Mermaid Movies

[Sea Pearl]

Though it would be fun to try and put together a helpful list of mermaid movies/TV shows that people have seen or heard about. :) Either that is focused about mermaids or where they appear along the way.

So far I've got:

The Little Mermaid (1989)
Splash (1984)
Mermaids (2003. A TV film about three mermaids who are sisters.)
Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Stranger Tides (2011)

[Spindrift]

Film
Year
Notes


Siren of the Sea (or The Mermaid)
1911
Silent film starring Annette Kellerman as the first mermaid in a film.


Neptune's Daughter
1914
Kellerman


A Daughter of the Gods
1916
Kellerman


Queen of the Sea
1918
Kellerman


Venus of the South Seas
1924
Kellerman


Miranda
1948
Starring Glynis Johns


Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid
1948
Starring Ann Blyth


Million Dollar Mermaid
1952
Based on the life of Annette Kellerman.


Mad About Men
1954
Sequel to Miranda


Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä (Pekka and Pätkä as Frogmen)
1954
In this Finnish Pekka Puupää comedy film, the heroes rescue a foundered mermaid and carry her to Pekka's apartment. They set her on the bathtub. Pekka's wife Justiina initially sees only her fish-tail and is initially surprised of "a big fish the menfolks have caught" and gets a knife to prepare her as a dinner, but she faints as she sees her upper body.


The Mermaids of Tiburon
1962
Starring Diane Webber, George Rowe, and Timothy Carey


Beach Blanket Bingo
1965
Starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, and includes a sub-plot of the character Bonehead (Jody McCrea) falling for a mermaid portrayed by Lost in Space's Marta Kristen.


Head
1968
Starring The Monkees, briefly featured two mermaids in the opening "Porpoise Song" sequence, surrounded by psychedelic effects.


Local Hero
1984
Marine researcher Marina (Jenny Seagrove) is suspected by her love interest of being a mermaid.


Splash
1984
Starring Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks, Hannah played a mermaid who fell in love with a man. She could walk on dry land in human form, but her legs changed into a fish tail whenever she got wet. Much of the movie revolves around her humorous attempts to conceal her true identity from her lover. A made-for-television sequel, Splash, Too[3] followed in 1988, starring Amy Yasbeck and Todd Waring.


Talk Dirty To Me Part III
1984
The third and fourth films in the adult film series Talk Dirty To Me feature mermaids who come ashore to find men. Just like in Splash, the mermaids can walk on dry land, and their legs become fish tails in water. The mermaid in 1984's Talk Dirty To Me Part III was played by then-16-year-old Traci Lords. When Lords' age became public knowledge in 1986, all of her films, including TDTM Part III, were pulled from the American market to avoid prosecution for distribution of child pornography. Lords' scenes were deleted from the film and were replaced with footage featuring Lisa DeLeeuw in the mermaid role. The edited version is called The New Talk Dirty To Me Part III and is the only version of the movie currently available. In the fourth film,Taija Rae played a mermaid from the same tribe as those in TDTM Part III, though her costume design was very different from those of the previous film. In TDTM Part III, the mermaid costumes were skintight, waist-high body stockings ending in fish tails. Rae's mermaid costume in TDTM Part IV was a bulky, chest-high construct that appeared to be fashioned from leaves, plastic daisies, and foam rubber scales.


The Little Mermaid
1989
Produced by Walt Disney Studios, portrays a variant of the story by Hans Christian Andersen about the mermaid that wished for legs. This film was followed by a prequel TV series, a direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea featuring the title character's daughter and a DTV prequel movie in 2008.


Hook
1991
Produced by Amblin Entertainment, three mermaids appear when Peter Pan Robin Williams is dropped into the ocean in Neverland.


The Secret of Roan Inish
1994
Incorporates mysticism into the selkies and their fae children.


Mermaid Got Married
1994
Hong Kong romantic-comedy (based on Splash) tells the story of a school teacher who falls in love with a mermaid who'd rescued him as a young boy. The film stars Asian cinema idolsEkin Cheng, Christy Chung, and Takeshi Kaneshiro.


