The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (also known as The Little Mermaid III) is a 2008 American animated direct-to-video fantasy film produced by DisneyToon Studios, and a prequel to Disney's 1989 animated film "The Little Mermaid". Directed by Peggy Holmes, the film's story is set before the events of the original film and acts as a pilot to the television series, "The Little Mermaid: The Series", when Ariel is still young, and where all music has been banned from the underwater kingdom of Atlantica by King Triton, and Ariel attempts to challenge this law. Jodi Benson
The Little Mermaid (1989 film) 2013, due to the under-performances of other Disney 3D re-releases. The 3D version was released on Blu-ray instead, but it did play a limited engagement at the El Capitan Theatre from September to October 2013. On September 20, 2013, "The Little Mermaid" began playing in select theaters where audiences could bring iPads and use an app called Second Screen Live. The film was also screened out of competition at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. In a then atypical and controversial move for a new Disney animated film, "The Little Mermaid" was released as part of the Walt Disney Classics line