The Little Mermaid

Is The Little Mermaid right for your family?

Movie 2023 135 min Analyzed with methodology v1.5.0 — can be updated

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.

What's inside

  • ViolencePresent · 49
    Why this score?
    • 1:52–2:25Sailors fire harpoons and cast nets toward an aquatic creature during a storm at sea.clear
    • 9:00–10:15A shark briefly pursues two characters through the water.mild
    • 52:30–56:15The sea witch Ursula casts a spell involving aggressive magic, including forced voice extraction and body transformation.central

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Sexual contentAbsent · 0
  • Romance & relationshipsSignificant · 55
    Why this score?
    • 22:00–23:00Ariel rescues Prince Eric from a ship in danger and develops romantic feelings for him after this incident.clear
    • 24:30–25:30Ariel sings about her desire to be in the human world and form a romantic relationship with humans.clear
    • 49:20–55:00Ursula offers Ariel a potion to transform into a human to obtain true love's kiss from Prince Eric within three days, on the condition that Ariel surrenders her voice.central

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Religion & spiritualityPresent · 46
    Why this score?
    • 0:34–0:42Sailors mention folklore about the Sea King summoning his mermaid daughters to lure men to their deaths during the Coral Moon.mild
    • 5:57–7:10King Triton gathers his daughters in a ceremony called the Coral Moon, a traditional gathering of the Sea King's daughters.clear
    • 14:15–17:00Ursula, identified as a sea witch, offers magic to transform Ariel into human through a spell, with references to supernatural power.clear

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Family themesPresent · 47
    Why this score?
    • 5:48–6:36King Triton scolds his daughter Ariel for missing an important family gathering and expresses frustration with her disobedient behavior.clear
    • 14:35–15:20Ursula, Ariel's aunt, mentions having been banished from the palace 15 years ago and expresses resentment about not being invited to family events.clear
    • 50:00–52:25Ariel makes a deal with Ursula to become human for three days, accepting the loss of her voice and risking her life and father's crown if she fails to obtain a true love's kiss.central

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Political & social messagingPresent · 39
    Why this score?
    • 17:12–20:15Ariel sings about her desire to leave the underwater world and explore human society, expressing frustration with parental restrictions.clear
    • 52:00–55:00Ursula presents herself as someone wronged by family and promises to help Ariel through magic, offering a solution to her family conflicts.clear
    • 59:00–61:00Triton establishes strict rules about his daughter's behavior, forbidding her interaction with humans and demanding obedience to undersea kingdom norms.clear

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Heavy emotional contentSignificant · 51
    Why this score?
    • 1:53–2:25Sailors on a ship face a dangerous storm at sea during the night.clear
    • 9:00–10:00Ariel pursues a prince who falls from the ship during the storm.clear
    • 15:00–15:30Ariel and her friend are chased by a shark in dangerous waters.mild

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

  • Educational contentPresent · 49
    Why this score?
    • 5:23–6:33Ariel explores a sunken ship and discovers human objects, conversing with Scuttle about their uses and meanings.clear
    • 12:30–17:12Sebastian searches for Ariel and discusses with her the importance of obeying her father and attending the coral moon event.clear
    • 15:00–17:30Ariel and Flounder converse about differences between humans and mermaids, mentioning characteristics and behaviors of both.mild

    Sample of identified scenes. Neutral descriptions, written by Zelari.

Re-analyze

Where themes appear

0 min135 min
Violence
Sexual content
Romance & relationships
Religion & spirituality
Family themes
Political & social messaging
Heavy emotional content
Educational content
Female protagonism
Cast diversity

Approximate position of each scene across the runtime.

Representation (informational)

Shown for information only — never used as a filter.

  • Female protagonism: Present
What we identified — Female protagonism

Ariel is the main protagonist of the film, a determined young woman who makes her own choices and drives the story forward through her actions and desires.

  • Cast diversity: Present
What we identified — Cast diversity

The cast includes actors of different ethnicities and backgrounds, such as Halle Bailey as Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, representing racial and cultural diversity.

  • LGBTQ characters present
  • Neurodivergence represented

Scores measure theme presence (0–100) — they never say whether content is good or bad. Different families have different thresholds.