Movies Like The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 animation, family, fantasy film from Ron Clements with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.

Animation Family Fantasy

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

2000

Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?

6.4

MagicScore

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

2008

Follow Ariel's adventures before she gave up her fins for true love. When Ariel wasn't singing with her sisters, she spent time with her mother, Queen Athena. Ariel is devastated when Athena is killed by pirates, and after King Triton outlaws all singing. Along with pals Flounder and Sebastian, Ariel sets off in hopes of changing her father's decision to ban music from the kingdom.

6.7

MagicScore

Sleeping Beauty

1959

Cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent when she was a baby, Princess Aurora is sent into hiding under protection from three good fairies. As she grows up far away, Maleficent becomes increasingly determined to seal the princess's fate.

6.9

MagicScore

Mulan

1998

To save her father from certain death in the army, a young woman secretly enlists in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process.

7.9

MagicScore

Enchanted

2007

The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

6.8

MagicScore

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1938

A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.

7.1

MagicScore

Cinderella

1950

Cinderella has faith her dreams of a better life will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a glorious gown and off she goes to the Royal Ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, the spell is broken, leaving a single glass slipper... the only key to the ultimate fairy-tale ending!

7.0

MagicScore

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

2023

Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.

7.2

MagicScore

Tangled

2010

Feisty teenager Rapunzel, who has long and magical hair, wants to go and see sky lanterns on her eighteenth birthday, but she's bound to a tower by her overprotective mother. She strikes a deal with Flynn Rider, a charming wanted thief, and the duo set off on an action-packed escapade.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Maleficent

2014

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Aladdin

1992

In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.

7.7

MagicScore

#12

Beauty and the Beast

1991

Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.

7.7

MagicScore

#13

Into the Woods

2014

In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker and his wife set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spiteful witch.

5.8

MagicScore

#14

Frozen

2013

Young princess Anna of Arendelle dreams about finding true love at her sister Elsa’s coronation. Fate takes her on a dangerous journey in an attempt to end the eternal winter that has fallen over the kingdom. She's accompanied by ice delivery man Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf. On an adventure where she will find out what friendship, courage, family, and true love really means.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Descendants

2015

A present-day idyllic kingdom where the benevolent teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of Disney's classic villains: Cruella De Vil (Carlos), Maleficent (Mal), the Evil Queen (Evie) and Jafar (Jay).

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Moana

2016

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.

7.6

MagicScore

#17

Shrek 2

2004

Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey set off to Far, Far Away to meet Fiona's mother and father, the Queen and King. But not everyone is happily ever after. Shrek and the King find it difficult to get along, and there's tension in the marriage. The Fairy Godmother discovers that Fiona has married Shrek instead of her son Prince Charming and plots to destroy their marriage.

7.3

MagicScore

#18

The Little Mermaid

1968

Rusalochka opens in modern day Copenhagen, Denmark. Several tourists gather around the capital's famous mermaid statue, as a tour guide explains its significance. A fish in the water below the tourists scoffs at their foolishness, and then, proceeds to tell about the doomed love of the mermaid. Upon reaching her 15th birthday, the Little Mermaid is allowed to swim up to the surface above. As soon as she does, however, the Mermaid spots a young prince caught up in a dreadful storm. She admires the man's bravery and decides to save him, declaring that, "The beautiful and the brave should not perish." After the mermaid returns to the ocean, she decides that she wants to become human.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

Donkey Skin

1970

A fairy godmother helps a princess disguise herself so she won't have to marry her father.

7.2

MagicScore

#20

The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain

1997

The first wedding anniversary of Princess Odette and Prince Derek is fraught with troubles brought on by Clavius, who plots to conquer the world.

6.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Little Mermaid?

The top films similar to The Little Mermaid by MovieMagicScore are The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (6.4), The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (6.7), Sleeping Beauty (6.9). Each shares animation/family/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Little Mermaid worth watching?

The Little Mermaid holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 8,366 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid (1989) is a animation, family, fantasy film directed by Ron Clements, starring Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Little Mermaid?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more animation recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Movies like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning Movies like Sleeping Beauty Movies like Mulan Movies like Enchanted Movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

About movies like The Little Mermaid

This ranked list pairs The Little Mermaid (1989), a animation and family and fantasy film from Ron Clements, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jodi Benson take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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