It is a very good movie, and a lot of kids loved it. I have a little sister, and I think she watched it when she was 2. I thought that was too young. She looked scared. I think that 3 is a good age. (I think that The Little Mermaids dad uses some bad languge.)
The Little Mermaid
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A superbly entertaining animated musical.
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
This review of The Little Mermaid was written by Nell Minow
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.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- 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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More on The Little Mermaid
What’s the Story?
THE LITTLE MERMAID is Ariel, a mermaid princess who collects human artifacts. One day, she rescues Prince Eric, who was thrown from his ship during a storm, and Ariel falls in love. Desperate for the chance to have a life with Eric, Ariel enters into an agreement with a seawitch, Ursula. She gives up her voice and gets her legs. But she only has three days to woo Eric. If he doesn't kiss her in that time, she will become Ursula's slave forever.
Is It Any Good?
After some lackluster years, Disney came back into the top rank of animated features with this superbly entertaining musical, based loosely on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen (but with a happier ending). Ariel was the first in a series of refreshingly plucky Disney heroines. Instead of dreaming about the day her prince will come, or waiting for a fairy godmother or a Prince's kiss, Ariel is a spirited and curious mermaid who is willing to take action in order to meet Prince Eric, the man of her dreams, though she is gullible and impetuous in agreeing to the terms demanded by the seawitch in exchange for making it possible for her to go on land.
The wonderful voice characterizations in this film include Buddy Hackett (The Music Man) as Scuttle the scavanging seagull and Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, the calypso-singing crab. The first-class musical score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (who worked together on the off-Broadway hit, Little Shop of Horrors) ranks with the best of Broadway and won Oscars for Best Score and Best Song ("Under the Sea"). Some viewers criticize the movie for providing yet another wasp-waisted Disney heroine whose whole world revolves around a man. But Ariel is adventuresome, rebellious, and brave. It is true that she makes the mistake of giving up her voice to the sea witch (a very strong female character, to say the least), which provides a good opportunity for family discussion.
Movie Details
Studio: Disney, Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
Run time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/15/1989, DVD release: 10/3/2006
MPAA Rating: G for some scary scenes
Run time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/15/1989, DVD release: 10/3/2006
MPAA Rating: G for some scary scenes
Our Members Say
See all 30 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
A Fishy Reveiw
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
greatest disney movie ever!
This is my beloved disney movie! It has wonderful music. The song, "Part of Your World," is really sweet and uplifting. I showed this to my four-year-old cousin and she adored it! She loves the song, "Part of Your World," as much as I do! When I first showed her the movie, I was surprised that she didn't get scared of Ursula at all! And she's only four! What makes me adore the movie was the romance between Ariel and Eric. They're so sweet together because he loves her despite her mermaid heritage and she loves him despite the bad things her dad said about humans. I like how in the movie, Ariel gets her voice back and Eric said, "you can talk! You're the one!" Then he runs up to Ariel and embraces her! Awwwww!! It is was awesome seeing Ariel and Eric saving each other. Ariel saves Eric from drowning and again from marrying Ursula. Eric saves Ariel from Ursula. They take the cake for the best ending of the disney princess movies. It's where you get to see them get married at a wedding. Other movies just end couples dancing Little Mermaid is one of the few disney movies of the Renaissance that have great comedy. You have Scuttle, the wise-cracking seagull, Sebastian, the over-worrying crab, Ursula, the evil sea witch, whose dry sense of humor has comic relief.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
not one of my favorites
This movie is not one of my favorite disney movie but little girls will love it.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
Ursula calls Ariel at "Tramp". This seems unnecessary in a Disney G movie.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
love it. my two year old niece loves is too
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I love it!
This an awesome movie. Its my favorite. I feel like I can be myself watching the all the little mermaid movies. These are fun cartoon musicals in my opinion.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
Pretty iffy.
Actually, I'm not too fond of the Little Mermaid movies. I think it's a bit iffy when Ariel is trying to impress Eric. All you have to do is be yourself, so I don't think this is a great role model for girls. Plus, look at the way that mermaid dresses! Get a shirt, lady! I mean, seriously, young girls don't need to see Ariel like this. It's just too iffy.
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
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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.
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I 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.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 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.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
THE LITTLE MERMAID
One of my all time favorite movies is THE LITTLE MERMAID I will and have always loved it. Although it is G rated it is quite scary at times and Ariel and the other mermaid wear quite sexy, revealing outfits with a large amount of cleavage. Also Ariel is absolutely obsessed with Prince Eric and dreams / fantasies about him, they share sensual, long kisses. Romance is great. Tons of laughs. Great music! I rate THE LITTLE MERMAID, PG for some scary/tense moments, peril, and mild sensuality
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Great Children's Fantasy (Fairy Tale)
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
A underwater delight!
Along with CINDERELLA as the #1 Disney movies, THE LITTLE MERMAID is a scrumptuous feast of a movie with delightful songs and gleeful animation.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
My favorite movie of all time...
I love, love, love, love, LOVE "The Little Mermaid". It has been my favorite movie, since I was a child, and it still is. The films is not sexual or violent, but the scantily clad mermaids, and violent seawitch could cause one to think otherwise. The message to children is to go after your dreams, which is what I got from it, but the main plot may be saddening to some adults- love at first sight, not knowing but seeing etc. etc. Regardless- I am an Arielholic!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Good.
This is a pretty fun Disney movie, the only thing is my daughter told me she saw Ariels but i laughed but I watched it with her and i realized you do see brief glimpses of a nude Ariel. She is also scantly dressed. But the story is simple for them to understand. So its kewl for the kids.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say there are good role models |
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