Movies like The Little Mermaid (1989)
The best movies like The Little Mermaid (1989) are Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007), The Swan Princess (1994) and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023). If The Little Mermaid hooked you with its animation and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAladdin (1992)7.7/10 from 12,401 votes
- NewestRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)Released 2023
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
When Lady Tremaine steals the Fairy Godmother's wand and changes history, it's up to Cinderella to restore the timeline and reclaim her prince.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Swan Princess (1994)
The beautiful princess Odette is transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer's spell. Held captive at an enchanted lake, she befriends Jean-Bob the frog, Speed the turtle and Puffin the bird. Despite their struggle to keep the princess safe, these good-natured creatures can do nothing about the sorcerer's spell, which can only be broken by a vow of everlasting love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAladdin (1992)
In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997)
The first wedding anniversary of Princess Odette and Prince Derek is fraught with troubles brought on by Clavius, who plots to conquer the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006)
In this animated follow-up to Fairytopia, Elina enlists the help of a mermaid, Nori, to save her friend Nalu, a merman prince who has been captured by the wicked Laverna.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010)
Barbie stars as Merliah, a surfer who learns a shocking secret: she's a mermaid! She and her dolphin friend set out for an undersea adventure to rescue her mother, the queen of Oceana.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSleeping Beauty (1959)
Cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent when she was a baby, Princess Aurora is sent into hiding under protection from three good fairies. As she grows up far away, Maleficent becomes increasingly determined to seal the princess's fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrozen (2013)
Young princess Anna of Arendelle dreams about finding true love at her sister Elsa’s coronation. Fate takes her on a dangerous journey in an attempt to end the eternal winter that has fallen over the kingdom. She's accompanied by ice delivery man Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf. On an adventure where she will find out what friendship, courage, family, and true love really means.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharming (2018)
Three fairy tale princesses find themselves engaged to the same guy, Prince Charming.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Pan (1953)
Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil his attempts to get rid of Peter for good.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCinderella (1950)
Cinderella has faith her dreams of a better life will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a glorious gown and off she goes to the Royal Ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, the spell is broken, leaving a single glass slipper... the only key to the ultimate fairy-tale ending!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTinker Bell (2008)
Journey into the secret world of Pixie Hollow and hear Tinker Bell speak for the very first time as the astonishing story of Disney's most famous fairy is finally revealed in the all-new motion picture "Tinker Bell."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid (2023)
The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie as the Island Princess (2007)
Young Rosella is saved by a few kind animals after a shipwreck. Now called Ro, she learns to talk to animals. One day, she saves the life of a prince and returns to civilisation to discover her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: The Pearl Princess (2014)
Barbie plays Lumina, a mermaid girl with the power to change the color of pearls. Cheerful and creative, Lumina finds herself working in a mermaid salon customizing fabulous hairstyles. And when Lumina has the chance to attend the royal ball, her friends adorn her with a gown fit for a princess. At the ball, villains try to seize power over the kingdom, and Lumina finds within herself an unexpected power that proves she is much more than a hair stylist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie and the Secret Door (2014)
A shy princess discovers a secret door in her kingdom and enters a magical world full of magical creatures. She meets a mermaid and a fairy who tell her about a spoiled ruler threatening them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnchanted (2007)
The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeauty and the Beast (1976)
A beautiful girl agrees to marry a hideous, deformed beast and live in his castle in order to save her father's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
An American Tail (1986)
A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMimosa (1983)
Mimosa is about a girl growing up in an orphanage who tries to make life fun for all the residents. It's a great Easter story, an animated fairy tale about a witch kid and what she's up to in the orphanage while the mother witch whips around with her broom. An excellent animated fairy tale about diversity and tolerance, made in Camilla Mickwitz's typical funny way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Mimosa's Birthnight (1987)
It's the most exciting moment of the year: Easter night and little Mimosa birthday. Muskotti, her mother, has such a bad memory that she doesn't know how old Mimosa is. Mimosa's birthday is a warm and fairytale-like film, but at the same time a sneaky story about a girl's growth into adulthood. It takes place entirely in a wizarding world awash with a night blue glow.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Emily and King Oscar (1978)
Part four in the Emilia animation series. King Oskar rules his little kingdom, which is an island in the sea. After the king falls ill, people at first wonder how they will get along without Oskar. But then they start to listen to themselves, obey themselves and come up with a lot of new things.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
COMBO (2009)
Street artist Blu animates large-scale creatures as they crawl across an abandoned Argentine cityscape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Guard Dog Global Jam (2011)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Nevermind The Grief (1983)
A soldier served a long time service. He took as a reward an old drum and went where his eyes were looking. He walked for a long time, and went to the hut, and in it the small girl was crying, because the fierce witch has destroyed her parents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
In My Dreams (2015)
Natalie and Nick are frustrated with their luck in romance. After tossing coins into a fountain, the two then begin dreaming about each other. But, according to fountain mythology, they only have a week to turn those dreams into reality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Little Mermaid?
The closest matches to The Little Mermaid are Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007), The Swan Princess (1994) and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Little Mermaid?
Start with Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007), the closest match to The Little Mermaid.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Little Mermaid?
Aladdin (1992), rated 7.7/10 by 12,401 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Little Mermaid?
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Little Mermaid?
Yes: Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007), The Swan Princess (1994) and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023).
How are movies similar to The Little Mermaid chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Little Mermaid, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.