17/11/1989 - Grossed $89M in its initial US release. This movie is generally thought to mark the beginning of the New Era of Disney animation. Many credit this success to the team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who received Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Song (Under the Sea).
In its first home video release, a scarce 8 million video tapes were sold. After the tape was pulled from the shelves according to Disney's "limited availability" policy, and as the interest in the movie soared with the cinematic releases of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, the video became a collector's item selling at above US$ 200; more than US$ 600 were common for the Laserdisc. These values were only surpassed by the even rarer Sleeping Beauty videos, and Make Mine Music, which has only seen a limited release in Japan. An active bootleg market existed.
As a bit of trivia, this movie was the first to spawn a TV series.
 voiced by Jodi Benson Tawny-haired mermaid Ariel was one of Disney's most immediately popular animated heroines. Ariel is a girl in the process of becoming an attractive woman. One of her attractive qualities is that she is very definite about what she is doing and very confident about her own ability to succeed. Of course, a good deal of that confidence is ill-placed, as she is just a teenager. Although she is warned by her father, King Triton, that humans are dangerous, Ariel stubbornly believes otherwise and has an insatiable curiosity about them. She explores human artifacts (sunken ships, etc.) and is cons...
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 voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes Prince of a seaside kingdom, Eric had been searching for his true love when fate stepped in and he is rescued from a watery grave by Ariel (who falls instantly in love with him). Eric is haunted by her voice (Disney's attempt to add authenticity to the story. Ulysses (Odysseus),in mythology, ties himself to the mast of his ship to stop himself from being dragged under the waves by the seductive voices of the mermaids). Eric searches for the source of the voice only to discover Ariel, voiceless and alone on the beach.
After much excitement, he discovers that she is the one he was searching...
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 voiced by Kenneth Mars As King of the Ocean, Triton commands much respect from everyone in the seas. He has trouble convincing his youngest of seven daughters to obey his laws about humans. As a result he ends up forbidding her from seeing Eric thus causing her to go to Ursula and there is another major event in the story...
King Triton is Ariel's dad. Strict but loving at the same time, he's as stubborn as Ariel, and the two tempers flare up against each other occasionally, but all's well that ends well, right?
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 voiced by Jason Marin Since childhood, Flounder's best friend has been Ariel. He is very timid and shy and often gets tongue tied. A very cute little sidekick , Flounder is a colorful addition to the movie.
Flounder is Ariel's best friend, and the only other creature living under the sea that can understand and appreciate Ariel's love for the world above.
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 voiced by Samuel E. Wright A Carribean Crab, Sebastian is brought to be the court composer and tutor to Ariel.When not working, he follows Ariel around, trying to keep her out of trouble. He follows Ariel onto the land when she goes in search of Eric, and lends his voice to the beautiful love scene when he and the animals of a lake sing "Kiss the girl".
Sebastian the crab is King Triton's advisor, and Ariel's friend / guardian / nagging protector. He tries to get Ariel to forget the land above the ocean surface, and may not approve of some of the things she does, but as a friend, he's willing to help her ...
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 voiced by Pat Carroll Ursula is a cross between an octopus and a human, she has arms and tentacles. Once a member of Triton's court, Ursula was banished in disgrace (for something we never find out about , although who is triton's wife?) She possesses great magic and the occassional merfolk come to her to get help. She helps them for a price that is usually too high. She tries to spoil Ariel's attempt to woo Eric by using Ariel's voice to enchant Eric and change herself to a human named Vanessa.
Ursula is deliciously wicked, intelligent and conniving; and she's not afraid to play dirty to get...
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 voiced by Buddy Hackett A seagull whom Ariel turns for (incorrect) knowledge on the human things she finds. Scuttle definitely has trouble cutting to the chase when talking.
Scuttle is Ariel's other friend, and supposed know-it-all when it comes to human things, but he gets things wrong more often that not. Except when it's important, of course.
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voiced by René Auberjonois The French cook of Eric's castle. Sings "Les Poissons" and tries to kill Sebastian.
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 voiced by Ben Wright One of Eric's advisors. He gives eric a statue of the prince for his birthday present. He also desperately wants Eric to marry a princess.
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 by Margaret Starbird 1999 Ariel, the "little mermaid" in the Disney® film, is much more than a fairy tale for little girls. Rather, she is a powerful metaphor for the plight of the "Sacred Feminine" over the last several thousand years of western civilization. Since Mary Magdalene, the "Lost Bride" in the Christian story, is a "carrier" of the Sacred Feminine, (in fact, a composite of Aphrodite, Athene, and Demeter, not to mention similarities with Isis, Inanna and Astarte--and the Holy Sophia!), this discussion is relevant especially to her. She was to have been the Lady of the Age of Pisces as Christ was its Lord, fo...
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Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has ev'rything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin' around here you'd think
(Sure) she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
(You want thingamabobs?
I got twenty)
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more
I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see
Wanna see 'em dancin'
Walkin' around on those
(Whad...
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The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?
Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea
Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
T...
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What would I give
To live where you are?
What would I pay
To stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you
Smiling at me?
Where would we walk?
Where would we run?
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world
I don't know when
I don't know how
But I know something's starting right now
Watch and you'll see
Some day I'll be
Part of your world
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There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
Possible she wants you too
There is one way to ask her
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
My oh my
Look like the boy too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Ain't that sad?
Ain't it a shame?
Too bad, he gonna miss the girl
Now's your moment
Floating i...
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Les poissons
Les poissons
How I love les poissons
Love to chop
And to serve little fish
First I cut off their heads
Then I pull out the bones
Ah mais oui
Ca c'est toujours delish
Les poissons
Les poissons
Hee hee hee
Hah hah hah
With the cleaver I hack them in two
I pull out what's inside
And I serve it up fried
God, I love little fishes
Don't you?
Here's something for tempting the palate
Prepared in the classic technique
First you pound the fish flat with a mallet
Then you slash through the skin
Give the belly a slice
Then you rub some salt in
'Ca...
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 Eric's dog Max is Eric's dog, and is more intelligent than his slobbering might indicate.
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 voiced by Jodi Benson Vanessa is Ursula in disguise, of course, but I like her as a character all on her own. And since in this guise Ursula is using Ariel's voice, Jodi Benson (Ariel's voice) also provided the voice for Vanessa. So all that screaming and scolding Vanessa does is from the same chick that sings the heavenly tunes of Ariel.
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 Carlotta is in charge of the domestic forces in Eric's palace, and I get the feeling that's as close to a surrogate mother that Eric's ever had. She's bubbly but does not overflow with the sunshine, which makes her an interesting supporting character to hover around in the background.
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(4.5)