The Little Mermaid (1989)
Somewhere under the sea and beyond your imagination is an adventure in fantasy.
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 17 November 1989 |
| Genre | Animation, Family, Fantasy |
| Director | Ron Clements |
| Starring | Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright and Pat Carroll |
| Runtime | 83 min |
| Rated | G |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.2/10 · Metacritic 88/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 92% · TMDB users 7.4/10 |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $184 million worldwide |
Where to watch The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is streaming on Disney+ ($21.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $21.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 November 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent The Little Mermaid on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Little Mermaid in 58 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Disney+ $15599 ARS |
| Australia | Disney+ $17.99 AUD |
| Austria | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Belgium | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Belize | Disney+ |
| Bolivia | Disney+ |
| Brazil | Disney+ R$49.90 |
| Bulgaria | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Canada | Disney+ $15.99 CAD |
| Chile | Disney+ $10990 CLP |
| Colombia | Disney+ $36900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Disney+ |
| Croatia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Czechia | Disney+ 219 Kč |
| Denmark | Disney+ 119 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Disney+ |
| Ecuador | Disney+ $11.49 |
| El Salvador | Disney+ |
| Finland | Disney+ €11.99 |
| France | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Germany | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Greece | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Guatemala | Disney+ |
| Honduras | Disney+ |
| Hong Kong | Disney+ HK$88 |
| Hungary | Disney+ 2990 Ft |
| India | Jiohotstar |
| Ireland | Disney+ €11.99 |
| Italy | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Jamaica | Disney+ |
| Japan | Disney+ ¥1250 JPY |
| Liechtenstein | Disney+ |
| Luxembourg | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Mexico | Disney+ $259 MXN |
| Netherlands | Disney+ €10.99 |
| New Zealand | Disney+ $18.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Disney+ |
| Norway | Disney+ 129 kr NOK |
| Panama | Disney+ $12.49 |
| Paraguay | Disney+ |
| Peru | Disney+ S/49.90 |
| Poland | Disney+ 34.99 zł |
| Portugal | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Romania | Disney+ 34.99 lei |
| San Marino | Disney+ |
| Singapore | Disney+ $18.98 SGD |
| Slovakia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| South Korea | Disney+ ₩9900 |
| Spain | Disney+ €10.99 |
| St. Lucia | Disney+ |
| Sweden | Prime Video 69 kr SEK, Disney+ 129 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Disney+ CHF16.90 |
| Taiwan | Disney+ NT$285 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Disney+ |
| Türkiye | Disney+ ₺449.90 |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ £11.99 GBP |
| Uruguay | Disney+ about $U522 |
| Venezuela | Disney+ |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
The Little Mermaid is an 83-minute animated fantasy that runs on a surplus of energy. It trades subtle character development for pure momentum, piling song after song onto the screen until the ocean feels crowded. The hook is simple: a princess wants to trade her voice for legs. That is a terrible deal, but the film treats it like a blessing. Ron Clements directs with a grin, trusting that the audience will find the logic charming rather than flawed. It is a movie that knows exactly how much sugar it has and does not try to hide it.
What the critics said
Critics flocked to the party. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 92% approval score based on 126 reviews. Metacritic assigns it an 88, which they call universal acclaim. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found the film "jolly and inventive," a description that does a lot of heavy lifting. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it a "marvel of skillful animation." Dissent exists, mostly on the re-release. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post found it "likably unspectacular." TV Guide liked the return to musicals but bemoaned the human eyes. The music carried the weight; the eyes did not.
How it did with audiences
$40 million budget, $112 million in the United States, $184 million worldwide. That is a healthy margin, the kind that makes executives stop worrying about the next slate. TMDB users rate it 7.4 out of 10, a solid score that suggests the magic still lands even when the novelty wears off. It proved a "girl's film" could out-earn its predecessor by 64%, a quiet correction to studio skepticism. The numbers hold up, which is more than many sequels can say.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Little Mermaid.
Read more: Aladdin
Sources
- The Little Mermaid on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q190135 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Little Mermaid (1989 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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