The Little Mermaid

Plot synopsis:
Ariel, a sixteen-year-old mermaid princess, is dissatisfied with underwater life in the kingdom of Atlantica and is curious about the human world. With her best friend Flounder, Ariel collects human artifacts in her grotto and often goes to the surface of the ocean to visit Scuttle, a seagull who offers very inaccurate knowledge of human culture. She ignores the warnings of her father King Triton, the ruler of Atlantica, and Sebastian, a crab who serves as Triton's adviser and court composer, that contact between merpeople and humans is forbidden.
One night, Ariel, Flounder, and an unwilling Sebastian travel to the ocean surface to watch a celebration for the birthday of Prince Eric on a ship. Ariel instantly becomes enamored with Eric. The birthday celebration is cut short by a violent storm which destroys the ship and tosses Eric overboard. She rescues him and brings him to shore. Ariel sings to Eric, but immediately leaves just as he regains consciousness to avoid being discovered. Fascinated by the memory of her voice, Eric vows to find who saved and sang to him, and Ariel vows to find a way to join him and his world. When Triton discovers Ariel's love for Eric, Triton confronts her in the grotto and destroys most of the artifacts with his trident. After Triton leaves, two eels named Flotsam and Jetsam convince Ariel to visit Ursula the sea witch.
Ursula tricks Ariel into making a deal to transform her into a human for three days in exchange for Ariel's voice, which Ursula puts in a nautilus shell. Within these three days, Ariel must receive the "kiss of true love" from Eric. If Ariel gets Eric to kiss her, she will remain a human permanently, otherwise, she will transform back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. Ariel accepts and is then given human legs and brought to the surface by Flounder and Sebastian. Eric finds Ariel on the beach and takes her to his castle, unaware that she is the one who had rescued him earlier. Ariel spends time with Eric, and at the end of the second day, they almost kiss but are thwarted by Flotsam and Jetsam. Angered at their narrow escape, Ursula sets a trap for Eric and Ariel: she disguises herself as a beautiful young woman named Vanessa and hypnotizes Eric with her singing voice.
Discovering that Vanessa is actually Ursula in disguise, Scuttle informs Ariel of Ursula's plan to marry Eric while Sebastian informs Triton about Ursula's actions. Assisted by her friends, Ariel stops Eric's wedding to Ursula, destroying the nautilus shell around Ursula's neck and restoring Ariel's voice. Realizing that Ariel is the girl who saved his life, Eric rushes to kiss her, but the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid before Ursula kidnaps her. Triton furiously confronts Ursula and demands Ariel's release, but the deal is inviolable. Ursula tricks Triton into taking Ariel's place as Ursula's prisoner, giving up his trident. Ariel is released as Triton is transformed into a polyp. Ursula steps forward as the new queen, but before she can use the trident, Eric intervenes with a harpoon. Ursula attempts to kill Eric, but inadvertently kills Flotsam and Jetsam in the process. Enraged, Ursula uses the trident to expand into monstrous proportions.
Ariel and Eric reunite on the surface before Ursula gains full control of the entire ocean, creating a storm and bringing sunken ships to the surface. Attempting to kill Ariel, Ursula herself is killed by Eric with one of the wrecked ships. With Ursula destroyed, Triton and the other polyps are restored to their original forms. Realizing that Ariel truly loves Eric, Triton willingly changes her from a mermaid into a human and approves her marriage to Eric. Ariel and Eric marry on a ship and depart.

Tags: romantic, flashback

Review:
This could have been fantastic but was ruined by the very slow pace, poor script, poor (read diabolical) acting, lack of good cgi and wishy washy ending.
I didn't read any reviews before watching it so wasn't swayed by other's opinions.
I had seen the shorts previously and was looking forward to seeing it with the understanding that it was nothing like the Disney version & it was only loosely based on the original Hans Christian Anderson story.
They are good actors so how'd they end up in this?!The only reason I gave this 3 stars and not 1 was because of Shirley MacLaine (Elle as a grandmother) William Moseley (as Cam) Jo Marie Payton (Harriette Winslow from Family Matters), Poppy Drayton (Elizabeth), Loreto Peralta (Elle) and the two adorable little girls.
