The Little Mermaid (TV Series)



The Little Mermaid is an animated Walt Disney Television Animation television series based on the Disney film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series if the first Disney television series to be spun off from a major animated 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, Kennett Mars as King Triton and Pat Carroll as Ursula.

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. It was later shown in reruns on the Disney Channel and Toon Disney.

The show had aired on the Russian version of The Disney Afternoon block, and is one of few shows not to air in the US version of the Disney Afternoon but to air on the block in other countries.

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. The series returned on the Disney Junior Channel March 23, 2012.

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

Episodes
List of the Little Mermaid Episodes

Most episodes revolve around Ariel's adventures in and around her home of Atlantica. While some have her encountering and solving a problem that arises, others show Ariel facing off against various villains. Some, but not all, episodes feature a musical number relating to the plot of the episode. As in the film, Ariel has a love for human things and is often shown adding to her collection. Likewise, she often clashes with her father due to her xenophobia regarding humans and human culture. At times, however, they do see eye to eye, as in the episode "Stormy". Ariel is shown attempting to ride a wild seahorse that her father warned her was dangerous. After Ariel is injured, she admits he was right about the danger; Triton later offers her a tamer sea horse more appropriate to her skills. Ariel's relationship with her siblings, specifically Alana and Arista is shown in more detail.

One of the most notable episodes is "Metal Fish", in which Ariel encounters an animated version of Hans Christian Andersen, who was the real life author of the original "The Little Mermaid". The episode also introduces Archimedes, a self proclaimed scholar of human culture, whose knowledge is more accurate than Ariel's. Mr Andersen is shown exploring the sea in a primitive submarine capsule, which begins to leak air after an accident. Ariel confronts her father with the fact that, despite his hatred of humans, he, as well as all merpeople, are half-human in an attempt to appeal to his compassion and better nature in order to save Hans' life when his ship is stranded at the bottom of the ocean. The ploy, unsurprisingly, works, as Triton has always been depicted as a compassionate monarch. Mr Andersen's encounter with the merpeople appears to inspire the original tale. 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 harbour.

Characters

 * Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson)- She is the seventh daughter of the sea king who loves to sing and go on adventures. She also has developed magic in Season 2 to save her world.
 * Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright)- A caribbean crab who acts as the king's adviser, court musician and a baby-sitter-like figure for Ariel.
 * Flounder (voiced by Bradley Pierce and Edan Gross)- Ariel's best friend is a tropical fish who follows along on her adventures, and can be easily scared.
 * King Triton (voiced by Kenneth Mars)- He is Ariel's father and ruler of Atlantica who protects his kingdom with his magic trident.
 * Scuttle (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)- He is a seagull who is friends with Ariel.
 * Ariel's six older sisters:
 * Aquata (voiced by Mona Marshall)
 * Andrina (voiced by Catherine Cavadini)
 * Arista (voiced by Mary Kay Bergman)
 * Attina (voiced by Kath Soucie)
 * Adella (voiced by Sherry Lynn)
 * Alana (voiced by Kimmy Robertson)
 * Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll)- A Cecaelia and powerful sea witch who occasionally antagonises Ariel.
 * Flotsam and Jetsam (voiced by Paddi Edwards)- They are Ursula's moray eel henchmen who do her evil bidding for her.
 * Prince Eric (voiced by Jeff Bennett)- Ariel's future husband. He appears occasionally but is never seen by Ariel of her friends, preserving the continuity that they first encounter each other in the film.
 * Urchin (voiced by Danny Cooksey)- He is an orphan young merman and Ariel's friend. He shares her love for adventure and is unofficially her adopted brother.
 * The Lobster Mobster (voiced by Joe Alaskey)- A lobster gangster following the style of the 1920s gangster stereotype.
 * De Shrimp (voiced by David Lander)- A prawn who is Lobster Mobster's sidekick.
 * The Evil Manta (voiced by Tim Curry)- An evil man/manta ray hybrid who repeatedly tries to take over Atlantica.
 * Pearl (voiced by Cree Summer)- A spoiled, thrill-seeking mermaid whose actions often lead to Ariel, as well as herself, getting in trouble.
 * Spot- A killer whale cub whom Ariel adopted and secretly raised in the palace.
 * Gabriella- A deaf-mute Latina mermaid who dreams of becoming a singer. Gabriella's sign language is translated by her octopus friend.
 * Ollie (voiced by Gabriel Damon)- Gabriella's octopus friend and translater.
 * Moray Eel (voiced by Dave Coulier)- a moray eel salesman and con-artist who occasionally sells items to Ariel that alternately help her or get her into trouble.
 * The Crabscouts (occasionally voiced by J.D. Daniels, Anndi McAfee, Bradley Pierce, Malachie Pearson and Whitby Hertford)- They are crab children, consisting of two boys and one girl, who are under the mentorship of Sebastian in a scout-like troup.
 * Flo and Ebb (voiced by Kath Soucie and Jim Cummings)- Alligator criminals who first appear in the episode "Beached".
 * The Magical Wishing Starfish (voiced by Tony Jay)- A giant starfish with a beard and crown who only appears in the episode "Wish Upon a Starfish".