Movies like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
The best movies like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) are The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), Barbie: The Pearl Princess (2014) and Barbie: Mermaid Power (2022). If The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning hooked you with its family and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMulan (1998)7.9/10 from 10,806 votes
- NewestThe Pout-Pout Fish (2026)Released 2026
The 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 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: Mermaid Power (2022)
Barbie 'Brooklyn' Roberts, Barbie 'Malibu' Roberts, and sisters Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea go on an underwater adventure as they transform into mermaids to help save the world of Pacifica.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 (2012)
Merliah Summers, a mermaid from Oceana, travels to Australia for a surfing competition. But when she learns that the evil Eris is planning to take over her kingdom, she must stop her at any cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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: Dolphin Magic (2017)
Barbie and her sisters take off on another exciting, global adventure to visit their friend Ken at his summer internship at a beautiful and exotic coral reef.
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 thisThe Little Mermaid (1989)
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisTinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy (2014)
Zarina, a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities, flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship. Tinker Bell and her friends must embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina, and together they go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James, who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: Star Light Adventure (2016)
When Barbie, a cosmic princess with a hoverboard, learns that the brightly shining stars have begun to dim, she begins a rescue mission to save the galaxy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie: Princess Charm School (2011)
Barbie stars as Blair, a waitress in the kingdom of Gardania, who is chosen to go to Princess Charm School, a magical school where students learn to be a princess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShark Tale (2004)
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian. When a lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and Lenny becomes an outcast, the two form an unlikely friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Pout-Pout Fish (2026)
Living on a rundown shipwreck, Mr. Fish one day discovers a hyperactive young sea dragon Pip – who had mistaken his home for a junkyard – pilfering his belongings. The heated argument that ensues leaves both their houses in ruin. But there is hope! Embarking on a seemingly impossible quest in search of the mythical 'Shimmer' to grant them a wish, there’s only one problem: someone else is on the hunt...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabby's Dollhouse: The Movie (2025)
When her beloved dollhouse is accidentally claimed by an eccentric cat lady during a road trip to Cat Francisco, Gabby embarks on a real-world adventure to reunite the Gabby Cats and rescue her most prized possession before it is too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAquamarine (2006)
Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thirteenth Year (1999)
A teen learns that his birth mother is a mermaid after he begins to grow fins and slimy scales on his thirteenth birthday.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady and the Tramp (1955)
Lady, a golden cocker spaniel, meets up with a mongrel dog who calls himself the Tramp. He is obviously from the wrong side of town, but happenings at Lady's home make her decide to travel with him for a while.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMulan (1998)
When Imperial China calls one man from every family to defend the empire from invading Huns, a young woman disguises herself as a soldier to take her ailing father’s place. Facing ruthless invaders, brutal training, and the risk of execution if discovered, she must decide who she truly is—and what she’s willing to fight for.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies 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: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrapper Keeper (2017)
A look at the trials and tribulations of school and childhood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Cinderella (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: Similar story and style · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsterix the Gaul (1967)
In the year 50 BC, Gaul is occupied by the Romans - nearly. But the small village of Asterix and his friends still resists the Roman legions with the aid of their druid's magic potion, which gives superhuman strength. Learning of this potion, a Roman centurion kidnaps the druid to get the secret formula out of him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Care Bears Movie (1985)
The Care Bears team up with a troubled brother and sister who just moved to a new town to help a neglected young magician's apprentice whose evil spell book causes sinister things to happen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Pan (2003)
In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRaspberry Magic (2010)
An eleven-year-old science enthusiast turns her raspberry-growing project into an emotional mission to reunite her family after her father leaves and her mother falls into depression.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning?
The closest matches to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning are The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), Barbie: The Pearl Princess (2014) and Barbie: Mermaid Power (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning?
Start with The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), the closest match to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning?
Mulan (1998), rated 7.9/10 by 10,806 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning?
The Pout-Pout Fish (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning?
Yes: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), Barbie: The Pearl Princess (2014) and Barbie: Mermaid Power (2022).
How are movies similar to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.