The Little Mermaid (1989) - Review

As a little girl and one of four girls in my family, my childhood was full of Disney classics, especially fairy tales starring Disney royalty. When I was nine-years-old, The Little Mermaid was released for the first time, and I was anxious to catch a peek of Disney's newest princess. As soon as I saw the red-haired princess with a golden voice and a tender heart, I instantly fell in love with her.

In addition to being instantly drawn to Ariel, I also fell in love with Sebastian, Eric, Scuttle, King Triton, Ursula, and the whole underwater crew. I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a love story about a mermaid princess and a human prince falling in love with each other and doing anything they had to live happily after ever.

Ariel's Obsession with the Human World

Ariel's story is one that many girls, including my younger self, can relate to. She is unhappy with her life under the sea, even though she is the daughter of a King and wants more than anything to see more of the world, specifically the human world. After meeting Prince Eric, a human, Ariel wants even more to be a part of "that" world as she calls it.

To realize her dream, Ariel makes a deal with an unscrupulous sea hag, Ursula. Ursula befriends the naïve Ariel and makes her believe that she truly wants to help her, but Ursula has bigger, evil plans in store for Ariel, her father, King Triton, and Prince Eric.

Why I Still Love The Little Mermaid Today

As a little girl, I remember being terribly fearful of Ursula and wanting so badly for Eric and Ursula to fall in love and live happily ever after. As a grown-up, I couldn't wait to share The Little Mermaid with my daughter who loves it as much as I do. My favorite part was watching her get up and dance during Sebastian's solo under the sea, and routing for Ariel and Eric to fall in love the same way I did when I was her age.

Whether you have seen The Little Mermaid a million times or are looking for a great Disney Princess classic to add to your collection, you won't regret watching this fairytale for many years to come.

• This Disney Classic is based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale of the same name
• Ariel's body was inspired by actress Alyssa Milano
• Released to theaters the first time on November 14, 1989
• Ursula's body type was inspired by a famous drag queen, Divine
• Disney's 28th classic
• Released from the Disney Vault, with much anticipation, on October 13, 2013
• In the book that inspired The Little Mermaid, the sea witch is not a prominent character and is not even named
• Ariel was created as a red head because it complimented her green tail
• Part of Your World was almost cut from the movie
• The Little Mermaid is credited as creating a wave of Disney Princess mania

I have watched The Little Mermaid dozens of times. In the past decade, I have watched this Disney classic with my young daughter. Check out my favorite Ariel moment in the YouTube video below.