Magic Island
1995
Lily, a young mermaid, befriends a group of buccaneers and joins them on their quest for Blackbeard's treasure.


Sabrina Down Under
1999
Sabrina Melissa Joan Hart travels to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with her best friend Gwen, a fellow witch from England, for a week-long vacation where they try to help protect a hidden mermaid colony whose habitat is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist, Dr. Julian Martin, determined to find the colony as his claim to fame. While Sabrina finds romance with Barnaby, a "merman" from the mermaid colony, Salem the cat finds a possible romance with another witch-turned-into-a-cat, named Hilary, but finds Sabrina's problems interfering with his plans.


She Creature
2001
Circa 1900, a carnival barker named Angus discovers a mermaid held captive in a tank by a disturbed old man. Angus steals the mermaid and loads her on a ship headed for America. When the mermaid is discovered, Angus's lover Lily begins to suspect that the mermaid is more dangerous than she first seemed.


Mermaids
2003
Erika Heynatz, Nikita Ager, and Sarah Laine are a trio of mermaids who solve their father's murder.


Mermaid in the Manhole
?
A Tokyo-based shocked film centered around a decaying mermaid found living in the Tokyo sewer system. This is a very gruesome film in that it focuses on the mermaid's decay and subsequent death from exposure to toxic environment of the sewer


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2005
Mermaids appear briefly at the end of the story.


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
Merpeople appear briefly during the second task.


Fairytopia
?
In this Barbie doll direct-to-video movie series, a sub-series called "Mermaidia" features a fairy that becomes a mermaid.


Aquamarine
2006
The title character is a mermaid (Sara Paxton) who is washed ashore after a violent storm. She decides to search for true love on land, and makes two good friends (Joanna "Jojo" Levesqueand Emma Roberts) along the way.


Legend of Sudsakorn
2006
The title character is a boy (Charlie Trairat) who is the son of a mermaid who is sent on a magical quest to find his father, a prince.


Peter Pan
2003
Mermaids appear in a small segment: the narrator says they "are not like the mermaids in stories" though Wendy is thrilled by them. These mermaids have webbed fingers and markings on their faces. Peter asks them if Captain Hook has kidnapped John and Michael which the mermaids confirm. One of them also tries to drown Wendy.


Sirène song
2005
Short feature by Fanny Jean-Noel. A mermaid is seeking for a job.


Half Fish[4]
?
Features two con artists trying to sell what they claim to be mermaid fetuses, until an actual mermaid shows up.


Empires of the Deep
2013?
This upcoming film is about a human who falls in love with a mermaid in a fantasy world.


Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2011
During his search for the Fountain of Youth, Jack Sparrow encounters several mermaids.



Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids_in_popular_culture#Film)

[WavyMermaidy]

A couple of other movies to add:
-Fishtales (2007) - a pretty cute movie, set in Greece, about a professor's daughter trying to set him up with a mermaid
-Ondine (2010) - a really beautiful Colin Farrell movie about the selkie legends
-Splash Too (1988) - sequel to Splash, critically panned but at least it's another mer movie to add
-The Thirteenth Year (1999) - a great Disney Channel merman movie
-Several other versions of The Little Mermaid. The only other non-Disney one I've seen (which I saw prior to that one) is an anime version from 1979 - http://cbl.orcein.net/thelittlemermaid/othertlm/anime.htm
-Tadpole and the Whale (La Grenouille et la Baleine) - A French-Canadian movie not specifically about mermaids (though it is mentioned) but about a girl with extra special hearing who can seemingly communicate with whales and dolphins

As for TV shows, you've got "H2O: Just Add Water" of course, as well as an upcoming spin-off which I believe is titled "Mako: Island of Secrets".
Also the episode of Charmed, "A Witch's Tail" which is a 2 part episode.
"Ocean Girl" - an Australian series about a girl from another planet...doesn't have a tail but she's otherwise as close to mermaidness as you can get

[Nyx]

