''The Little Mermaid'' is an American animated television series produced by

Walt Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...

based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series is the third Disney television series to be spun off from a major animated film. Some of the voice actors of the film reprise their roles in the series, among them Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Kenneth Mars as King Triton and

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She was known for voicing Ursula in '' The Little Mermaid'' and for appearances in CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show'', ABC's '' Laverne & Shirley'', and ...

as Ursula. Other voice actors include Edan Gross and Bradley Pierce as Flounder, and

Jeff Bennett Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in '' Gargoyles'' and Kowalski in the '' Penguins of Madagasca ...

as Prince Eric. ''The Little Mermaid'' premiered in the fall of 1992, on September 11, with the animated

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

special called "A Whale of a Tale", then moved to Saturday mornings. This series originally appeared on CBS, with an original run from 1992 to November 26, 1994. Some of the episodes contain musical segments, featuring original songs written for the series. The opening theme to the show is an instrumental combination of the songs " Part of Your World", " Under the Sea" and " Kiss the Girl". The overture for the 2007 stage musical of '' The Little Mermaid'' is similar to this.

Premise

''The Little Mermaid'' television series is a prequel to the movie of the same name. The story is set between the 2008 prequel film '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'' and the 1989 film, and follows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid still living under the sea with her father King Triton, Sebastian the

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...

and Flounder the

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

. Various episodes highlight her relationships with her friends, father and sisters, and usually involve Ariel foiling the attempts of various enemies that intend ill harm to her, her family and friends, or her kingdom. ''Ariel's Beginning'' contains events that contradict the television series (such as Ariel's youth and first meeting with Flounder), making the TV series and the prequel independent continuities.

Characters

From the 1989 film

* Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson) is the youngest daughter of the sea king. She loves singing and going on adventures. She also has developed magic in season 2 (episode 9) to save her world. *

Flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thou ...

(voiced by Edan Gross, Season 1; Bradley Pierce, Seasons 2–3) is Ariel's best friend, a bright yellow and blue colored tropical reef fish who follows along on her adventures, and can be easily scared. * Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) is a small red

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n-accented

who acts as the king's adviser, court musician, a school teacher, a

scout leader A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

and a babysitter-like figure for Ariel. * King Triton (voiced by Kenneth Mars) is Ariel's father and ruler of Atlantica who protects his kingdom with his magic trident. * Scuttle (voiced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

) is a

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

who is friends with Ariel. He first appears in the episode "Scuttle". At first Ariel is afraid of him, but they become friends after he helps them rescue Sebastian. * Attina (voiced by

Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to: * Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm * Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska * KATH (AM), a radio station in ...

) is one of Ariel's six older sisters * Aquata (voiced by

Mona Marshall Mona Marshall is an American voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include ''South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show; '' Fraggle Rock: The ...

), is one of Ariel's six older sisters * Andrina (voiced by Catherine Cavadini) is one of Ariel's six older sisters * Arista (voiced by

Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the lead female voice actress on ''South Park'' from the show's 1997 debut until her death. Thr ...

) is one of Ariel's sisters. She has blonde cream colored hair tied in a half ponytail hair style and has a red tail and red seashells. * Adella (voiced by Sherry Lynn) is one of Ariel's six older sisters * Alana (voiced by Kimmy Robertson) is one of Ariel's six older sisters. * Ursula (voiced by

) is a powerful cecaelian sea witch who occasionally antagonizes Ariel. * Flotsam and Jetsam (voiced by Paddi Edwards) are Ursula's

green moray eel The green moray (''Gymnothorax funebris'') is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey, Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, at depths down to . Its length is up to . The common ...

informers who spy on others and show Ursula what they are seeing with their magic yellow eye, they have one eye white and the other yellow. *

Prince Eric This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little M ...

(voiced by

) is Ariel's future husband. His first appearance is in the episode "Thingamajigger" and appears occasionally throughout the seasons with his dog, Max, as a puppy. Ariel first sees him saving a dolphin from a net, which technically makes this scene the first time she has ever seen Prince Eric, but does not know who he is. Eric also sees Ariel swimming on the surface for a couple of seconds but no one believed him.

Original characters

* Urchin (voiced by

Danny Cooksey Daniel Ray Allen Cooksey Jr. (born November 2, 1975) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his roles in television shows, such as ''Diff'rent Strokes'' (during the final three seasons), '' The Cavanaughs'', '' Xiaolin Showdown' ...

) is a young

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

merboy and Ariel's friend. He shares her love for adventure and is unofficially her adopted brother, and at one point starts to develop romantic feelings for Ariel. * The Lobster Mobster (voiced by

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...

) is a

red-violet Red-violet refers to a rich color of high medium saturation about 3/4 of the way between red and magenta, closer to magenta than to red. In American English, this color term is sometimes used in color theory as one of the purple colors—a non- ...

lobster Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...

gangster following the style of the 1920s gangster stereotype. Da

Shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...

