If there is a sub-genre of films that are simultaneously packed with recycled clichés and somehow underappreciated at the same time, it has to be mermaid movies. Many of them exist, and the best of these films show how entertaining, fun and exciting living life under the sea can be.
Below, you’ll find the 22 best mermaid movies ever made ranked from best to worst. Based on the cinematic quality, the use of its medium—live-action or animated, and the way it interprets mermaids or adjacent-style humanoid sea people, these are the ones you need to see and how to watch them right now.
1. The Little Mermaid (1989)
Where to Watch: Disney+
This is the animated Disney film that popularized the mermaid genre and it remains yet to be beaten across the board. Ariel is the mermaid daughter of King Triton and she wishes nothing more than to see the human world and the prince she’s falling for.
Ariel is the strongest mermaid character ever created and she carries a movie that is filled with intriguing characters, visuals that somehow hold up well decades later, and songs like “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World” that you won’t be able to get out of your head. The Little Mermaid is the quintessential mermaid movie.
2. Ponyo (2008)
Where to Watch: Max
Studio Ghibli is unmatched in 2D animation and that is on full display with Ponyo, one of the more underrated films from the Japanese anime studio. This Japanese take on the classic tale of a fish girl wanting to live with humans is full of glorious sights, wonders, and two lead characters who are unforgettable.
3. Splash (1984)
Where to Watch: Disney+
A few years before Disney would make one of its best-animated films, Tom Hanks starred in a wonderful live-action mermaid story that remains the best of its kind. After being saved by a mermaid as a kid, Hanks returns as an adult looking for the mermaid he loves and wishes to see again.
It balances everything so well, knowing when to make the viewer laugh, emotional, and oozing with conflict and romance.
4. Luca (2021)
Where to Watch: Disney+
Pixar seldom misses with its animated movies, and Luca is no different. The relationship between the two leads, Luca and Alberto, is a powerful and heartwarming tale of brotherly friendship while impressing with its visuals and often emotional plot about a sea monster boy.
5. Song of the Sea (2014)
Where to Watch: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV+
Boasting an animation style that is unlike anything else, this family feature film follows a boy who finds out that his sister is a mermaid-like selkie and goes on a journey to get her voice back. Stunning from start to finish with a moving plot, this is a highly unique mermaid story that must be seen.
6. The Lure (2015)
Where to Watch: Max
This Polish mermaid movie is one of the most underrated entries in the genre that shouldn’t be missed by older fans of mermaids. This darker thriller tells the story of two mermaids who fall for the same man and the horrifying and dark events that follow because of it.
7. Barbie: Mermaidia (2006)
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
As one of the best Barbie animated films ever made, there’s a reason that Mermaidia spawned a whole host of its spin-off movies and sequels. The story of the mermaid Elina and her journey to save a prince from an evil fairy has one of the best looks at the world under the sea in a movie.
8. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Where to Watch: Disney+
Without a doubt, this lesser sequel to the best mermaid movie ever made is not nearly able to live up to its predecessor. This is largely due to a cookie-cutter storyline that copies the original far too much. Even still, new characters like Ariel’s daughter Melody and the songs help this to be an exciting mermaid movie.
9. A Mermaid in Paris (2020)
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV+
This French rom-com takes a generic premise of a man falling in love with a random woman he met and puts a nice mermaid twist on it. There is danger, action, romance, and plenty of laughs in this surprisingly solid take on mermaids that feels somehow fresh in its characters and script.
10. The Little Mermaid (2023)
Where to Watch: Disney+ (Date TBD)
The live-action remake of the classic Disney animated film is rather close to the original material but loses itself in some of the directions it takes. While the special effects aren’t perfect and some of the musical direction for songs like “Kiss the Girl” isn’t the best, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy at least nail their roles as Ariel and Ursula, respectively.
11. The Mermaid (2016)
Where to Watch: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV+
This Chinese take on the classic mermaid storyline is a hilarious and often surprising version of the classic story. Rather than the usual setup, this is an enemies-to-lovers situation where a mermaid girl finds herself falling for a man who threatens her people’s very existence.
12. Aquaman (2018)
Where to Watch: Max
While you may not think of the DC superhero Aquaman as a traditional merman, he fits the bill well as an underwater humanoid person with the powers to control the sea. Jason Momoa is the best fit for this role and he stuns in this otherwise beautiful but stereotypical superhero film.
13. Blue My Mind (2017)
Where to Watch: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV+
This twisted take on a mermaid coming-of-age tale is unlike any other on this list. Far deeper and more serious than other movies, it tells the story of a German girl who discovers that her body is changing unexpectedly, even though she doesn’t want it to.
14. Miranda (1948)
Where to Watch: This movie is not available to stream legally in the US.
This is one of the most mystical and intriguing looks at a mermaid, and it is one of the first, too. This black-and-white film tells the story of a doctor who runs into a mermaid and asks him to show her London. It leads to magical and fascinating moments as her powers pull in the men around her.
15. Aquamarine (2006)
Where to Watch: Disney+
The story of two teenagers who stumble upon a mermaid, played by Sara Paxton, is an intriguing one. The best part is how it navigates the friendship between the two girls and their new mermaid friend, leading to all of the troubles that they go through. It is predictable, but the leading trio of ladies, including JoJo and Emma Roberts, helps it be better overall.
16. Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
Where to Watch: This movie is not available to stream legally in the US.
As one of the earliest attempts to tell the story of a mermaid in cinema, this is a film that largely set the foundation for everything to come after. This fantasy film follows a man and his wife who catch themselves a mermaid while fishing.
17. The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008)
Where to Watch: Disney+
The third film in the Disney line of Ariel mermaid movies is, oddly enough, a prequel and the weakest of the bunch. Taking place before the groundbreaking first movie, it mostly suffers from a plot that has almost no weight to it. Though seeing Ariel’s mother’s death is a nice touch, everything else is largely uninteresting.
18. The Thirteenth Year (1999)
Where to Watch: Disney+
You rarely get to see a mermaid story that is about a merman, but that is exactly what you get here. This is a mostly standard 1990s Disney Channel original movie with the coming-of-age twist about a boy finding his place in a world where he is different.
19. Mermaid Down (2019)
Where to Watch: Peacock
This horror movie is about as trope-breaking as it gets for a mermaid tale. Instead of the usual adorable storyline about a cute mermaid, this is a more realistic and disturbing look at a mermaid who is kidnapped, stripped of her tale, and then sent to a mental home to be further tormented.
20. The Little Mermaid (1976)
Where to Watch: YouTube
This Czech version of the classic fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen is far more faithful than the animated versions that would follow from Disney. This leads to a trippy, dark, messy, and disturbing film without the happy endings you might be used to.
21. Killer Mermaid (2014)
Where to Watch: Peacock
Another of the more horror-style mermaid live-action movies, this one features a couple of women who stumble upon an evil mermaid’s lair and have to survive for their lives. Not as inventive or spooky as some of the other horror mermaid films, it is a bit forgettable.
22. Lu Over the Wall (2017)
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV+
This mermaid tale is about a lonely boy named Kai and the mermaid girl named Lu that he met is about as stereotypical as it gets. To be clear, if you have already exhausted all other animated mermaid movies, it can be fun, but the animation is, sadly, too loose and disjointed to look good.
