The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure (stylized The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure) is a dark ride attraction based on the 1989 Disney animated film "The Little Mermaid", located in Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure and in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, where it is titled Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid (stylized Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid). The ride opened on June 3, 2011 at Disney California Adventure, and on December 6, 2012 at Magic Kingdom. In the early-to-mid-1990s, Walt Disney Imagineering
The Little Mermaid (1989 film) in the films. 1988's "Oliver & Company" had served as a test of sorts to the success of the musical format before Disney committed to the Broadway-style structure of "The Little Mermaid". In January 1990, "The Little Mermaid" earned three Academy Award nominations, making it the first Disney animated film to earn an Academy Award nomination since "The Rescuers" in 1977. The film won two of the awards, for Best Song ("Under the Sea") and Best Score. The film also earned four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture—Comedy or Musical, and won the awards for Best Song ("Under the Sea")