The Little Mermaid

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2:18

The Little Mermaid

PG

Released May 26, 2023

2h 15m

Kids & Family

Musical

Fantasy

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

347 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Verified Ratings

The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life -- and her father's crown -- in jeopardy.

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Critics Consensus

With Halle Bailey making a major splash in the title role, Disney's live-action Little Mermaid ranks among the studio's most enjoyable reimaginings.

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Audience Says

Halle Bailey is outstanding in The Little Mermaid -- and most of the other new additions to this version of the story hit the mark as well.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Halle Bailey is doing her damndest, in spite of underwater CGI effects that frankly make her look like a waxwork.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 18, 2024

Full Review

Caroline Siede

Girl Culture (Substack)

The delightful sits alongside the baffling in Marshall’s adaptation, which is so often the way it goes with these Disney live action remakes.

Oct 2, 2023

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Parts of this movie are truly enchanting, especially the underwater scenes. The opening moments on Prince Eric’s ship are thrillingly filmed and the “Under the Sea” number is a glorious Busby Berkeley underwater fantasia.

Rated: B+

Jul 7, 2023

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Isabella Liistro

Loud and Clear Reviews

Endearing but tonally spotty, The Little Mermaid (2023) lacks the whimsy of the original but finds a star-making performance in Halle Bailey.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 18, 2025

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Calum Cooper

Cinerama Film

The result is another mixed bag that may contain some rare pearls within its shell but can only dream of being part of its animated counterpart’s world.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 19, 2024

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Savina Petkova

A Good Movie To Watch

The film feels at once too stunted for an actual musical and too expansive to be just another movie.

Rated: 6.9/10

Oct 29, 2023

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patricia l

Omg fantastic definitely seen it multiple times my kids loved it 🥰

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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Google

wow, the music was awesome, and it truly tried to stay true to the animated version. loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

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Tyler F

They already made a cartoon movie version of this like decades ago, and it was honestly much better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

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Courtney B

I loved it from start to finish.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Annette D

Overall, I enjoyed the movie; I give it a 5-6/10. Now, to the nitty gritty. SPOILER ALERT: there were scenes where the live action seemed like a copy to the animated version, which didn't appeal to me because it didn't feel too innovative. Additional songs were somewhat acceptable; the song of the animals was amusing; Prince Eric's song was okay, but I suppose it'll grow on me if I listen enough and give it a chance; I prefer his song over the too corny and cringey song from Kristoff in Frozen 2. For me, the redeeming quality and favorite aspect of this live action version is the relationship between Ariel and Eric, that I saw them develop a bond, making their love believable; this improves on the animated version, and is the reason I'd rewatch this version. The chemistry between Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer King is great to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

Full Review

Brandi

It is a great movie for children and adults! Our 1 year old tried to stay up to watch the entire movie, but she just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. The movie kept her interested the entire time she watched it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/24

Full Review

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Rob Marshall

Director

Halle Bailey

Ariel

Jonah Hauer-King

Prince Eric

Javier Bardem

King Triton

Melissa McCarthy

Ursula

Daveed Diggs

Sebastian

The Little Mermaid: Extended Preview

9:37

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - The Scuttlebutt

1:11

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Poor Unfortunate Souls

0:52

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - You Listen to Me Bird

0:35

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - So Here's the Deal

0:37

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Under the Sea

0:59

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Kiss the Girl

0:55

The Little Mermaid: Movie Clip - Part Of Your World

0:48

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The Little Mermaid: Music Video - "Part Of Your World" In 22 Languages

3:25

The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Choreographing Under The Sea

1:33

‘The Little Mermaid’ Cast on Ariel and Prince Eric’s Chemistry, New Music, & Getting Into Character

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Everything You Need to Know Before Seeing 'The Little Mermaid'

9:25

The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Music of The Little Mermaid

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The Little Mermaid: TV Spot - Unfortunate

1:00

The Little Mermaid: Featurette - Halle's Ariel

1:32

The Little Mermaid: Featurette - The Cast Goes Under The Sea

1:56

The Little Mermaid: Spot - Choices

0:59

The Little Mermaid: Featurette - A World Reimagined

1:49

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Synopsis

The youngest of King Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life -- and her father's crown -- in jeopardy.

Director: Rob Marshall
Producer: Marc Platt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John DeLuca, Rob Marshall
Screenwriter: David Magee
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar, Marc Platt Productions
Rating: PG (Some Scary Images|Action/Peril)
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical, Fantasy, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 25, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $298.2M
Runtime: 2h 15m
Sound Mix: DTS, Dolby, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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