I've seen high school acting/productions better than this.The cgi was bad.
So there are a ton of reviews trashing this movie because they're coming from adults who (like me) grew up with Disney's Little Mermaid and have been waiting for the "real people" version of that movie to come out.
But this movie is not meant to be a remake of Disney's Little Mermaid, it's meant to be a twist on that story.
(I also think it's kind of hysterical the people saying the fight scenes were boring and didn't look real; it's the effin Little Mermaid, if you were looking for decent action scenes, you're an idiot.)
Don't have expectations when you watch this movie; I'm not saying that in the sense you'll be disappointed, I'm saying that because this isn't Disney, and it's not "the" remake we've been waiting for; that'll come out eventually.
This a children's movie based loosely off of the original, and I actually think it's good.
It's not necessarily a movie I would watch again, but not because it sucked, just because it's a little too calm for me.
It's sweet, it's clean, the love between Cam and Elle is inspiring, and the fighting scenes aren't intense at all.@EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE MOVIE: Well done, truly.
One of the worst movies I've watched in my life..
So many ignorant people here who don't realise that Disney did not create The Little Mermaid.
Whilst I agree that this movie has some very bad acting and is a bit slow paced, it's a good story, fairly close to the original story and overall I enjoyed it.
I read many of the negative reviews for this movie, But I think some people are missing the point...
As far as acting goes, for a Kid's Movie, it was not that bad.
I actually enjoyed the movie, couple of really bad actors namely locke for one but it was a shame they called it the little mermaid which gives you the wrong impression as to what its about, definately not the disney story but good in its own right, i do agree that it is really aimed at the younger audience but would have to say that its a pleasant story line with some great morals..
Don't expect big budget special effects but is a lovely family film.
REVIEW - THE LITTLE MERMAIDHands up who remembers this Disney classic, the story of a little Mermaid who fell in love with a handsome Prince and wished she could have legs?
As this slightly adapted version of the fairy tale wasn't made by Disney there are various things that a big studio bring such as special effects and fight sequences but if you can overcome these petty things and enjoy a film purely on its acting and story this is certainly a film to consider on a Sunday afternoon with the kids sitting next to you on the sofa.
So many films these days, even ones aimed at younger audiences include a reference to sex, this film however is just a joy to watch as long as your not expecting big budget special effects, to use a very British term, the special effects are quite naff but the film is an enjoyable adapted version of the classic The Little Mermaid.Rating 7 out of 10.
This movie relied more on facial expressions that dialogue or actual acting talent.
The 3 kids I took said, the most boring movie I ever saw." So that sums it up..
The acting is extremely terrible, specially the fighting scenes where you can officially see none punch and kicks in slow motion.
Not Great But Not As Bad As Being Made Out To Be. This movie wasn't great but I think some of the reviews are a little harsh.
I chose to consider that when I watch something like this and for that reason, I think this is an "ok" movie.
I felt that the story was good, it was an interesting perspective on the little mermaid, however there's masses of room for improvement.
There were a few half-decent actors but the acting was pretty bad overall.
The score/music was very basic and repetitive, the editing wasn't great - the film didn't really flow properly - and the script included many cringe-worthy lines.
It's what you'd expect from a low-budget film like this one, but if this was done better I think it could have been a really good movie..
Bad writing, mediocre acting and horrible effects.
The only thing good about this movie was the music and ok videography.
I really wanted it to be good, and kept hoping thru the whole movie.
Not A Fan. I understand this this was designed to be a children's movie, but the "little mermaid" is a story that a lot of children and adults were raised on.
Considering the re-known actors selected to play these parts, it was unnerving seeing how bad direction, production, and script could culminate in such a potentially good idea, into a horrible movie.
Acting is like a local drama group having a bad night.
After watching for ten minutes it became apparent that this movie was made for the television.
But why making a tv movie has to be a bad thing?
The production has spent a good budget on sets and costumes, and the sound is not that bad.
I saw this movie on Netflix and thought 'I love the story of the little mermaid Ill give this remake a shot!' Boy was I in for a surprise.
I am laughing so hard right now because if I didn't I'd be pissed I wasted this past hour of my life watching this dumpster fire of a movie.
