When Is The Little Mermaid Disney Plus Release Date?

The Little Mermaid Disney Plus release date is hotly-anticipated by subscribers of the streaming service. The new live-action version of The Little Mermaid has many fans excited, and rightly so. Here’s when you can expect The Little Mermaid to come out on Disney Plus.

In just a few short weeks, the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be part of our world. Ariel has been swimming around for more than a century, ever since Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote the fairy tale in 1837, but the 1989 animated film is by far the most iconic and beloved iteration of the story. So it’s no surprise that Disney would once more wish to go under the sea for this highly anticipated remake. Before diving in, here’s everything we know about The Little Mermaid — every last gadget, gizmo, whozit, whatzit, and thingamabob.

The Little Mermaid cast

Halle Bailey, an actress and singer who was previously best known for her musical career as one half of Chloe x Halle along with her sister, Chloe Bailey, plays the titular little mermaid. Her casting was announced in July of 2019, and there was, sadly but seemingly inevitably, racist backlash to the news. Jonah Hauer-King, an English actor known for his role in A Dog’s Way Home, plays Ariel’s love interest Prince Eric, though the role almost went to another singer-turned-actor, Harry Styles. Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula, the half-octopus sea witch who tricks Ariel into giving up her voice, and Javier Bardem plays Ariel’s father King Triton.

Ariel’s animal friends have big-name actors behind them, too. Room and Luca star Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder, while comedian and The Farewell star Awkwafina voices Scuttle, Ariel’s bird friend. (In the ‘89 animated film, Scuttle was a seagull, but here she’s some sort of ocean diving bird instead.) Hamilton star Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian, King Triton’s right-hand-crab.

Art Malik plays Grimsby, Prince Eric’s butler, and Noma Dumezweni plays Queen Selina, a new character exclusive to the live-action film. Ariel’s sisters have all been renamed, as well. There’s Lorena Andrea as Perla; Simone Ashley as Indira; Kajsa Mohammar as Karina; Nathalie Sorrell as Caspia; Karolina Conchet as Mala; and Sienna King as Tamika. Jessica Alexander, Russell Balogh, Emily Coates, John Dagleish, and Adrian Christopher also appear in as-yet-undisclosed roles.

What’s the Story?

The plot of The Little Mermaid should be pretty familiar to anybody who grew up in the ‘90s or later (or who had children they showed The Little Mermaid to.) It’s basically the same as the ‘89 film, which itself is only loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale — which has a much darker ending than the movie.

Here’s the official synopsis, per Disney:

“The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. 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. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She 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 intriguing is that despite having the same basic plot as the ‘89 movie, the ‘23 Little Mermaid is a full hour longer than the animated original. The animated Little Mermaid is a tight 83 minutes long, while the live-action is two hours and 15 minutes. Exactly what will happen in that extra hour has yet to be revealed, though chances are the new characters and an expanded role for Ariel’s sisters will pad out the runtime.

When is The Little Mermaid coming out on Disney Plus?

The Little Mermaid Disney Plus release date is anticipated for August 30, 2023.

Though it has yet to be officially confirmed, most major movie releases become available to stream on Disney Plus following a minimum 90-day period and normally on a Wednesday. This makes August 30 the most likely date for The Little Mermaid live-action Disney Plus release.

There are exceptions to this 90-day pattern, however. For example, Avatar: The Way of Water took much longer than 90 days to move from an exclusive theatrical release to becoming streamable on Disney Plus. With that said, some movies have launched on Disney Plus on the same day that the theatrical release became available, like Black Widow.

The Little Mermaid isn’t expected to buck the trend, as Disney hasn’t announced any special plans for this movie. Therefore, a 90-day wait is expected before Disney Plus subscribers will be able to stream the movie at home.

Is The Little Mermaid on Disney Plus?

Yes, The Little Mermaid is on Disney Plus. At the time of writing, however, only the animated version is available. The live-action remake is expected to release in August.

How to watch The Little Mermaid on Disney Plus

To watch The Little Mermaid on Disney Plus, simply do the following:

1. Head to the Disney Plus website or boot up the Disney Plus app.
2. Sign into your account.
3. Use the “Search” function and start typing “The Little Mermaid.”
4. The Little Mermaid will appear in the results.
5. Click the movie and it will start to play.

For now, this only works with the animated version of The Little Mermaid. The live-action movie is expected to come to the service later this year.

The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26, 2023