The Little Mermaid

The film opens with a bus full of tourists in Copenhagen, and their guide points to Langelinie's statue. The camera then dives below the water to a fish who mocks the idea that love can be real and vows to tell the tale that follows. The fish explains that this story will be shared with several smaller fish.

On the rough ocean, a galleon founders as its young prince fights to steer away from danger but cannot save the ship. The vessel sinks and the prince is swept into the waves, near death. This peril foreshadows the mermaid's later dangerous choice.

From an alabaster underwater palace, four mermaid princesses emerge. The three older sisters, clad in blue, gift their younger sister a red cloak, signaling the protagonist who will seek life on the surface. Their gesture plants the mermaid's longing for the human world.

The little mermaid swims to the surface, finds the unconscious prince, and carries him to the shore. A tolling convent bell draws out several women who gather nearby, and one nun helps the prince regain consciousness. The mermaid waits to see what will become of him.

Determined, she seeks help from the hag of the sea and accepts a bargain: a potion that will turn her into a human, on one condition that she will lose her voice and endure pain in her feet. She agrees, convinced this is her path to love. The hag warns of the consequences, foreshadowing a tragic choice ahead.

She drinks the potion and becomes human, losing her singing voice and enduring the pain of walking. On land, the prince, riding a horse, is drawn to her beauty and they begin to form a bond. They later board a ship to travel to a neighboring land, and a palace servant spots their vessel and calls for the princess.

The prince and the mermaid enter the palace and are greeted by the king, who introduces his daughter—the convent girl who bears a striking resemblance to the mermaid. The mermaid realizes the bride is someone else who will take the prince's hand, and despair takes hold. She fears the next sunrise will claim her if the prince marries another.

Clad in wedding clothes, the prince and princess depart on a ship while the mermaid follows as the bride's train-bearer. The mermaid waits for the dawn, knowing that if the prince marries another, she will die the next sunrise. Her hope flickers as the ship sails toward the wedding.

Three sisters reappear with short hair after trading their riches and home to the hag for more magic to help their sister. They give her a magic shell that could kill the prince and his bride, in exchange for restoring the mermaid to her tail. The mermaid refuses the shell and tosses it back into the sea.

A massive wave sweeps the ship, killing the mermaid as she sacrifices herself for love. The prince notices her absence and, as she dies, her last song echoes across the water. He remembers her song and solemnly acknowledges her sacrifice.

The prince grieves and begins to interpret the mermaid's sacrifice through her final song, recognizing the depth of her love. The tale is framed as a tragedy with a human's gaze on beauty and loss. The mermaid's fate remains a poignant unanswered question.

Two interpretations are offered in the end: the fish's cautionary tale about knowing one's place, and the human's view of a beautiful but tragic love story. The film invites audiences to decide whether the mermaid's love was noble or misguided. The tale ends with a lingering reflection on love, sacrifice, and consequences.