The Little Mermaid (TV series)
A prequel series following Ariel's adventures before the film.
The Little Mermaid is an American animated television series from Walt Disney Television Animation that serves as a prequel to the 1989 film. It chronicles Ariel’s underwater adventures before the movie’s events. This was the first series based directly on a Disney animated feature. The show debuted on September 11, 1992, with a prime-time special titled “A Whale of a Tale,” then settled into a Saturday morning slot on CBS, where it aired from that date until November 26, 1994. Several film voice actors reprised their roles, including Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, and Pat Carroll as Ursula. Edan Gross voiced Flounder, and Jeff Bennett voiced Prince Eric. Episodes often include original songs composed for the series. The opening theme is an instrumental medley of “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” and “Kiss the Girl,” which later inspired the overture for the 2007 stage musical. The series is set before the 1989 film, following Ariel as a mermaid living under the sea with her father King Triton, Sebastian, and Flounder. Episodes explore her relationships with family and friends, and typically involve her thwarting villains who threaten her, her loved ones, or her kingdom. The later prequel *Ariel’s Beginning* contradicts the TV series—for instance, in its portrayal of Ariel’s youth and first meeting with Flounder—so the two are considered separate continuities. After the film’s success, Disney initially planned a children’s series for the Disney Channel called *The Little Mermaid’s Island*, featuring puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop with a live-action Ariel. Following Jim Henson’s death, production difficulties, and soaring video sales of the film in 1990–1991, Disney abandoned that project in favor of an animated weekly series for CBS. Jamie Mitchell, a former artist on *Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears*, served as producer and director. Story editors Patsy Cameron and Tedd Anasti, who had worked on *The Smurfs*, *Beetlejuice*, and *DuckTales*, wrote most episodes for seasons two and three. Some film artists and technicians contributed, including special effects consultant Mark Dindal. Robby Merkin, who had arranged songs for the film, arranged and produced music for the first season. Animation was provided by Disney Animation Japan and Wang Film Productions in Taiwan.
Quick Facts
- Based On
- The Little Mermaid / by Hans Christian Andersen / The Little Mermaid · Walt Disney Feature Animation
- Genre
- Animated series / Adventure / Musical / Children's television series / Comedy / Fantasy
- Developer
- Jamie Mitchell
- Director
- Jamie Mitchell / Mircea Mantta (#2–5)
- Voices
- Jodi Benson / Edan Gross / Samuel E. Wright / Maurice LaMarche / Kenneth Mars / Danny Cooksey / Jim Cummings / Pat Carroll
- Theme Music Composer
- Dan Foliart / Mark Watters
- Open Theme
- "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl"
- End Theme
- "Under the Sea"
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 3
- Num Episodes
- 31
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series is a prequel to the 1989 film, set before its events, and follows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid living under the sea with her father King Triton, Sebastian the crab, and Flounder the fish. Episodes highlight her relationships with friends, father, and sisters, and usually involve Ariel foiling enemies that intend harm to her, her family, or her kingdom. Some voice actors from the film reprise their roles, including Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, and Pat Carroll as Ursula. Edan Gross voices Flounder, and Jeff Bennett voices Prince Eric. After the success of the 1989 film, Disney planned a children's series for the Disney Channel called The Little Mermaid's Island, featuring puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop with a live Ariel. After Jim Henson's death, production difficulties, and soaring video sales, Disney dropped that plan in favor of an animated weekly series for CBS. Jamie Mitchell, who worked on Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, was named producer and director. Some artists and technicians from the film contributed, including Mark Dindal as a special effects consultant. Disney Animation Japan and Wang Film Productions in Taiwan contributed animation. The opening theme is an instrumental combination of 'Part of Your World,' 'Under the Sea,' and 'Kiss the Girl.' The overture for the 2007 stage musical is similar to this.
Reader's Guide
The series drew media attention, including spots on Entertainment Tonight, as the first series based directly on a Disney animated feature and a rare television cartoon concerning a strong female character. It kept its time slot for its second season. For the third season, it moved to 8 a.m. as lead-in for Aladdin, but CBS elected not to buy another batch of episodes. The series was rerun on Disney Channel from 1995 to 2002 and again from 2006 to 2010, on Toon Disney until 2008, and on Disney Junior from 2012 to 2014. In Russia, Disney Channel aired it until the channel closed in 2022. The series has not been officially released on DVD, but all 31 episodes became available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video in HD as of August 24, 2018, and on Disney+ at its launch on November 12, 2019, except the pilot episode. Critical response varied: Caroline Siede of The A.V. Club praised Ariel's development, while KJ Dell Antonia of Common Sense Media gave it two out of five stars. Following the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the 2023 live-action remake, journalists highlighted the character Gabriella, a deaf mermaid of color appearing in the show, noting her positive reception.
Did You Know?
- It was the first Disney television series based directly on a Disney animated feature.
- The series received a spin-off entitled Sebastian the Crab, which aired as a segment of Marsupilami.
More in Animated Television Series About Princesses 1-24
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