Make room in the grotto, because this quiz has treasures from animation, live action, and a much darker fairy tale.
These Little Mermaid trivia questions keep Disney's 1989 and 2023 films separate from Hans Christian Andersen's original story.
The 1989 Animated Film
This round puts the 1989 animated film in the spotlight, with enough specific names, places, and turning points to reward fans who paid close attention.
Keep the fun going with Disney trivia after this round.
- What is the animated film's mermaid heroine called?
Answer: Ariel - Who is Ariel's father?
Answer: King Triton - How many daughters does Triton have?
Answer: Seven - Which sea witch bargains with Ariel?
Answer: Ursula - What human prince does Ariel rescue?
Answer: Prince Eric - What is Ariel's fish friend called?
Answer: Flounder - What crab serves as Triton's court composer?
Answer: Sebastian - What seabird gives Ariel incorrect advice about human objects?
Answer: Scuttle - What does Scuttle call a fork?
Answer: A dinglehopper - What does Ariel trade for human legs?
Answer: Her voice - How many days does Ariel have to receive true love's kiss?
Answer: Three - What name does Ursula use in human disguise?
Answer: Vanessa - What creatures are Ursula's eel henchmen?
Answer: Flotsam and Jetsam - What destroys Ursula in the climax?
Answer: Eric rams her with a ship's splintered bow. - What color is Ariel's tail?
Answer: Green
Songs, Voices, and Animation
Now the focus shifts to songs, voices, and animation. Keep the story order straight, because one small detail can separate a confident answer from a near miss.
Keep the fun going with Disney Princess trivia after this round.
- Who composed the music for the 1989 film?
Answer: Alan Menken - Who wrote the song lyrics?
Answer: Howard Ashman - Which song does Sebastian sing about life under the sea?
Answer: “Under the Sea” - Which song explains Ariel's longing for the human world?
Answer: “Part of Your World” - Which song encourages Eric to kiss Ariel?
Answer: “Kiss the Girl” - Which song introduces Ursula's deals?
Answer: “Poor Unfortunate Souls” - Who voices Ariel in the 1989 film?
Answer: Jodi Benson - Who provides Ursula's voice in the 1989 animated film?
Answer: Pat Carroll - Who provides Sebastian's voice in the 1989 animated film?
Answer: Samuel E. Wright - Who voices King Triton?
Answer: Kenneth Mars - Who directs the 1989 film?
Answer: John Musker and Ron Clements - What Academy Award did “Under the Sea” win?
Answer: Best Original Song - What other Oscar did the film win?
Answer: Best Original Score - In what year was the animated film released?
Answer: 1989 - Which studio produced the film?
Answer: Walt Disney Feature Animation
The 2023 Live-Action Film
Take a closer look at the 2023 live-action film here, where character choices and seemingly tiny clues tend to matter more than they first appear.
Keep the fun going with Frozen trivia after this round.
- Who plays Ariel in the 2023 film?
Answer: Halle Bailey - Who plays Prince Eric?
Answer: Jonah Hauer-King - Who plays Ursula in the 2023 live-action film?
Answer: Melissa McCarthy - Who plays King Triton?
Answer: Javier Bardem - Who provides Sebastian's voice in the 2023 live-action film?
Answer: Daveed Diggs - Who voices Flounder?
Answer: Jacob Tremblay - Who voices Scuttle?
Answer: Awkwafina - Who directs the 2023 film?
Answer: Rob Marshall - What new song does Prince Eric sing?
Answer: “Wild Uncharted Waters” - What new song lets Ariel express thoughts while voiceless?
Answer: “For the First Time” - Which song features Scuttle and Sebastian in a rapid comic number?
Answer: “The Scuttlebutt” - What is Eric's adoptive mother called?
Answer: Queen Selina - What object does Ariel use to defeat Ursula in the 2023 climax?
Answer: A ship - Who wrote lyrics for the film's new songs with Alan Menken?
Answer: Lin-Manuel Miranda - What kind of animal is the live-action Scuttle?
Answer: A northern gannet
Andersen’s Fairy Tale and Wider Franchise
The next set explores andersen’s fairy tale and wider franchise without mixing versions or timelines. Pause on the wording, then trust the details you remember.
- Who wrote the original fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”?
Answer: Hans Christian Andersen - In what year was the fairy tale first published?
Answer: 1837 - What does the mermaid seek beyond marrying the prince in Andersen's story?
Answer: An immortal soul - How does walking on human legs feel in the fairy tale?
Answer: Like stepping on sharp knives - What price does the sea witch take in the fairy tale?
Answer: The mermaid's tongue and voice - What must the mermaid do to regain her mermaid form after the prince marries another?
Answer: Kill the prince with a knife and let his blood touch her feet. - Does the mermaid kill the prince?
Answer: No - What happens to the mermaid after she throws herself into the sea?
