is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

film based on

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

's 1837

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

, released in 1975 by

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

. Unlike the Disney adaptation released 14 years later, this film is closer to Andersen's story, notably in its preservation of the original and tragic ending. The two main protagonists are the youngest daughter of the royal family, Marina, and her best friend Fritz, an Atlantic dolphin calf. In Japan, this film was shown in the ''Toei Manga Matsuri'' (''Toei Cartoon Festival'') in 1975. The film was later released in the United States, dubbed into English by

G. G. Communications G.G. Communications or GG Productions was a film distributor based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by city native Nicholas W. Russo (credited in releases as "N.W. Russo"), it was responsible for the U.S. releases of various foreign films. The co ...

, Inc. and Prima Film, Inc., on February 4, 1978, under the title: ''Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid''. (Andersen's name would be correctly spelled in subsequent releases.)

Plot

The movie opens in live-action

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The narrator mentions

, who is from there, and his original story. The scene then dissolves to 2-D hand-drawn

. Princess Marina, who lives in the undersea kingdom with her father, grandmother and five older sisters, plays with her best friend Fritz, a

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

, before getting caught in a storm conjured by the

Sea Witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. Once home, she is scolded by her sisters for being late, reminding her that their grandmother will not give her the pearl hairpin that signifies adulthood unless she is responsible. The following day, Marina's sisters go to the surface. Marina is forbidden to go because she has not yet come of age. While exploring a sunken ship, Marina discovers a statue of a human prince. She and Fritz sneak to the surface, where she sees the same prince on a ship. Another storm arises and throws the prince into the sea. Marina saves him and brings him to shore, leaving him there to be found. A raven-haired girl finds the prince and cares for him. Because of her rescue of a human, Marina's grandmother decides that she is ready to come of age, and Marina receives her pearl hairpin. Determined to see the prince again and gain an immortal soul, Marina visits the Sea Witch, who gives her a

potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

that will make her human, although in exchange, she must give the Sea Witch her beautiful voice and will never be able to become a mermaid again. The Sea Witch warns her that if the prince marries another, she will die and dissolve into sea foam the next morning. After a heartfelt goodbye to her family and Fritz, Marina drinks the potion and is transformed. She is discovered by the prince on the shore, and lives with him for a month. The two become close and the prince tells her that his parents want him to marry a foreign princess but he wants to marry the girl who saved his life. Since he cannot find her, he wishes to marry Marina. The prince's jealous cat, Jemmy, who vows to get rid of Marina, reports the conversation to the prince's parents, and the queen suspects that Marina has bewitched her son. When the foreign princess arrives, the prince's father orders Marina to be arrested for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. The prince recognizes the foreign princess as the same raven-haired girl who had supposedly saved him. They are soon to be married. Heartbroken, Marina summons Fritz so that she can say goodbye. Fritz vows to find a way to save her. Marina's sisters, having given their hair to the Sea Witch in exchange for a magic

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

, give her the dagger. They tell her that if she stabs the prince through the heart and lets his blood drip onto her feet, she will become a mermaid again. With dawn only minutes away, Marina sneaks into the prince's room but cannot bring herself to kill him. She kisses him goodbye as he sleeps. As she throws the dagger into the sea, the reflection wakes the prince. He rushes onto the deck, calling after her, but she jumps. As he calls her name, he sees that she has left behind her pearl hairpin and a scale from her tail. As the sun rises, her body turns to

foam Foams are materials formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the head on a glass of beer are examples of foams. In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with thin films of liquid or solid separating the reg ...

and ascends into the sky. The prince realizes that Marina was the girl who had saved his life, and grieves her death. Marina's spirit lives on in

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

for her self-sacrifice. The movie fades back to live-action in Denmark, and the narrator expresses belief that the mermaid princess has become one with the sea and waves and her love and courage forever lives on. The movie ends on a still shot of the ''Little Mermaid'' statue in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Main characters

; :Marina, 14 years old, is princess of the undersea kingdom and the youngest of six daughters. She is a blond, sweet and beautiful mermaid and is known for having the most beautiful voice in the kingdom. She is curious about the human world and likes collecting items that come from the surface. She falls in love with a human prince and sacrifices her beautiful voice in order to be with him. ; :Fritz is a blue Atlantic dolphin calf, and Marina's best friend. ; :Brave and well-trained in the military arts, the Prince dislikes the idea of an arranged marriage. After surviving a shipwreck, he becomes obsessed with finding the girl who saved his life. ; :Unlike in other versions of the story, the Sea Witch is not evil, but she is shrewd. She has no specific interest in harming anyone, but can be very destructive in creating storms that sink ships. She is a gigantic devil ray. ; :The raven-haired princess of the Kingdom of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. She is the girl who finds the prince on the shore after Marina brings him to land, subsequently making him think that she was the one who saved him. ; :The main antagonist of the story, despite being the Prince's loyal cat, Jemmy tries to get rid of Marina, first by killing her and then by accusing her of manipulating the prince.

Music

;Opening theme : Sung by

Kumiko Osugi Kumiko (くみこ, クミコ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kumiko can be written using different kanji and can mean: *久美子, "forever, beauty, child" *空見子, "sky, see, child" *公美子, "public, beauty, child" * ...

, lyrics by Tokiko Iwatani, music and arrangement by

Takekuni Hirayoshi was a Japanese classical composer. Biography Takekuni Hirayoshi graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts Department of Music in 1961 and completed his graduate work there in 1967. He studied with Yoshio Hasegawa (長谷川良夫) and Yoshi ...

. ;Inserted song ; "Marina's Song" in the English version. : Sung by

and people, lyrics by Tokiko Iwatani, music and arrangement by

Voice cast

Additional English Voices

* Jeannette Casenave * Terry Haig * Neil Shee

Release titles

* ''Andersen dôwa ningyo hime'' (Japan) (alternative transliteration) * ''Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid'' (USA) (theatrical title) * ''Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid'' (USA) (video box title) * ''The Little Mermaid'' (international: English title)

Home releases

The film was originally released on VHS by Starmaker Entertainment in 1989. It was sold as a full version of the original film under the title ''Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid''. The film was released on Region 1 (USA and Canada)

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by UAV Corporation under the name "The Little Mermaid: Based on Hans Christian Andersen's Classic Tale." The cover art differs significantly from that of the original Starmaker release.Starmaker cover art
/ref>Screen capture from 1975 film
/ref> However, multiple reviewers on

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

state that the actual film on the DVD is the Toei film (albeit somewhat censored). The reviewers' images also depict scenes from the original 1975 Toei film. The film is now licensed by

Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...

, which released the full, uncut film on Region 1 DVD, making it the first time that the full film has been available in the U.S. since the original VHS release. The DVD includes the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the English dub, and presents the film in its original aspect ratio.

Internet release

The Japanese version can be viewed on several media websites, including Yahoo! Japan, but IP addresses not based in Japan are blocked from viewing it.

References

External links

* *
Retrojunk article/review of the original U.S. version
{{The Little Mermaid (Andersen) 1975 anime films Anime and manga based on fairy tales Drama anime and manga Adventure anime and manga Films based on The Little Mermaid Films directed by Tomoharu Katsumata Toei Animation films Toei Company films Films about witchcraft Fictional princesses Discotek Media Japanese animated fantasy films Films set in Denmark Films set in Copenhagen Films about mermaids Films about shapeshifting