(voiced by David Lander) is his sidekick. * The Evil Manta (voiced by

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

) is an evil human/

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-s ...

hybrid who repeatedly tries to take over Atlantica. He has a son named Little Evil who Ariel befriends in the episode "A Little Evil". * Pearl (voiced by

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and ...

) is a spoiled, thrill-seeking mermaid whose actions often lead to Ariel, as well as herself, getting in trouble. *

Spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (produ ...

(voiced by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

) is a

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...

calf whom Ariel adopted and secretly raised in the palace. * Gabriella is a

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

mermaid who dreams of being able to sing. Gabriella's sign language is translated by her

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, ...

friend Ollie (voiced by

Whit Hertford Whit Hertford (born November 2, 1978) is an American theatre director, writer, and actor. Film and television Hertford's film career spans three decades and began at an early age, most notably with his appearance in Steven Spielberg's ''Juras ...

). This character is based on a real person-(who was also named Gabriella) who was a fan of the show and died from leukemia during its first season. * Moray (voiced by

Dave Coulier David Alan Coulier ( ; born September 21, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, and television host. He played Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom '' Full House'', voiced Peter Venkman on '' The Real Ghostbusters'', and v ...

) is a

dark green Varieties of the color green may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation or intensity) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tint be ...

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

salesman and con-artist who occasionally sells items to Ariel that alternately help her or get her into trouble. * The Crabscouts (occasionally voiced by J. D. Daniels, Anndi McAfee, Bradley Pierce, Malachi Pearson, and

) are crab children, consisting of two boys and one girl, who are under the mentorship of Sebastian in a scout-like troop. * Flo and Ebb (voiced by

and

Richard Karron Richard Karron (April 11, 1934 – March 1, 2017) was an American actor and voice actor who was noted for his distinctive voice. Richard Karron was born on April 11, 1934, in Bronx, New York, as Richard Karant. He was an actor, known for ''Hist ...

) are two

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model ...

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additional ...

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

s who appear in the episode "Beached". * The Magical Wishing Starfish (voiced by

Tony Jay Tony Jay (2 February 1933 – 13 August 2006) was a British actor. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in radio, animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly noted for his distinctive bari ...

) is a giant

starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish a ...

with a

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

and

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

who appears in the episode "Wish Upon a Starfish". * Emperor Sharga (voiced by

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as t ...

) is the ruler of the Sharkanians, the aggressive shark-people who live in Sharkania similar to the merfolk who live in Atlantica. Sharga wishes to take over Atlantica someday. *The Ancient Seaclops (voiced by

) is an ancient one-eyed sea monster whose primary objective is to sleep every 1,000 years and wants to see it through more than anything else. He gets very angry when he is woken up abruptly by any loud noise and appeared in the episode "Calliope Dreams". *

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

(voiced by

Lawrence Montaigne Lawrence Montaigne (February 26, 1931 – March 17, 2017) was an American actor, writer, dancer, and stuntman. As an actor, he was known for his appearances on many 1960s-era television shows. Life and career Born in New York, but later raised ...

) is an elderly

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

who serves as an assistant to King Triton other than Sebastian. He walks on the ocean floor unlike other sea turtles. *

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, consist ...

(voiced by

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...

) is a fictionalised version of the author Hans Christian Andersen, who appears in the episode "Metal Fish" where he rides a fish-shaped

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

and sees Ariel, which inspires him to write the story "The Little Mermaid". *

Archimedes Archimedes of Syracuse (;; ) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientis ...

(voiced by

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

) is a merman who knows about human things, appearing in "Metal Fish".

Production and development

After the success of the 1989 film,

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

planned to produce a children's television series for its Disney Channel cable outlet called ''The Little Mermaid's Island''. The proposed series would feature puppets from

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Burbank, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally ...

interacting with a "live" Ariel. But after

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

's untimely death along with production difficulties and as the video release of ''The Little Mermaid'' soared in sales during 1990 and early 1991, Disney quietly dropped plans for "The Little Mermaid's Island" in favor of a more ambitious plan: an animated weekly series for CBS. The new show would be about the adventures of Ariel and her friends before the events in the film. Jamie Mitchell, an artist and graphic designer who worked on ''

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears ''Adventures of the Gummi Bears'' is an American animated television series, created by Disney CEO Michael Eisner, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and distributed by Buena Vista Television. The series, loosely inspired by the gum ...

'', was named the producer and director of the new series. Patsy Cameron and Tedd Anasti were the story editors and wrote almost all of the episodes for the show's second and third seasons. Their previous joint work included Hanna-Barbera's ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...

'', the animated ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'' and Disney's ''

DuckTales ''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...

''. Some of the artists and technicians on the feature film also contributed to the TV series.

Mark Dindal Mark Louis Dindal (born May 1960) is an American film director, effects animator, screenwriter, character designer, storyboard artist and voice actor, who is famous for having directed popular films like ''Cats Don't Dance'' (1997), ''The Emper ...

