88
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertWalt Disney's The Little Mermaid is a jolly and inventive animated fantasy - a movie that's so creative and so much fun it deserves comparison with the best Disney work of the past.
- 100New York Daily NewsKathleen CarrollNew York Daily NewsKathleen CarrollAudiences of all ages are bound to fall in love with this bubbly, thoroughly enchanting fish story.
- 100The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinA marvel of skillful animation, witty songwriting and smart planning. It is designed to delight filmgoers of every conceivable stripe.
- 100TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissFor 82 minutes, The Little Mermaid reclaims the movie house as a dream palace and the big screen as a window into enchantment. Live-action filmmakers, see this and try to top it. Go on and try.
- 90Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonImpudent, grandiose, a multilevel crowd-pleaser--almost returns the Disney animated features to their glory traditions of the '30s and '40s.
- 88Chicago TribuneDave KehrChicago TribuneDave KehrIt may not be a transcendent masterpiece of the Disney canon, but The Little Mermaid is still very heartening: It suggests the Disney magic isn't lost after all.
- 88Orlando SentinelJay BoyarOrlando SentinelJay BoyarFun-and-fin-filled feature-length Disney cartoon that revitalized the studio's animation department.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliWhat the film does expertly is to weave together music, likable protagonists, thoroughly nasty villains, and a fun plot into a cohesive whole, with a result that is nothing short of magical.
- 60Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonThe Little Mermaid is only passable. Even at its highest points, it cannot claim a place next to even the least of the great Disney classics.