Hey guys, I've been actually looking for a movie (or show maybe?)
All I remember is that there was this one merman that was in a pool, and these two guys are trying to get out because the bad guy is trying to get him in the news, and so they replace him with this guys dressed up as a mermaid.
anyone know what I'm talking about by any chance? XD

[WavyMermaidy]

Hey guys, I've been actually looking for a movie (or show maybe?)
All I remember is that there was this one merman that was in a pool, and these two guys are trying to get out because the bad guy is trying to get him in the news, and so they replace him with this guys dressed up as a mermaid.
anyone know what I'm talking about by any chance? XD
Just saw that the other day...it's "Sabrina Down Under" which is on that Wikipedia list of movies :)

[Nyx]

Thank you WavyMermaidy! I've been looking for it like crazy XD

[WavyMermaidy]

No problem...I know how annoying it is to get a scene from something stuck in your head with no idea where it comes from :P

[Merman Dan]

You can watch this one in its entirety on YouTube - Night Tide. (1961, Dennis Hopper)
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0055230/

[SignorinaSirena]

The Glass Bottom Boat with Doris Day has her dressed up like a mermaid, swimming under a boat. She's a performer kinda like in Weeki Wachee or Silver Springs.

Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler had Keri Russell as Teacher Mermaid in it.

There was an ABC Family movie called "Princess" that had a mermaid in it...the princess fixed hurt/sick mythological creatures. Very charming little movie that was on Netflix instant queue not too long ago.

I also remember an episode of "Baywatch" had Cody falling in love with a mermaid or something like that...maybe that wouldn't go in "Mermaid Movies" though >_<

Oh, if it's ok for tv shows, I do seem to recall an episode of my all-time favorite 60s show, "Wild, Wild West" had an episode at the Mermaid Tavern with a mermaid actress who disappeared during the episode. I remember Jim West going back in to prove that he'd been there and said there was a mermaid there, but the mermaid was gone; he HAD been there, but they were trying to make him doubt his own memories for some reason.

There was also an episode "The Gummi Bears" that had a pretty little blonde mermaid in it. She made friends with Sunni, if I recall correctly.

I know there's more, but that's all that's on the top of my head right now.

[Fortuna]

My favorite mermaid movie is Rusalochka or Русалочка from 1976. It's in russia :D

[merboy78xy]

Signorina Sirena--
I just found the Baywatch episode on youtube... it's called "rendezvous"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORnaOtM7oZY

[merboy78xy]

oh, and speaking of mermoments that get stuck in your head but have no idea where they come from...
I remember some tv show where some guy was swimming deep underwater and he had an accident or something. Woke up in an underwater lab, like on a submarine or something, and there was a porthole style window where he saw what looked like mermaids swim by... women breathing underwater in the dark. it turned out (f I remember correctly) that this scientist had managed to attach gills to the main arteries that ran down the body (on their lower back) and so they could breathe underwater but had no fish tails... so sorta franken-mermaids

[Toxotes]

That mermoment you think of is from the first season of the TV show "Seaquest DSV", I think.
The episode should be #20 "Abalon".

I almost forgot about this.

[deepblue]

Splash, too.... ugh. What a huge disappoint that was. I also think I'm the only person alive who finds Ondine incredibly boring. I'm really love most things Irish, so I tried to watch several times, and it just didn't do a thing for me.

Oh, and another tv episode. Man from Atlantis, an episode called The Siren. Two men capture and hold a young siren girl, and by threatening her little pet sea sponge (seems to be no ordinary sponge), they force her to use her song to disable people in order for the men to steal and generally get up to no good. Mark Harris must free the girl while dealing with the two men.

[Merman_Shawn]

There's also the Dyesebel series of movies and tv shows from the Philippines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpPwp2BhJA

[Lyna]

that is quite a thorough and well designed list. thanks spindrift!

