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The Little Mermaid
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 3, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A superbly entertaining animated musical.
updated 07.04.08
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness :
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Sexy stuff :
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Little Mermaid
Parents need to know that in addition to the "normal" scariness of the sea witch, some children may find the casual bloodthirstiness of the French chef upsetting, especially in the musical number in which he tries to turn Sebastian into crabmeat.
Read our full review by Nell Minow
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about villains. Why is Ursula both a little scary and a little fun? They can also talk about Ariel and the decisions she makes. Why do you think she chose to give up her voice (and her family) to meet Eric? Why do you think Sebastian tries to help her even though he doesn't agree with what Ariel's doing?
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Our Members Say
See all 21 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
Lives in CaliforniaI rate this title on for age 5 and give it- I rate this title off for age 6 and give it
upsetting
My sensitive 5 year old loves some of the songs and the idea of mermaids and princesses, but was crying for most of this movie. First, she was upset that Ariel would leave her friend Flounder, then the scary shark, we fast-forwarded through the cooking scene (as I assured her that Sebastian would not become dinner), then the Sea Witch, and leaving behind her father and sisters...One or two laughs, but all in all quite horrid. The Sea Witch telling Ariel that she could just use her body language instead of her voice to seduce the prince because men don't really want to listen to women was also offensive.
- Lives in NebraskaI rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Wonderful!
This film officially started Disney's rennesciance, the beginning of high-quality Disney films after a 20-some-odd year relapse. There is really nothing to worry about. There's a scary shark and sea witch in scenes, but not horrible. The animation is keen and the music spectacular. Highly recommended.
- Lives in North CarolinaI rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
My 5 year old son liked the movie but I found Ariel's dreamy lovey-dovey infatuation with Prince Eric to be a poor role model for girls. She's just over the top for him causing her to make very bad choices that affect her whole family. Her dad becomes very angry and destroys her room full of odds and ends she has collected. My son and I had to have a discussion on why a parent would act that way and why a child wouldn't ask for help from a parent or sibling if they were in trouble.
- Lives inI rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
Scared my daughter!
My daughter is 4 and has been wanting to see this movie for a long time. I held off as long as I could but I probably should have waited even longer. While she loved the songs and some parts made her laugh, Ursula really frightened her. She gets really sad at the end and cries alot wondering if Ariel will see her father again. I definitely should have waited until she was older to see this movie.
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