The Little Mermaid is a Disney media franchise that began in 1989 with the Disney Animated Canon film The Little Mermaid, which itself is based off a story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
The series tells the various adventures of a teenage mermaid named Ariel. The youngest of seven daughters by King Triton and his deceased wife Queen Athena, Ariel is enamored with the human world. Ariel's closest friends are a nervous young fish named Flounder, a clownish seagull named Scuttle, and her father's crustacean adviser Sebastian.
Ariel wants to learn everything she can about life on land and the human world, but her father forbids it. Despite this, Ariel sneaks behind his back to visit the surface. One night, Ariel sees a young prince named Eric and it's Love at First Sight.
The original film is one of Disney's most iconic and successful films to date. It single-handedly booted Disney out of its Dork Age and into the Disney Renaissance. This popularity led to several comics and licensed books. By 1992, the first of Disney's animated series based off of their film properties, The Little Mermaid, was released. It continued to air in syndication for about two decades. Over the years the franchise has spawned many derivative works such as a Spin-Offspring sequel, an interquel, a Broadway musical, and several video games. There is also a live-action remake in the works, set for release on May 26, 2023.
Works in the franchise include:
- The Little Mermaid (1837 short story)
- The Little Mermaid (1975 anime series)
- The Little Mermaid (2018 film)
Feature films
- The Little Mermaid (1989), the original animated film
- The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), a direct-to-video sequel
- The Little Mermaid III: Ariel's Beginning (2008), a direct-to-video prequel
- The Little Mermaid (2023), a live-action remake
Television series
- Little Mermaid's Island (1990), a failed live-action spin-off series that was cancelled during development
- The Little Mermaid (1992-1994), an animated prequel series that is directly based on the 1989 film
Video games
- The Little Mermaid (1991)
Literature
- Disney Villains: The Top Secret Files (2005)
- Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch (2016)
- Part of Your World: A Twisted Tale (2018)
Theatre
- The Little Mermaid (2008)
