Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (アンデルセン童話 にんぎょ姫, Anderusen Dōwa: Ningyo-hime, lit.

Unlike the Disney adaptation released 14 years later, this film is closer to Andersen's story, notably in its preservation of the original and tragic ending.

The two main protagonists are the youngest daughter of the royal family, Marina, and her best friend Fritz, an Atlantic dolphin calf.

[2] Comedy podcast RiffTrax (Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy) recorded and released a riff in 2024.

Princess Marina, who lives in the undersea kingdom with her father, grandmother and five older sisters, plays with her best friend Fritz, a dolphin, before getting caught in a storm conjured by the Sea Witch.

Once home, she is scolded by her sisters for being late, reminding her that their grandmother will not give her the pearl hairpin that signifies adulthood unless she is responsible.

When the foreign princess arrives, the prince's father orders Marina to be arrested for treason.

They tell her that if she stabs the prince through the heart and lets his blood drip onto her feet, she will become a mermaid again.

The prince realizes that Marina was the girl who had saved his life, and he and Fritz grieve her death.

The film was released on Region 1 (USA and Canada) DVD by UAV Corporation under the name "The Little Mermaid: Based on Hans Christian Andersen's Classic Tale.