The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen first published in 1837 about a young mermaid willing to sacrifice her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The most famous adaptation is The Walt Disney Company's 1989 animated film, which has since been franchised into a number of media.
The Disney animated movie was also the inspiration for the unaired pilot Little Mermaid's Island, which featured puppets built by The Muppet Workshop, created during Jim Henson's brief collaboration with Disney in 1990.
Muppet Mentions[]
- In Disney's 1989 adaptation, King Triton makes a grand entrance at the beginning of a concert led by Sebastian. The audience is filled with Triton's royal subjects including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Kermit the Frog.
References[]
- The album Big Bird presents Hans Christian Andersen features the story of The Little Mermaid as told by Big Bird.
- In the Dinosaurs episode "Honey I Miss the Kids", Baby Sinclair watches "Little Underwater Girl" on TV. A trio of lobsters sing "Under the Water", a spoof of "Under the Sea" from Disney's version.
- Prairie Dawn plays the Little Mermaid who meets Grover as the Prince in the 1995 coloring book Sesame Street Storybook Fun.
- Sesam, luk dig op features the famed bronze statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen during its opening credits.
- At the end of Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet, Pepe says that he likes the "Sebastian crab dude" from The Little Mermaid.
- A betting form posted on the door of Pepe's stateroom aboard Disney Cruise Line's ship, the Disney Fantasy, lists Sebastian as one of the competitors in Pepe's Crab Races.
- In Sesame Street Episode 4049, Baby Bear and Telly write a book entitled, "The Little Merbear," a spoof of the film.
- In Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm's "Hansel and Gretel" retelling, "Pepe and Polly", Uncle Deadly sings a verse of "Les Poissones" from the Disney film as he prepares to cook Pepe.
Connections[]
- Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics for the 1989 Disney film
- Awkwafina voiced Scuttle in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Jodi Benson voiced Ariel in Disney's animated film and spin-offs
- Susan Boyd provided singing voices in the 1989 Disney film
- Yvette Nicole Brown voiced Aquatica in the Ariel TV series
- Tituss Burgess played Sebastian in previews for the Broadway musical (2007)
- Tia Carrere voiced the Mija in a 1997 episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
- Margaret Cho voiced Hul Muh Ni in a 1997 episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
- Dorien Davies puppeteered on The Little Mermaid Live!
- Daveed Diggs voiced Sebastian in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Taye Diggs voiced King Triton in the Ariel TV series
- Artie Esposito puppeteered on The Little Mermaid Live!
- Jonathan Freeman played Grimsby in the Broadway musical (2008)
- Buddy Hackett voiced Scuttle in the 1989 Disney film
- Dan Haskett was a character designer on the 1989 Disney film
- Queen Latifah played Ursula in The Little Mermaid Live!
- Rob Marshall directed the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Melissa McCarthy played Ursula in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Edie McClurg voiced Carlotta in the 1989 Disney film
- Alan Menken wrote the music for the Disney's animated film, in addition to new music for the Broadway and live-action film adaptations
- Robby Merkin arranged songs for the 1989 Disney film
- Lin-Manuel Miranda co-wrote new songs for the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- James Murray puppeteered on The Little Mermaid Live!
- Brett O'Quinn puppeteered for Walt Disney World's Voyage of the Little Mermaid and on The Little Mermaid Live!
- Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Sebastian in the video game Kingdom Hearts 2 and the Ariel TV series
- Guillermo Rodriguez played the blowfish in The Little Mermaid Live!
- Will Ryan voiced the seahorse in the 1989 Disney film
- John Stamos played Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid Live!
- Tara Strong voiced Melody in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and Adella and Andrina in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
- Brian Tochi voiced the photographer and Tsui in a 1997 episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
- Jacob Tremblay voiced Flounder in the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Gedde Watanabe voiced Nuri in a 1997 episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
- Frank Welker voiced Max in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
- Samuel E. Wright voiced Sebastian in the 1989 Disney film and its spinoffs