If I could list all the terrible films with cringey acting, this movie would be right up there or rather down there with the worst of them.
I've never given a bad review because I always try to find the good things, or thing.
I had high hopes because they casted young attractive leads but I fell asleep within the first 10 minutes and then when i woke and restarted the movie, I cringed so much that I felt physical pain just trying to get to the end.
PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR KIDS TIME TO WATCH THIS AWFUL MOVIE.
This summer's Little Mermaid is not a Disney movie.
It's the work of Conglomerate Media in Florida.So everyone can relax and hope for a Disney Movie :)For Netflix they did a good job..
Story is terrible, acting is terrible, cgi is terrible, movie is terrible.
I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was great..
If you can forgive the fact that this is not the same story as Disney's The Little Mermaid (which it is not, because it is not a Disney production), then I do not see any reason why anyone would not really enjoy this movie.
I really do not understand why there are so many horrible reviews about this movie.
Great story, characters, and acting all around.
I am really shocked that there are so many bad reviews about this movie.
One of the worst movies i have seen; Poor production.
To sum it up, it totally ruined my day and im so glad I did not watch it in a movie theater and did not waste my money..
I think this could have been great, the twist of the old story was good and I like the era they filmed it in.
They tried the thing with leaving things unsaid but did not really work, not because of the acting of the 3 main characters more because of the way they filmed it.
I did actually like the main characters and the beginning of the film is good but then they try to hard in the middle of the film so when den ending came it felt like they them self just wanted the film to end because they had no way of making the ending good with the way they went with the story and the actors skill level..
The actors in this movie are good actors however I feel like they've purposefully acted as bad as they possibly can in this movie.
I knew this wasn't like the original story but the title little mermaid isn't right.
I do believe kids will like te movie and thats why I gave it 5 stars..
Bad writing, dialogue and worse acting.
The acting is extremely horrendous (especially the wizard Locke, his "performance" was the worst I think that I have ever seen), the plot and writing are extremely drawn out and predictable.
Too long, very boring, bad acting, not much of a story either.
For about 20min you think this could be an okay movie but you really lose all hope on that very soon.Where to even start - it's so lengthy, there are so many continuity problems, and the last bit of the film is repetitive - people keep saying "HURRY!" and then they continue standing around for a relaxed chat for ages.
Worst little mermaid of all time!
They actually did a good job of one thing - ruining the Little Mermaid's classic.
If you let your kids watch this movie it will ruin their childhood..
The acting in this movie was just awful.
We watched this movie as a family with no expectations after reading a few mixed reviews.
After watching the movie none of us could understand why it had got such a poor rating as it was a lovely story and well acted including a really nice role played by Shirley MacLaine.
I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for some good family entertainment..
Terrible acting by most, though the child actors were cute!
What a waste of time to go to a movie theater.
To everyone saying that this is based on the original story and therefore everyone who says it's not good is wrong, the fact that it isn't similar to the Disney movie has nothing to do with its poor quality.
The plot was weak, the pacing poor, and the acting (depending on the person) was pretty terrible.
I has such high hopes for this movie despite poor reviews and (what I believed to be) a really disappointing looking trailer.
This film is so bad it's good.
If you like no budget productions, the cinematic aesthetics of a camcorder, cheap comstumes, unnatural lighting and the acting subleties of a bulldozer then you'll gonna love this movie.
It is a much lower budget retell of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, made child friendly.It has kid friendly writing, acting and themes.
I even took the time to read the reviews to see what everyone else thought, and boy are there some posers in here.Those claiming that people who trashed it are ignorant for not knowing the original story, are plainly lying to save face for liking this ill-advised original story, to be green-lit.This movie was soooooo boring, I downloaded the massive 48 page short story from the Apple Books store, which was free by the way, and finished it before the movie was done.The story told here is nowhere near the plot told by Hans Christian Anderson, so I don't know what people are reading.
Disney actually had a closer plot line than this piece of Flounder feces.Definitely, not recommended.Also, this movie's budget was $5 million, and grossed $147,000 domestically.
I want to start out by saying that I created an account just to review this movie....that being said...
