Based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Little Mermaid was Disney’s 28th animated feature. Created by Walt Disney Feature Animations Studio, the film was released in 1989.

Production of The Little Mermaid began after the release of Snow White, however it was paused until several years later. When it was released, the Disney Movie made $84 Million in the United States and $99 Million internationally.

In 1990, the movie received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Music Score, and an Academy Award and a Grammy for Best Written Song for “Under the Sea.” The movie soundtrack went triple platinum, which is unheard of for an animated film.

In 1992, CBS ran a spin-off of The Little Mermaid. There was also a series of shorts featuring Sebastian on the Disney Series Marsupilami.

Numerous video games were released to promote the movie. The games were made for Gameboy, Nintendo, Game Gear, Sega, Master System, GBA, and Tiger Electronics.

In 2000, Disney released a straight to DVD sequel – The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea, and in August 2008, Disney will release another straight to DVD Little Mermaid movie – The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning. The Little Mermaid has also been turned into a Broadway show.

The Little Mermaid is promoted in the Disney parks. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there is a popular show called “Voyage of the Little Mermaid.” There is also a section of Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom called Ariel’s Grotto. A Little Mermaid ride is scheduled to open at Disney’s California Adventure in 2010 or 2011.

In 2006, Disney released The Little Mermaid from the Disney vault with a platinum 2-disc DVD edition. Sale of the DVD was promoted in part by a sweepstakes in which the winner received a Disney vacation. The special edition DVD also included a “Kiss The Girl” music video performed by Disney star Ashley Tisdale.

Numerous songs from The Little Mermaid soundtrack are re-recorded by popular Disney artists and can be found on Disney Mania CDs.

The Little Mermaid character concept was used in Disney’s advertising campaign “Walt Disney World’s Year of A Million Dreams.” Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz captured pictures of celebrities dressed like Disney characters. The Little Mermaid was portrayed by Julianne Moore.

Currently, The Little Mermaid character and Flounder are being used in an ocean awareness campaign public service announcement launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, The Environmental Defense, and The Ad Council.