Timing is everything in Hollywood. If you ask a casual fan when was The Little Mermaid released, they might give you a blank stare or guess "sometime in the eighties." They're right, but only just barely. The film hit theaters on November 17, 1989. It didn't just premiere; it basically saved an entire studio from becoming a footnote in animation history. Disney was in a weird spot back then. They were coming off a string of movies that didn't exactly set the world on fire—think The Black Cauldron or The Great Mouse Detective.
Honesty is best here: Disney was struggling. The animation department had even been moved off the main lot into a bunch of trailers and warehouses in Glendale. It felt like the end of an era. Then Ariel showed up. When the film finally saw the light of day in late '89, it changed the trajectory of the company forever. It wasn't just a movie. It was the start of the Disney Renaissance.
Why 1989 Changed Everything for Animation
The late eighties were a gritty time for cinema. You had Batman and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade dominating the box office. Animation was seen as "kid stuff," and not even particularly profitable kid stuff at that. When The Little Mermaid released in November of 1989, it had to compete with a massive slate of holiday blockbusters.
Nobody expected it to do what it did.
Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors, took a massive gamble. They went back to the roots—Hans Christian Andersen. But they knew the original story was way too dark for a Disney flick. In the original book, the mermaid feels like she's walking on knives every time she takes a step. Also, she dies and turns into sea foam. Yeah, not exactly "Under the Sea" vibes. They pivoted. They brought in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken from the world of Broadway, and that was the secret sauce.
The release date was strategic. Disney wanted that Thanksgiving crowd. By the time 1990 rolled around, everyone knew the name Ariel. It grossed over $84 million in its initial domestic run, which, for 1989, was like hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth.
The Live-Action Shift: When Was The Little Mermaid Released Again?
Fast forward a few decades. The conversation around the release date got complicated because of the 2023 live-action reimagining. If you're searching for when the new version dropped, that happened on May 26, 2023.
📖 Related: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
It's kind of wild how different the environments were. In 1989, the film was a scrappy underdog. In 2023, it was a massive $250 million machine starring Halle Bailey. The 2023 release was a summer blockbuster, meant to dominate the Memorial Day weekend. It did exactly that, pulling in over $560 million worldwide, though it faced a much more polarized audience than the original did back in the late eighties.
There's a weird bit of trivia most people miss. Between the 1989 original and the 2023 remake, there were actually other "releases."
- The TV series premiered on CBS in September 1992.
- The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea went straight to video in September 2000.
- Ariel's Beginning, the prequel, dropped in August 2008.
Basically, the franchise has been releasing something every few years to keep the intellectual property alive. But the '89 date remains the holy grail for historians.
The Technical Nightmare Behind the 1989 Premiere
People forget that The Little Mermaid was the last Disney feature to use the traditional hand-painted cel method. Well, mostly. They used a new digital system called CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) for the final scene—the wedding on the boat—but the rest was old-school labor.
It was grueling.
Think about the bubbles. Every single bubble was hand-drawn. Disney didn't have enough animators to do it, so they actually outsourced the bubble effects to a studio in China. If the movie had been released even a year earlier, it might have looked significantly worse. The technology was just catching up to the vision.
👉 See also: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
The 1989 release also marked a shift in how movies were marketed. Disney started leaning into the "soundtrack" as a product. You couldn't go anywhere in 1990 without hearing "Part of Your World." It was the first time an animated soundtrack felt like a pop album. Howard Ashman basically treated the movie like a stage play where the characters "break into song" because they can't express their emotions through dialogue anymore. That was revolutionary for the time.
Comparing the Cultural Impact of Both Dates
When we look at 1989 versus 2023, the stakes were completely different. In '89, if the movie failed, Disney Animation might have actually closed down. Roy E. Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg were watching the numbers like hawks. The success of that November release gave them the green light to produce Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
The 2023 release was more about legacy and modernization. It dealt with a much more digital world—CGI fish, social media discourse, and a global box office that relies heavily on international markets like China and South Korea.
Interestingly, the 1989 film didn't have a massive "day and date" global release like we see now. It rolled out slowly. For example, it didn't even hit Japan until 1991. Today, we expect everything at once. Back then, a movie's release was a slow burn that lasted over a year.
Rare Facts About the Original Launch
Most fans think they know everything about the '89 debut, but some details got buried in the archives.
For starters, the film was nearly a "no-go" because Jeffrey Katzenberg thought it was a "girls' movie" and wouldn't make money. He famously wanted to cut "Part of Your World" after a test screening where a kid dropped his popcorn. He thought the song was boring. Thankfully, Glen Keane and others fought for it. Imagine the 1989 release without that song. It would have tanked.
✨ Don't miss: Why This Is How We Roll FGL Is Still The Song That Defines Modern Country
Also, the character of Ursula was inspired by the drag queen Divine. This gave the movie an edge that hadn't been seen in Disney films for decades. It felt contemporary even though it was a fairy tale. That's why the November 1989 release date is often cited by film historians as the "Big Bang" of modern animation.
Tracking the Legacy and Next Steps
If you're looking to revisit these films, the timing is actually perfect. Disney+ has the entire library, but there's a specific way to watch them if you want to understand the evolution of the craft.
Don't just watch the movies. Look at the "Making Of" documentaries. You can see the actual physical cels from 1989 and compare them to the motion-capture tech used in 2023. It’s a masterclass in how much the industry has changed in 35 years.
To truly appreciate the history, start by watching the 1989 original to see the hand-drawn artistry. Then, find the Howard documentary on Disney+ to understand why the music worked. Finally, watch the 2023 version to see how the story was adapted for a modern lens. Tracking the release dates is just the surface; the real story is how a mermaid in 1989 paved the way for the entire landscape of modern entertainment.
Verify the credits on the 1989 DVD or Blu-ray extras. You'll see names like Andreas Deja and Mark Henn—these were the giants who built the foundation. Check the theatrical posters too. The original 1989 poster is now a collector's item, partly because of a weird controversy involving the artwork of the castle that led to it being pulled and redesigned for the home video release. Knowing these small details turns you from a fan into an expert.
Actionable Insight for Collectors: If you are hunting for original 1989 memorabilia, look for the "Black Diamond" VHS editions. While their high value is often a myth on eBay, they are the primary way families experienced the film following its theatrical run. For the most accurate historical record, refer to the American Film Institute (AFI) catalog, which preserves the official production and release data for the 1989 premiere.