, chief of special animated effects for the film, was a consultant for special effects on the TV show. Robby Merkin, who worked with

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for '' The Little Mermaid'' (1989), '' Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ' ...

and

Howard Ashman Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

on arranging the songs for the film, worked as the arranger and music producer for the first season of the TV show. Studios in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

contributed animation to the series.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1992)

Season 2 (1993)

Season 3 (1994)

Broadcast

The show's broadcast debut in September 1992 was in the form of a half-hour prime-time special, ''The Little Mermaid: A Whale of a Tale''. Its Saturday morning debut came the very next day. The show's time slot was 8:30 a.m., following another new animated series, '' Fievel's American Tails'', based on the animated film '' An American Tail''. ''The Little Mermaid'' series drew a fair bit of media attention, including more than one spot on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aus ...

'', because it was the first series based directly on a Disney animated feature and was a rare television cartoon concerning a strong female character. The show kept its time slot the following year with its second season. For the series' third season, the show was moved to the 8 a.m. time period and was the lead-in for a new Disney animated series, ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

''. The third season was the final season to be produced; CBS elected not to buy another batch of episodes. On October 2, 1995,

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

began rerunning the show seven days a week.''The Disney Channel Magazine'' (vol. 13) no. 5, October/November 1995: pp. 36, 46, 54.

reran the series from October 2, 1995 to September 29, 2002 and again from September 5, 2006, to July 4, 2010. It was also shown on

Toon Disney Toon Disney was an American multinational pay television channel owned by Disney Channels Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children ages 2–11, and children ages 6–13 during the Jetix ...

until January 25, 2008. The series then aired on

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...

from the channel's launch in 2012 until 2014. However in Russia continued air this show until the channel closed in 2022.

Home media

VHS releases

Seven VHS cassettes containing 14 episodes of the series were released in the United States and Canada. Almost simultaneously, the series' three double-feature LaserDiscs containing their 12 episodes were also released. Ariel's Undersea Adventures: Princess Collection - Ariel's Songs & Stories:

International releases

11 VHS cassettes containing 22 episodes of the series were released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa. Thes titles were also released on VHS, LaserDisc and Video CD in Mexico, South America, and Asia. Ariel's Undersea Adventures: Princess Collection:

DVD releases

The series has not yet been officially released on DVD. However, four episodes were released as part of the ''Disney Princess'' DVD releases.

Digital releases

As of August 24, 2018, all 31 episodes of the series are available for purchase on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

and

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

in two volumes in High Definition (HD). Since the service's launch on November 12, 2019, the series has been available with the exception of the pilot episode ("Whale of a Tale") through

's streaming platform

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

, but the episodes have been cropped to 16:9.

Songs

* "Just a Little Love" (Ariel) * "You Got to Be You" (Sebastian) * "To the Edge of the Edge of the Sea" (Ariel) * "To the Edge of the Edge of the Sea" (Reprise) (Ariel) * "The Lobster Mobster's Mob" (The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp) * "The Lobster Mobster's Mob "(Reprise) (Da Shrimp) * "Beddie-Bye Blues" (The Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp) * "Sing a New Song" (Ariel and Simon) * "In Harmony" (Ariel) * "In Harmony" (Reprise) (Ariel) * "Dis is de Life" (Sebastian) * "You Know I Know" (Sebastian) * "You Know I Know" (Reprise) (Sebastian) * "Never Give Up" (Ariel and Sebastian) * "Everybody Cha-Cha-Cha" (Sebastian) * "You Wouldn't Want to Mess with Me" (Ursula) * "You Wouldn't Want to Mess with Me" (Reprise) (Ursula) * "The Sound of Laughter" (Sebastian) * "The Sound of Laughter" (Repeat) (Sebastian) * "Daring to Dance" (Ariel) * "Daring to Dance" (Reprise) (Ariel) * "Hail Apollo, Defender of the Sea" (Atlantica's Army) * "I Just Like the Sky" (Scuttle) * "Just Give Me a Chance" (Scuttle) * "Just Give Me a Chance" (Reprise) (Scuttle) * "I Go to the Beach" (Sebastian) * "Just Like Me" (The Evil Manta) * "Let's Play Princess (With Ariel)" (opening for ''Princess Collection'' VHS) Music CD album release:

Reception

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the series a two out of five stars, writing, "Spin-off sinks for everyone except besotted fans."

Accolades

Spin-off

The series received a spin-off entitled ''Sebastian the Crab'', which aired as a segment of the TV series '' Marsupilami''. The segments star Sebastian, and are set outside of the sea, taking place after the wedding between Ariel and Eric in the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Mermaid, The 1990s American animated television series 1992 American television series debuts 1994 American television series endings American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated fantasy television series American prequel television series CBS original programming

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

English-language television shows Mermaids in television Animated television shows based on films Animated television series about fish Animated television series about arthropods Witchcraft in television Animated television series about teenagers Television series based on Disney films Television series based on adaptations Television series by Disney Television Animation Television series about princesses Television shows based on The Little Mermaid