I went in knowing it wouldn't even be close to the Disney version, but the trailers had me slightly intrigued so I felt the need to watch it.
The acting was horrendous, the CGI was just as bad, and it was just a flat out boring movie.
This film is loosely based on The Little Mermaid but that made me like it more as it wasn't the same story in which I had seen a hundred times before.
I thought that the acting wasn't always the best within the movie however it did come with a good story line.
all I saw was bad acting, slow plots...
Not just because they remake an old highly esteemed Disney movie, but simple things like dialogue, animation, casting and plot is simply just bad.
We are given all the facts at the beginning and just wait for things to play out.I don't discredit the acting as when there is little to work with in the beginning you leave the actors with few choices to practice their craft.A lot of the problems with this film could have been resolved in preproduction, but this looks like it was slapped together with hopes that a known title and actors would save it..
Thank goodness I'm watching this film drunk because that's the only way I'll enjoy it.
Acting is meh at best, cgi and green screen work is awful, the writing is sloppy and inauthentic; however the set dressings and locations are very pretty.
This is in no way related to Disney's little mermaid, so don't go expecting something quality.
If you do decide to watch this movie, have a bottle of wine ready..
Very weak plot development resulting from a poor script and some of the worst flat/one-dimensional acting (specially from both the male protagonist and antagonist) made this one of the most uninteresting movies I have ever seen.
From the cheesy script to the bad acting to the awful effects...
I'm pretty okay with watching bad movies I can find a little love in everything...
some of my favourite movies are notoriously bad but this was shocking!!
At first I thought Ye look the writing isn't great and the story is very basic but whatever the main characters are hot.
Where's that fortune teller I want her to turn back time to before I watched this movie!.
Like I said- it's cute and not a movie you have to pay a lot of attention to..
Armando Gutierrez Is the worst thing about this movie.
But Armando Gutierrez, who also produced this movie, thought it was a good idea to cast himself.
But overall the film gives you the right feeling, I would say it gave me the same feeling as The Peter Pan movie
But for children between 7-12 it's perfect!Of you' A big fan at film music watch this movie the music is amazing, reminds me of Narnia.
Poor acting, poor scripting and story.
Good trailer, terrible film.
If you find yourself pausing frequently in this movie wondering what on God's green Earth you're watching, you're not alone.
This movie was sooooooo slow that there was little story, and what there was, was a real time waster.
The script was really bad to begin with and the acting was even worse, but what really pissed me off to the point of actually typing a bad review was that the sound editing was the lowest quality I've ever heard in my life.
Looks like it was filmed in the 80s by a child - boring, acting is terrible and the plot is bizarre.
This is the worst movie I have seen in a long time.
This is the worst movie I have seen in a long time.
To quote my mom "This was probably funded by a grandfather who felt obligated to help his producer grandson actually have a movie done" It made me think of my 2nd grade students who start to tell me a story and have no idea where it's going and just keep adding random details.
I wanted to like this movie so much.
Like beyond children's movies bland.
Seriously Bad. I watched till the end.
DISNEY DID NOT INVENT THE LITTLE MERMAID!!!!.
Alright now that the title is out of the way, this movie is a reimagining of the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the one Disney reimagined with their own version.
The actor who plays the villian is laughably bad at executing his lines, the special effects seem to be pretty low budget.
There is a hammy factor to the movie that can really be enjoyed if you go into it knowing the bad qualities first.
Overall its an enjoyable watch with just enough compelling story and just enough hammy acting to pull the concept off.
I read several reviews before I watched the movie.
Which was actually my encouragement to watch the movie.
After reading so many bad reviews and only a couple good ones...
Some of the other reviewers said that the acting was bad.
I thought the acting was pretty good, the cast seemed to work together quite well.
Nothing good about this movie.
The plot could have been interesting, unfortunately it's unsuccessful as it has cheesy dialogue, poor editing, and bad acting.
I did grew up with Disney's The Little Mermaid, and it wasn't exactly the same which I did like.
Bad acting, bad storyline, bad writing, bad filming, bad editing it was a complete disaster.
The acting is so bad I laughed...
This movie doesn't feel like a Disney production should, it feels cheap..