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The Little Mermaid (1989)


The Little Mermaid (1989)



8/10



Starring the voice of
René Auberjonois
Christopher Daniel Barnes
Jodi Benson
Pat Carroll

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker


The Little Mermaid is the 28th Disney animated feature film, and this animated musical fantasy is credited as the movie that brought Disney animation back into the limelight.
The plot is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Little Mermaid. The original story is about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul.
Disney took the tale and gave it its own magical twist.

Disney’s version introduces the lead, Ariel, who is fascinated by life in the human world. She spends her time exploring and collecting human artifacts, which she stores in her secret grotto. She’s joined by her best friend, Flounder, a fish. When Ariel and Flounder find something new, they swim to the surface to meet Scuttle, a seagull who claims to know all about human objects. Scuttle, who actually knows nothing, makes up names and uses for the items they show him.

Watching over Ariel is Sebastian, a crab who’s strict and always trying to keep her out of trouble.
One night, while watching a celebration on a ship, a wave hits the vessel, causing it to capsize. Ariel saves a human named Eric, whom she had been admiring during the festivities. After rescuing him, she returns to the sea, leaving Eric with only the memory of her voice.

Now determined to meet Eric again, Ariel’s desire leads her to the sea witch, Ursula. Ursula has her own plans to use Ariel to overthrow King Triton, Ariel’s father and ruler of Atlantica.
Ursula uses her magic to turn Ariel human, but at a cost. Ariel will be human for three days, but in exchange, she must give up her voice. This means she won’t be able to speak or sing, and within those three days, she must receive the “kiss of true love” from Eric. If she fails, her entire being will belong to Ursula.

From there, the movie follows Ariel’s friends—including the grumpy Sebastian—as they try their best to get Eric to fall for Ariel and kiss her. Meanwhile, Ursula works behind the scenes to ensure this doesn’t happen.

The movie won numerous awards for its soundtrack, especially for the iconic scene where Sebastian sings Under the Sea. The song won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. The Little Mermaid soundtrack album was a massive hit, selling millions of copies.
But there’s more to this movie than just the music. The Little Mermaid was a critical and commercial success, marking the start of the Disney Renaissance era. It has since been adapted into a Broadway musical, and a live-action adaptation is in the works.

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