The Little Mermaid (anime)
The Little Mermaid (aka Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid is an Anime of The Little Mermaid produced by Toei Animation. It was released in 1975 in Japan and was dubbed into English in 1978.
The plot follows Andersen's original story much more closely than the Disney version, keeping the Bittersweet Ending. It also has some elements that Disney would later use, such as an animal companion for the mermaid (here named Fritz the Dolphin) and an antagonistic force seeking to hurt the mermaid on land (Jenny the cat).
This anime contains examples of:
- Acting for Two: The English dub has the same actress portray the Sea Witch and the cat.
- Cats Are Mean: Jenny.
- Godiva Hair: Marina, both underwater and when she first gains her legs.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Fritz.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Upon washing ashore, Marina is dressed in the Prince's clothes, which fit her perfectly.
- Talking Animal: The ones underwater, such as Fritz, and at least one on land, Jenny the cat.