Ursula calls Ariel at "Tramp". This seems unnecessary in a Disney G movie.
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The Little Mermaid
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 3, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A superbly entertaining animated musical.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Little Mermaid
Parents need to know that in addition to the "normal" scariness of the sea witch, some children may find the casual bloodthirstiness of the French chef upsetting, especially in the musical number in which he tries to turn Sebastian into crabmeat.
Read our full review by Nell Minow
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about villains. Why is Ursula both a little scary and a little fun? They can also talk about Ariel and the decisions she makes. Why do you think she chose to give up her voice (and her family) to meet Eric? Why do you think Sebastian tries to help her even though he doesn't agree with what Ariel's doing?
Our Members Say
See all 26 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
love it. my two year old niece loves is too
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I love it!
This an awesome movie. Its my favorite. I feel like I can be myself watching the all the little mermaid movies. These are fun cartoon musicals in my opinion.
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
Pretty iffy.
Actually, I'm not too fond of the Little Mermaid movies. I think it's a bit iffy when Ariel is trying to impress Eric. All you have to do is be yourself, so I don't think this is a great role model for girls. Plus, look at the way that mermaid dresses! Get a shirt, lady! I mean, seriously, young girls don't need to see Ariel like this. It's just too iffy.
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- I rate this title off for age 6 and give it
upsetting
My sensitive 5 year old loves some of the songs and the idea of mermaids and princesses, but was crying for most of this movie. First, she was upset that Ariel would leave her friend Flounder, then the scary shark, we fast-forwarded through the cooking scene (as I assured her that Sebastian would not become dinner), then the Sea Witch, and leaving behind her father and sisters...One or two laughs, but all in all quite horrid. The Sea Witch telling Ariel that she could just use her body language instead of her voice to seduce the prince because men don't really want to listen to women was also offensive.
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Wonderful!
This film officially started Disney's rennesciance, the beginning of high-quality Disney films after a 20-some-odd year relapse. There is really nothing to worry about. There's a scary shark and sea witch in scenes, but not horrible. The animation is keen and the music spectacular. Highly recommended.
- I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
My 5 year old son liked the movie but I found Ariel's dreamy lovey-dovey infatuation with Prince Eric to be a poor role model for girls. She's just over the top for him causing her to make very bad choices that affect her whole family. Her dad becomes very angry and destroys her room full of odds and ends she has collected. My son and I had to have a discussion on why a parent would act that way and why a child wouldn't ask for help from a parent or sibling if they were in trouble.
- I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
Scared my daughter!
My daughter is 4 and has been wanting to see this movie for a long time. I held off as long as I could but I probably should have waited even longer. While she loved the songs and some parts made her laugh, Ursula really frightened her. She gets really sad at the end and cries alot wondering if Ariel will see her father again. I definitely should have waited until she was older to see this movie.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Great
Theres only one part that i found to be iffy....That is when she gets turned into a human shes naked...and they show her butt
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
music fabulous, entertaining
My 3 year old had no fear whatsoever for Ursula. She was frightened, however by king triton. Years after seeing this for the first time she was still bothered by the way King Triton spoke to his daughter. She could not understand why a dad would be unkind to his daughter and this genuienly bothered her - so much so that she had to ask Ariel about her dad when she met her at Disneyland. Just know your child and be prepared to discuss behaviors and anger. Otherwise a great movie!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
`dddd,
dddd
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
I Have No Idea What Anyone is Talking About!
I first watched The Little Mermaid when I was 2 or 3, and it's one of my favorites even today! It has awesome music and a great storyline! One of the child reviews said that it should be PG for sensuality. No, offense, but that's nonsense! There is nothing sexual or violent (though there are some tense scenes) in this movie! It is a classic for all ages!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
this movie is the BEST disney cartoon. :)
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
This has been my favorite movie since i can remember!
As you know this movie came out in 89, a year after i was born, so you can imagine how entertained i was when i watched it with all the amazing colors and music. And still to this day i love the movie! in fact i was going over the movie because i was writing a 3000 word paper on it and its moral values for my college course, but i had never even heard of the original story. and i must say i like this one much better. Who doesn't love a great story with a gourgous girl who is brave and smart and non-the-less has an amazing voice...and can kick butt. I think the songs were my favorite part. Over-all this is a movie that i would save to show to my kids in the future.
- I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
Another movie to shame Walt
What are we teaching our kids? Everyone says that morals are going down the drain and no wonder! Our "kids" and "family" films descreetly... and sometimes undescreetly, teach bad morals. Let's show girls how to wear sea shells on their breasts and flaunt their bodies. Let's show them how cool and great it is to do stupid things to flip for some guy you don't know and show how, in the end, it'll all be great! Wow! What a great thing to teach our kids! Yep, another classic family film! The one star is for the songs. Fantastic. Still....don't see it.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 50% | of parents say it's too violent |
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