ANIMATED

How To Watch The Little Mermaid Movies In Order Of Storyline?

“If You Are Wondering How To Watch The Little Mermaid Movies In Order This Article Quite Help You”

Back Then In 1989, When Disney Released the Amazing Animated franchise”The Little Mermaid” which is based on the fairy tale of the same name By Hans Christian Anderson. The story of this franchise mainly focuses on the adventure of young princess Ariel(mermaid)who desires to live above the surface of the earth.

This franchise has three movies, and a live-action movie was released in the previous year, 2023. The central themes of this franchise explore dreams, identity, love, and the desire to be free from limitations. So, in this article, we will discuss all the Little Mermaid film series in order of their release date. Stay Tune!

All The Little Mermaid Movies In Order

  • The Little Mermaid (1989)
  • The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
  • The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008)
  • The Little Mermaid (2023)

Note: It also has one live broadcast of the beloved animated Disney tale with live performances of the songs.

The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)

1. The Little Mermaid(1989)

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John Musker and Ron Cements wrote the first installment of this franchise. The story of this franchise follows In the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, in the kingdom of Atlanta. A 16-year mermaid princess named Ariel, Although, she is the princess of Atlanta, she finds herself disconnected from the current life and fascinated by the human world.

However, her father who is the King Of Atlanta(King Triton) prohibited everyone not to making any contact with The Humans world. Despite that one day Ariel, goes to the surface where she encounters Prince Eric, celebrating his birthday, and instantly falls in love with Eric. But A Storm Knock Him Overboard. For God Sake, She Was There and Rescue Him.

Eric wants to find the girl who saves his life. Meanwhile, Triton finds out that his daughter has fallen in love with a Human and Destroy her collection of artifacts. Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch named Ursula to make her human for three days in exchange for her Voice.

This movie gets lots of love from the audiences for its memorable characters, catchy songs like( under the World and Part of the Sea) and for its stunning animation.

  • Release Date: November 17, 1989 (USA)
  • Director: John Musker, Ron Clements
  • IMDb: 7.6/10
  • Producer: Howard Asham, John Musker
  • Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • Language: English
  • Production: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and Silver Screen Partners IV
  • Running Time: 83 minutes
  • Genre: Musical/Fantasy
  • Cast: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Kenneth Mars, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Buddy Hackett, Paddi Edwards, Ben Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Edie McClurg Will Ryan.
  • Budget: $40 million
  • Box office: $235 million

2. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)

Imagecredit@rottentomatoes.com

Here’s the second installment of this franchise which is set two years from the event of the first film. Some famous writers like Elizabeth Anderson, Temple Mathews, Elise D’Haene, and Eddi Guzalien wrote this movie. The story of the movie follows Melody who is the daughter of Eric and Ariel, the first child ever to be born in both worlds. They kept her away from the sea to protect her from Morgana King Triton Gives her a magical locket as a present on her birthday.

However, things go wrong when Morgana who is sister of Ursula threatens them to feed Melody to his pet tiger shark. To safeguard her daughter, Ariel makes a deal with Morgan to make Melody a mermaid, but at the cost of her voice.

This sequel received largely negative reviews from critics for the screenplay and rehashed plotlines. Despite that, this movie’s exploration of themes such as identity, the significance of communication, and the bond between the parent and children take center stage.

  • Release Date: September 19, 2000 (USA)
  • Director: Jim Kammerud, Brian Smith
  • IMDb: 5.5/10
  • Producer: Leslie Hough, David Lovegren
  • Distributor: Walt Disney Home Video
  • Language: English
  • Production: Walt Disney Pictures, Disney Video Premiere, Walt Disney Television Animation
  • Running Time: 75 minutes
  • Genre: Animation/Fantasy
  • Cast: Jodi Benson, Tara Charendoff, Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Max Casella, Stephen Furst, Rob Paulsen, Clancy Brown, Cam Clarke, Rene Auberjonois, Kay E. Kuter, Edie McClurg, Dee Bradley Baker, Frank Welker.

3. The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008)

Imagecredit@IMDB.COM

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning is a prequel to the first movie. It is the last and final movie in the The Little Mermaid Trilogy. The story shows us the past of King Triton and Ariel. While trying to recover the music box King Triton’s wife died, So, that he banned music from the Kingdom

But things change when his younger daughter, Ariel, discovers her love for music. delves into Ariel’s early life, showcasing her relationship with her family, including her father King Triton, and revealing the events that led to her fascination with human things and music.