[merboy78xy]

Yeah ROCK ON! :)
And Toxotes, thanks for the finding! I'm excited to watch it again!
I'm still gonna have to wrack my brain for others. I DO remember as a kid watching some sorta "merlin" medieval movie where a boy goes back in time with wizards and there was a mermaid on a rock by a river if I remember correctly. Don't remember much else about it

[WavyMermaidy]

I DO remember as a kid watching some sorta "merlin" medieval movie where a boy goes back in time with wizards and there was a mermaid on a rock by a river if I remember correctly. Don't remember much else about it

Might you be talking about "A Kid in King Arthur's Court"?? I haven't actually seen the movie, so I'm not sure if there is a mermaid in it, but I know the general plot and it sounded like possibly the movie you are thinking of.

[merboy78xy]

hmmm maybe... how old is it. this woulda been made in the late 80's? I thought it had to do with a sword for some reason... maybe the title had to do with wizards? I'll do some sleuthing!

[WavyMermaidy]

According to IMDB this was '95...it does have Merlin in the cast, and since you mentioned that character it's what came to mind. Let us know if you figure it out :)

[merboy78xy]

I'll try to find it... no luck so far. it's killing me cause it's on the tip of my toungue.
But another one that has a mermaid in it is the "little mermaid" scenes in the Hallmark movie about the life of Christian Anderson called: My Life as a Fairy Tale"
I love the makeup job on the mermaid... she's so pale and shimmery... these clips don't do her justice:
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[merboy78xy]

So, I've still be searching for the movie I remember, but I can't seem to find it! I looked up "a Kid in King Arthur's Court". That wasn't it. Nor was it what MY mind was telling me: "the Sword and the Sorcerer."
Now it's going to drive me BONKERS till I remember what it was!!!!!
I'll have to ask my parents if THEY remember.

[WavyMermaidy]

Try looking up characters on IMDB (i.e. "Merlin" or "King Arthur") and then go to that character's page and see if any of the movies ring a bell.

[merboy78xy]

I'll give it a go... what frustrates me is that I SWEAR it's from the 80's, but I went through a list of all the movies made in the 80s and I didn't recognize it from all the titles :(

[Talia]

I would recommend "Dagon", with some warnings first:
1- it does not have mermaids per se on it, but it involves mer-people.
2- it is a horror movie, with some scary and gory scenes.
3- it is an adaptation from a story by H.P. Lovecraft ('Shadow Over Innsmouth').
4- Definitely NOT for children.

Here is a link to a reference in Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Dagon-Ezra-Godden/dp/B000067J0M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344809839&sr=8-1&keywords=dagon

[Mermaid Annariea]

my boyfriend said he woke up to a movie once on tv, and he didnt tell me much about it except that (from what i can remember): a bunch of guys captured a mermaid queen, but on the full moon, shed turn into this terrifying monster and kill the men. apparently, she ended up killing all the guys and somehow impregnating the woman of the group.
it sounds really weird. but im curious as to what its called.
sorry that my description is awful, he told me a while ago and i didnt remember the details :/

[merboy78xy]

not at all... that's exactly the plot of that movie... it's SHE CREATURE... one of my favs. A great horror flick. The end is a little hokey... but it's part of a monster series that came out awhile back. Fun stuff!

[SilverSiren]

Found a sweet 20min short movie for you guys!


http://vimeo.com/5589148

And here is the link for more info on the producer and movie short. http://www.noelkearns.com/films/the-enchanted-island/

[Mermaid Annariea]

not at all... that's exactly the plot of that movie... it's SHE CREATURE... one of my favs. A great horror flick. The end is a little hokey... but it's part of a monster series that came out awhile back. Fun stuff!

thanks!! haha im glad i got it right xD the plot, i mean.

[callum]

For anyone who want I just found a link to Sabrina Down Under which i Love because the merfolk in this movie are beautiful! http://www.1channel.ch/watch-351158-Sabrina-Down-Under

[Aquatarian]

For anyone who want I just found a link to Sabrina Down Under which i Love because the merfolk in this movie are beautiful! http://www.1channel.ch/watch-351158-Sabrina-Down-Under

Cool! Thanks! I think it's also somewhere on youtube but it's all broken into parts. :/ Thanks for a full view tho! I love the tails they made. They are very creative. :)

[Atlantis]

one more TV mer episode: Xena season 6 'married with fishsticks" where Gabriel turns into a mermaid

[lynsea]

SilverSiren YOU ARE AMAZING! I have been looking for that film FOREVER. The only pictures on the internet are really small stills of the tail.

