I love it it is my favourite cartoon
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: Walt Disney Pictures, Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements
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 33 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
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Kids ages: 3
I rate this title on for age 2 and give it- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Perfect for all ages!
The Little Mermaid is my all time favorite and it's my three year old's favorite too!
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Kids ages: 3
I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I feel younger than 5+
Love it and so does my three year old!
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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
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.)
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Kids ages: 5
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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Ratings at a Glance
| 36% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
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For Your Family
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