Answer: She becomes a daughter of the air. - Where is Copenhagen's famous Little Mermaid statue displayed?
Answer: At Langelinie promenade - Who sculpted Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue?
Answer: Edvard Eriksen - What is the title of Disney's 2000 direct-to-video sequel?
Answer: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea - What is Ariel and Eric's daughter called?
Answer: Melody - What is the title of the 2008 prequel?
Answer: The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning - What animated TV series follows Ariel before the 1989 film?
Answer: The Little Mermaid - On what Hans Christian Andersen story is Disney's film based?
Answer: “The Little Mermaid”
More Animated Movie Details
For this round, the spotlight lands on more animated movie details. Expect a friendly mix of recognizable moments and details tucked farther into the story.
- What collection does Ariel keep in her grotto?
Answer: Human objects recovered from shipwrecks - What object does Ariel call her “snarfblatt”?
Answer: Scuttle claims a smoking pipe is a musical snarfblatt. - What job does Sebastian claim when Eric's staff finds him?
Answer: He is mistaken for a crab to be cooked. - Which chef chases Sebastian around the kitchen?
Answer: Chef Louis - What song does Chef Louis sing?
Answer: “Les Poissons” - What destroys Ariel's grotto?
Answer: King Triton blasts it with his trident. - How does Ariel communicate after losing her voice?
Answer: Through gestures and writing attempts - Who discovers that Vanessa is Ursula?
Answer: Scuttle - What breaks Ursula's shell necklace?
Answer: Scuttle and the animals disrupt the wedding, and Max bites Vanessa before the shell breaks. - What returns to Ariel when the shell breaks?
Answer: Her voice - Why does Eric fail to kiss Ariel in the lagoon?
Answer: Flotsam and Jetsam overturn the boat. - What kind of contest opens the film?
Answer: A concert celebrating King Triton - Which daughter misses the concert?
Answer: Ariel - What instrument is Sebastian conducting?
Answer: An orchestra of sea creatures - What does Triton transform Ariel into after the final battle?
Answer: He gives her human legs permanently.
Live-Action Changes and Characters
Next up is live-action changes and characters, with questions designed to test both quick recall and the careful attention of a devoted fan.
- How does Ariel save Eric in the 2023 film?
Answer: She pulls him from a shipwreck and sings on the beach. - What does Ursula secretly add to Ariel's bargain in 2023?
Answer: Ariel will not remember that she must earn Eric's kiss. - What does Ariel receive after signing the 2023 bargain?
Answer: Human legs and the loss of her voice - What object helps Eric identify Ariel incorrectly?
Answer: Vanessa uses Ariel's stolen voice. - What does Ariel teach Eric about during their day together?
Answer: Her knowledge of maps, stars, and the sea - What market activity helps Ariel and Eric grow closer?
Answer: They explore an island market together. - What does Ariel use to tell Eric her name?
Answer: The stars and Sebastian's prompting help him guess it. - Who ultimately kills Ursula in the 2023 film?
Answer: Ariel - How does Ariel defeat Ursula in 2023?
Answer: She steers a wrecked ship into Ursula. - What happens to Triton after Ursula gains the trident?
Answer: He is reduced to a polyp before being restored. - What does Triton give Ariel at the end?
Answer: His blessing to travel with Eric - Why is Eric drawn to the sea?
Answer: He wants to explore cultures beyond his island kingdom. - What role does Queen Selina hold?
Answer: She rules Eric's island kingdom and is his adoptive mother. - What is Ariel collecting when she encounters the shark?
Answer: Objects from a shipwreck - Who sings the reprise of “Part of Your World” after saving Eric?
Answer: Ariel
Sequels, Stage, and Last Treasures
This section dives into sequels, stage, and last treasures. The questions start comfortably, then reach for names and connections that are easier to overlook.
- Who is the villain of The Little Mermaid II?
Answer: Morgana - How is Morgana related to Ursula?
Answer: She is Ursula's sister. - Why do Ariel and Eric hide the sea from Melody?
Answer: Morgana threatens their daughter. - What does Melody long to become?
Answer: A mermaid - Who are Sebastian's comic companions in the sequel?
Answer: Tip and Dash help Melody on her journey. - What kind of animals are Tip and Dash?
Answer: A penguin and a walrus - What does Ariel's Beginning explain?
Answer: Why music was forbidden in Atlantica - Who is Ariel's mother in Ariel's Beginning?
Answer: Queen Athena - What object reminds Triton of Athena?
Answer: A music box - When did Disney's Little Mermaid musical open on Broadway?
Answer: 2008
Sources and Further Reading
- Disney: The Little Mermaid
- Disney: The Little Mermaid (2023)
- Hans Christian Andersen Centre: The Little Mermaid
- Academy Awards: 1990 ceremony
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