by the 1980s. The Little Mermaid marked Disney's return to musicals.Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics for The Little Mermaid, and his songs are a huge part of what makes The Little Mermaid sparkle. Not only are the songs catchy and fun, they help drive the plot.
When Ariel sings "Part of Your World," it's basically a monologue where she reveals her deepest wish. She has all these human trinkets and treasures, but it's not enough: She wants to be a part of the world above the sea. The emotion and feeling in her voice as she sings "Part of Your World" offers a glimpse into her soul.
Ursula's song, "Poor Unfortunate Souls," is all about persuasion. It begins with convincing Ariel that Ursula has mended all her ways, goes on to describe how she helps other needy merfolk, offers a solution to Ariel's dilemma, and ends when Ariel accepts Ursula's bargain. The song doesn't just entertain, it tells a story and keeps the plot moving along. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is so much a part of the story that it doesn't even feel awkward when it's interrupted with dialogue.
The musical aspect is one of the best things about The Little Mermaid. Without the songs, The Little Mermaid would be greatly diminished.
Quick Facts for The Little Mermaid
- Based on the original story by Hans Christian Andersen
- Released to theaters November 17, 1989
- Started the Disney Renaissance (1989 - 1999)
- Grossed $84 million during its first release in the US
- Winner of the 1990 Academy Award for Best Song ("Under the Sea")
- Winner of the 1990 Academy Award for Best Original Score
- First Disney film based on a fairy tale since Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Little Mermaid by Disney
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The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
The original Little Mermaid story was written by Hans Christian Andersen, and was first published in 1837. There is a sense of melancholy in Andersen's stories, and his characters often suffer in terrible ways. The Little Mermaid is exemplary of this.In the original tale, the stakes are much higher. The little mermaid is gambling for more than the prince's love: She's also trying to win an immortal soul. Only if the prince falls in love with her can the mermaid have an immortal soul. If the prince marries another woman instead, the little mermaid will dissolve into sea foam.
The little mermaid endures much pain and suffering. It begins when the sea witch cuts out her tongue as payment. After the transformation, it is painful to walk. Every step the little mermaid takes feels as though she is walking on knives.
Despite the mermaid's beauty, grace, love, and devotion, the prince marries another woman. This would be crushing enough, but the little mermaid has lost more than her prince: She has lost her life and her chance for a soul.
But the mermaid's devotion and good deeds earn her another chance at winning an immortal soul. She joins the daughters of the air to spend the next 300 years doing more good deeds to finally win her immortal soul.
Other (Little Mermaid) by Disney
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More Little Mermaid Lenses
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Disney's The Little Mermaid II
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I imagine some suit over at Disney said, "You know, we haven't made a sequel for The Little Mermaid yet. We'll make it a direct-to-DVD release, which is of course faster and cheaper to produce, and then-- "Huh? The plot? Eh, let's make it about Arie...
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The Little Mermaid: Part of Your World Lyrics
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Look at this stuff Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl The girl who has everything? Look at this trove Treasures untold How many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around here you'd think Sur...
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The Little Mermaid: Under the Sea Lyrics
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The seaweed is always greener In somebody else's lake You dream about going up there But that is a big mistake Just look at the world around you Right here on the ocean floor Such wonderful things surround you What more is you lookin' for? Under the...
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Princess Ariel
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Ariel is a mermaid, and the youngest of King Triton's seven daughters. Although she seems to have a happy life under the sea, she is intensely curious about humans and longs to join them on land. She falls in love with a human, Prince Eric, and resc...
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Sebastian the Crab
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Sebastian the Crab is, well, a crab. He's also the co-star in The Little Mermaid. Officially he's the royal court composer and musical instructor for King Triton's daughters, but he's also given the assignment of keeping an eye on the most headstrong...
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Treasures-By-Brenda wrote...
Nicely done; blessed. Are you aware of the controversy surrounding the initial release of The Little Mermaid and the artwork?
Posted August 06, 2009
by Victoria_Neely
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