To add another, that short film that Hannah Fraser was in: Heart's Atlantis. I don't think there is a digital copy out there though.

[Mermaid Momo]

i think there's some japanese or chinese movie called mermaid got married or something like that

[SilverSiren]

SilverSiren YOU ARE AMAZING! I have been looking for that film FOREVER. The only pictures on the internet are really small stills of the tail.



I'm glad I could help :)

[Sammi Ray]

just watched mermaid in manhole........................................... .............................. what the hell LOLOLOL. The bit where he is hacker her to peices i couldn't stop laughing with the cartoon sound effects... don't think i'd bother again though

[SeaGlass Siren]

Disney's the little mermaid on broadway? it's only on youtube.

[LittlePolly]

How about the Little mermaid 2? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/33/The_Little_Mermaid_2_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Little_Mermaid_2_Poster.jpg

[meremily]

Hey guys, I've been actually looking for a movie (or show maybe?)
All I remember is that there was this one merman that was in a pool, and these two guys are trying to get out because the bad guy is trying to get him in the news, and so they replace him with this guys dressed up as a mermaid.
anyone know what I'm talking about by any chance? XD


its sabrina down under, a tv movie. its this part actually
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=pm2BNhe_7As&NR=1

[SeaGlass Siren]

How about the Little mermaid 2? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/33/The_Little_Mermaid_2_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Little_Mermaid_2_Poster.jpgHow about the little mermaid 3: Ariel's beginnings? I thought it was really cute but it made me cry :(

Jump in the line shake your body now rampanpamparampamparam! Shakeshakeshake señora shake it all the time!!

[Ariel-Starfish]

How about the little mermaid 3: Ariel's beginnings? I thought it was really cute but it made me cry :(

Jump in the line shake your body now rampanpamparampamparam! Shakeshakeshake señora shake it all the time!!

These moties ademen cry like à baby xD

[Echidna]

I would recommend "Dagon", with some warnings first:
1- it does not have mermaids per se on it, but it involves mer-people.
2- it is a horror movie, with some scary and gory scenes.
3- it is an adaptation from a story by H.P. Lovecraft ('Shadow Over Innsmouth').
4- Definitely NOT for children.


^^Dagon is awesome.
As good, maybe even better, than She Creature.
Mind the warnings, however. It's quite shocking :p

Already mentioned; the Russian version of Andersen's little mermaid, Rusalochka, is a charming fairy tale and was (I think) the first adaptation of the story that featured actresses swimming underwater with tails on.
I remember I was mezmerized as a child by that fact alone, since all other films were just normal dudes and gals wearing long dresses and walking around in "make-believe" underwater settings that didn't look one bit like underwater lol.

However, when I re-watched Rusalochka a few weeks ago, I was a bit disappointed because the underwater scene, however charming, was so short, you never see her tail fully afterward, and when the actresses are filmed from below, you can see the tails are flimsy fabric and have 2 flippers inside :p
...ye, I've become picky.

[Echidna]

Just remembered:
"Man from Atlantis", a series consisting of 4 full-length movies, and over ten episodes of around an hour.

Old show, but the inspiration for similar later shows I'm sure- Ocean Girl comes to mind!

[maryjane91383]

Hey guys, I've been actually looking for a movie (or show maybe?)
All I remember is that there was this one merman that was in a pool, and these two guys are trying to get out because the bad guy is trying to get him in the news, and so they replace him with this guys dressed up as a mermaid.
anyone know what I'm talking about by any chance? XD






the name of the tv show that you are talking about is called sabrina down under

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Its on youtube too. I watched it sometime last month!

