The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (1989) is Walt Disney Feature Animation's landmark animated musical you can watch online on iFILM. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker drew on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale and handed it to composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, who wrote the songs that won two Academy Awards — Best Score and Best Original Song for "Under the Sea." Jodi Benson voices Ariel; Pat Carroll plays the sea witch Ursula with chilling relish.

Ariel is King Triton's youngest daughter and his most restless subject. She secretly hoards human artifacts and stares longingly at the surface world her father has forbidden. When a storm brings Prince Eric overboard, she pulls him to shore — and falls hard. To stand a chance beside him, she strikes a deal with Ursula: her voice for a pair of legs, with exactly three days to make the prince fall in love before the contract runs out.

Released in November 1989 on a $40 million budget, the film grossed over $211 million worldwide and dragged Disney animation out of a decade-long slump, kicking off what critics now call the Disney Renaissance. Stream The Little Mermaid (1989) in full online on iFILM.