The Little Mermaid (TV series)

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The Little Mermaid

The opening title.
Format Animated series
Created by Walt Disney Television
Starring Jodi Benson
Edan Gross
Samuel E. Wright
Maurice LaMarche
Kenneth Mars
Danny Cooksey
Jim Cummings
Bradley Pierce
Pat Carroll
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 31 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Original run September 11, 1992 – November 26, 1994
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Little Mermaid is an animated Walt Disney Television Animation television series based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series is the first Disney Television series to have spun-off from a major film. Some of the voice actors of the film reprise their roles in the series, among them Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian and Kenneth Mars as King Triton.

The Little Mermaid premiered in the fall of 1992 with the animated prime time special called "A Whale of a Tale," then moved to Saturday mornings. This series originally appeared on CBS, with an original run from 1992 to 1994.

Some of the episodes contain musical segments, featuring original songs written for the series. The opening theme to the show is a combination of the songs "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl". The overture for the stage musical of The Little Mermaid is similar to this.

Contents

[edit] Premise

The Little Mermaid television series is a prequel to the movie of the same name. The story is set before the events in the 1989 film, and follows Ariel's adventures as a mermaid still living under the sea. Various episodes highlight her relationship with her friends, father and sisters, and usually involves Ariel foiling the attempts of various enemies that intend ill harm to her or to her kingdom.

[edit] Characters

[edit] From the 1989 film

[edit] Original characters

  • Urchin, voiced by Danny Cooksey, is a merboy and Ariel's friend. He shares her love for adventure and is unofficially her adopted brother.
  • Dudley is an elderly tortoise courtier at King Triton's palace.
  • The Lobster Mobster is a lobster gangster following the style of the 1940s gangster stereotype.
  • The Shrimp is the Lobster Mobster's sidekick.
  • The Evil Manta, voiced by Tim Curry, is an evil man/manta ray hybrid who repeatedly tries to take over Atlantica.
  • Pearl, voiced by Cree Summer, is a wealthy and spoiled mermaid and is constantly trying to get Ariel in trouble.
  • Spot, a killer whale cub whom Ariel adopted and secretly raised in the palace.
  • Gabriella is a deaf-mute mermaid who dreams of becoming a singer. Gabriella's sign language is translated by her octopus friend Ollie. This character is based on a real person, who was a fan of the show and died during its first season.
  • Moray Eel is a moray eel salesman and con-artist who occasionally sells items to Ariel that alternately help her or get her into trouble.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of The Little Mermaid episodes

A notable episode is "Metal Fish", in which Ariel saves a character named Hans Christian Andersen who is based on the real life author of the original The Little Mermaid, and the encounter inspired the character to "write" the story of The Little Mermaid. A voice-over at the end of the episode talks about the real Hans Christian Andersen, while the image on the screen shows Ariel sitting on a rock in the style of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen harbor. This situation is repeated in The Legend of Tarzan episode "Tarzan and the Mysterious Visitor" where Tarzan meets his author Edgar Rice Burroughs who travels to Africa in search of inspiration for a new novel.

[edit] External links


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The Little Mermaid
Television and Films
Characters
Music
Adaptations
See Also