[BriannaPixieDee]

Mad About Men is a Miranda Sequel. :3

[deepblue]

Just remembered:
"Man from Atlantis", a series consisting of 4 full-length movies, and over ten episodes of around an hour.

Old show, but the inspiration for similar later shows I'm sure- Ocean Girl comes to mind!

Love Man from Atlantis. I have the DVDs of the movies and tv series. Had such a crush on that man.

They really didn't do much with the potential, and the show got downright silly at times, but I love it.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Surplus Princess - Korean Ariel tv series.

Pinoy tv series, at least I think its Pinoy, it could be Thai for all I know...
Season one - kreep nee hua jai mee tur - English is, This Love Heart with Rays.
Season two - can't remember what its called, but it involves her little sister coming onto land to be a real girl and another little girl finds her and adopts her. They go to school together. I watched it with no English subs... Her sister has the bright pink neon tail by latexman.

[MermaidBrandie]

No one posted "nymph" 2013. I watched it last night, it's another horror mermaid film. A little slow to start, but the mermaid is fantastic. :)


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Killer Mermaid. Its on youtube. Pretty terrible plot and cgi tail.

Watch it if you dare...

[Sherielle]

I loved the Man from Atlantis when I was a kid. We would swim like him in the pool. I guess it made it easier for me to swim with a monofin later, lol

[MermaidBrandie]

Does it also go by The title Killer Mermaid? Haha yea the tail is CGI and the plot is awful.


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[Mermaid Sabie]

I just found this youtube channel and it's movies they made of classic fairytales. I loved their Little Mermaid watched it twice since last night! Its eng subs tho and not very good ones at that, but I mean it's the Little Mermaid, you can get the drift ;)
The other thing thats a bit annoying is that its broken up into 3 parts, 1 on youtube and the other 2 on their blog
but seriously I loved it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SI36gNkTg

This is the channel name if you want the other fairytales :)
Arsal dm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWbOq2Mu26ZkXkTIsEC5u9g)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWbOq2Mu26ZkXkTIsEC5u9g

[Mermaid Kelda]

Very pretty! I loved the costumes and the general aesthetic :)

Seeing it just renewed my frustration with the fairytale, though. I've always hated how she just accepts that he doesn't know the whole story. Why isn't she just like NO JESUS FUCK LOOK I'LL DRAW YOU A PICTURE. Though she's also shallow and jealous and stupid and the princess is better for him, and even though it does have a "happy" ending, it's still irritating as hell.

I did like the sea witch a lot! Nice that they didn't portray her as evil like Disney (though even Ursula was hard not to like better than Ariel imo).

[Mermaid Sabie]

I know right! I would be like dude I'm not dying because you somehow got confused!
I loved the costumes and that they actually swim in them. Very pretty


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[ethesea]

There was an Italian mermaid movie supposed to be out several years ago. It had an enormous budget. They went out of their way to make some really stunning underwater scenes. It was a period move similar to The Little Mermaid. The Italian actress playing the lead (mermaid) was quite talented in the water. They had a few flash previews and stock pics, but the movie disappeared from the media. For the life of me I can't remember its name, the actress, or the director.

[azaiya]

I just found this youtube channel and it's movies they made of classic fairytales...

Aww, looks like the channel's been taken down for copyright stuff.

Kelda, I have a lot of frustrations with the little mermaid too! Ugh. I wish there a better iconic fairytale for mermaids. Maybe there is a cool version of it out there somewhere? So despite all this, I'm always curious to see if someone can remix the various elements of the story into one that is more agreeable to me.

ethesea, that italian movie sounds interesting! If I knew Italian I'd do some searching. Maybe it has an IMDB page?

There was also some big Chinese mermaid movie that was supposed to come out that had some really exotic designs for all the merpeoples, but I don't think it ever did. Stuck in production limbo. I'll try and find some images of it!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

There was also some big Chinese mermaid movie that was supposed to come out that had some really exotic designs for all the merpeoples, but I don't think it ever did. Stuck in production limbo. I'll try and find some images of it!
That was Empire of the Sea, the rich guy that funded it lost interest and the movie got cancelled.