Ten Years later, Ariel and her sisters live under a strict routine maintained by their evil Governess, Marina Del Rey, and her kind assistant, Benjamin the manatee.  Ariel hates their current Lifestyle, Which Brings her into conflict with her father.

This Film ends when Triton allows both love and music back into his Kingdom and appoints Sebastian as the new court composer of Atlantica. The franchise has also extended beyond movies to include TV shows, theme park attractions, merchandise, and more.

  • Release Date: August 25, 2008 (USA)
  • Director: Peggy Holmes
  • IMDb: 6.1/10
  • Producer: Kendra Halland
  • Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
  • Language: Family
  • Production: DisneyToon Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
  • Running Time: 77 minutes
  • Genre: Musical/Family
  • Cast: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Jim Cummings, Sally Field, Parker Goris, Kari Wahlgren, Tara Strong, Jennifer Hale, Grey DeLisle, Jeff Bennett, Lorelei Hill Butters, Rob Paulsen, Kevin Michael Richardson

4. The Little Mermaid(2023)

It is the live-action adaptation of the movie The Little Mermaid in 1989. If you have watched the first movie then the storyline of this movie is the same as the previous one. But Many more changes are made, as the movie adds in 30 minutes of new sub-arcs to further Flesh out characters and build motivations. And make no mistake, these alterations enhance the story. And forge a forbidden romance between Ariel and Eric.

  • Release Date: May 26, 2023 (USA)
  • Director: Rob Marshall
  • IMDb: 7.2/10
  • Producer: Marc Platt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Deluca, Rob Marshall
  • Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
  • Language: English
  • Production: Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, Marc Platt Productions
  • Running Time: 135 minutes
  • Genre: Fantasy/Musical
  • Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Jessica Alexander, Javier Bardem, Noma Dumeweni, Art Malik, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Martina Laird.
  • Budget: $250-265 million
  • Box office: $568.1 million

How Many The Little Mermaid Movies Are There?

The Original Movies.

  1. The Little Mermaid(1989)
  2. The Little Mermaid II: Returns to the Sea (2000)
  3. The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning(2008)

The Musical Sequel

The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)

The Live-Action Remake

The Little Mermaid(2023)

Which is the remake of The Little Mermaid 1989 animated movie.

Are All the Little Mermaid Movies Part Of the same series?

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Yes, all The Little Mermaid Movies are part of the same series. Despite Having distinct titles and exploring different aspects of the story of the characters. The prequel of this franchise “The Littel Mermaid: Ariel Beginning (2008) introduces to Ariel family and the underwater world. The reason behind her mother’s death and the hate towards the human world from his father King Triton

Who Are the Cast Of The Little Mermaid Movies?

Here’s the list of cast members in The Little Mermaid movie series include Jodie Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Kenneth Mars, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Buddy Hackett, Tara Strong, Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings, Sally Field, Auli’I Cravalho, Graham Phillips, Queen Latifah, Shaggy, John Stamos, Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, and Jacob Tremblay.

Which The Little Mermaid Movie Is The Best?

Well, all the movies in this franchise got good responses from the audiences and performed well at the box office but also here is the list and the rating from IMDB which help you find the best one.

MoviesRating On IMDB
The Little Mermaid (1989)7.6/10
The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea(2000)5.5/10
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning(2008)6.1/10
The Little Mermaid (2023)7.2/10

FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions)

Was Ariel’s mother a human?

Yes, she was a human who married King Triton and became the Queen of Atlanta

What happened to Ariel’s mother?

Although, we know that her mother has died, there is no narrative connected to the incident. But the prequel of The Little Mermaid which was released in 2008 reveals that her mother gets crushed by a pirate ship during a conflict involving humans and merpeople.

Do You Need To Watch The Little Mermaid Movies In Order?

Yes, to better understand the storyline and characters’ background, it is better to understand the movies in their order of release date. However, you can first watch the prequel of this Movie “The Little Mermaid”2008. In Which You can deeply understand why King Triton hates the Human world and The Reason behind Aril’s Mother’s death.

Yogesh Chaudhary

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