30 Years Under The Sea

On this day, November 17, 1989 - Disney’s 28th animated feature film, The Little Mermaid, is released in theaters across the US, Mexico and Canada. Written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, with music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and featuring the voice talents of Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett and René Auberjonois, the film received critical acclaim, garnering $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release and $233 million in total lifetime gross worldwide. The Little Mermaid also won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”), and marked the start of the era known as the Disney Renaissance. In addition to the box office and critical success of the film itself, the soundtrack album earned two Grammy Awards in 1991 for Best Album for Children and the Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. In April 2008 Yahoo! users voted "The Little Mermaid" as No. 14 on the top 30 animated films of all time and in 2011, Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine named it one of "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films". On November 5, 2019, The Little Mermaid Live!, starring Queen Latifah, Auli'i Cravalho, Shaggy, John Stamos and Graham Phillips aired on ABC and was introduced by Jodi Benson. A live-action film adaptation by Disney is scheduled to begin production in early 2020, with Halle Bailey cast in the starring role as Ariel. Happy 30th Anniversary!