Auliʻi Cravalho stars as Princess Ariel, alongside Queen Latifah, Shaggy, John Stamos, Amber Riley and Graham Phillips.

aired on ABC on November 5, 2019, as part of The Wonderful World of Disney brand, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 9.01 million viewers, making it the highest-rated made-for-TV musical on any network since Grease Live!

The two-hour special, produced by Done and Dusted and set to air on October 3, 2017, would intertwine the film with live musical performances via cutting-edge technology.

The Hollywood Bowl's production of The Little Mermaid Live-to-Film featured Lea Michele (as Ariel), Harvey Fierstein (as Ursula), Cheech Marin (as Chef Louis), Joshua Turchin (as Flounder), Peter Gallagher (as King Triton), Leo Gallo (as Prince Eric), Ken Page (as Sebastian) and composer Alan Menken.

[1] The following month, John Stamos was announced as reprising his role of Chef Louis from the Hollywood Bowl production and Graham Phillips joining the cast as Prince Eric.

[8] In August 2019, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke stated that in addition to marking the film's anniversary, the special would also be used as a pre-launch promotional push for the new streaming service Disney+, which would launch the following week.

[13] The special was the highest-rated made-for-TV musical on any network since Grease: Live in January 2016, and was the top-rated entertainment telecast since the series finale of The Big Bang Theory in May 2019.

[19] Kelly Lawler of USA Today also gave a negative review, saying the special was "a solid, full-throated effort by the actors and chorus members, but a spectacular failure of a live TV event that couldn't get past its own awkwardness.

[21] Noel Murray of The New York Times also gave the special a mixed review, essentially stating that while it worked in concept, and the performers did an admirable job, the execution was muddled.

[22] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly gave the special a "D" grade, stating it "felt like watching [the original film] with regular interruptions for commercials and karaoke.