The Little Mermaid (1989)

Genres

Animation, Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Directors

Ron Clements, John Musker

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, Ben Wright, Paddi Edwards, Edie McClurg, Kimmy Robertson, Will Ryan, Frank Welker, René Auberjonois

Storyline

Young mermaid princess Ariel (Jodi Benson) rescues a human prince (Christopher Daniel Barnes) and falls in love with him so she strikes a bargain with the evil sea witch Ursula (Pat Carroll) to trade her fins and voice for human legs. But Ursula has her own plans.

Opinion

There's nothing as rewarding as rewatching your childhood favourites and finding they still are fantastic films and The Little Mermaid makes no difference. It has always been one of my favourite Disneys and it will always be.

Not entirely loyal to Hans Christian Andersen's original tale, the story is pretty simple and yet very enjoyable and engaging. The love story is romantic and touching and will you find yourself rooting for Ariel and Eric which is why the typical Disney happy ending really works here - and has never bothered me at all.

Like all Disney films, the star isn't the story but the characters, and The Little Mermaid has plenty of amazing characters. Ariel is such a vibrant character and I like the way the filmmakers used her to explore womanhood - although the character ends up being pretty much the typical teenager in love. Stealing the show, as usual, are the animal sidekicks, the cute and sweet tropical fish Flounder, Ariel's best friend, and Sebastian, the crab/musical composer. The villain, Ursula, is pretty memorable too.

The music is very good, the songs are memorable and the musical stagings are pretty good too. The animation is beautiful too. Sure, it looks aged, but it's still beautiful and the colours are so vibrant, they fit the characters' personalities well.