The 10 Best Episodes Of The Little Mermaid, Ranked (According To IMDb)

The Little Mermaid depicts Ariel’s adventures prior to her meeting and falling for Prince Eric in the 1989 film. Ariel’s great traits of curiosity and bravery are definitely highlighted in her adventures as she interacted with her fellow Atlantians. Along the way, Ariel learned life lessons, particularly regarding friendships, family dynamics, and what’s really important. And, with the upcoming live-action adaptation of the mermaid’s story, there’s no better time to revisit the series.

In it, Ariel learns to follow her dreams, as well as better understand why her father is so adamantly against humans, and to overcome obstacles, especially in the form of villains such as Ursula and the Evil Manta. Several episodes provide many memorable adventures with Ariel alongside her friends, but some installments stand out more than others given the characters they introduced and the experiences Ariel has.

10 “Stormy” (7.4)

When Ariel meets Stormy, she decides that she’ll ride him someday. However, after her father tells her to never go near Stormy again, Ariel disobeys him and rides Stormy anyway, ending up lost in the wilderness and facing seahorse rustlers.

Given that the episode finds Ariel learning an important lesson about why her father sometimes has to tell her no, it’s no wonder it’s so highly rated. Plus, it did have a great ending in the form of Ariel and Triton releasing Stormy together so he could be free.

9 “Thinga-Ma-Jigger” (7.4)

Ariel and Flounder are out and about when they come across a battle between ships, and a boot from a pirate lands on the seafloor. The boot causes a ruckus after a series of circumstances leads everyone to believe that it is a dangerous weapon.

Upon hearing of a new weapon, both the Lobster Mobster and the Evil Manta are thrilled and want the boot for their own plans. Luckily, Ariel ensures that the Evil Manta, who ultimately ended up with the boot, never has a chance to act on his plans. Considering that Eric made a brief appearance, and the important pivotal moment in which Ariel learned that not all humans are bad, this episode certainly stands out.

8 “Beached” (7.4)

Ariel and her older sister Arista get in a fight over a hair comb just as their family is about to leave for the Carnival of Tides. As punishment, King Triton decides to leave his two daughters behind. While the two sisters blame each other for missing out on the carnival, two gators are planning to steal the royal treasure from the palace.

This drives the two sisters to quickly make up and unite in order to protect their home from the robbers; like Kevin in Home Alone, they set up all kinds of traps against the gators. Sibling squabbles are something many audiences can relate to, and seeing Ariel and Arista set aside their differences and work together was a valuable and noteworthy lesson, making this episode an important one.

7 “Ariel’s Treasures” (7.4)

Ariel is thrilled to find another human treasure in the form of an eggbeater, which just so happens to fall off of none other than Prince Eric’s ship. Unfortunately, the terrifying villainess Ursula sees Ariel’s newest treasure as an opportunity to take over Atlantica and be made their queen, especially with King Triton out of town.

The evil sea witch casts a spell on Ariel’s eggbeater to terrorize Atlantica, but Ariel, with her friend Gabriella, quickly put an end to it. Yet, Ursula isn’t finished yet, and when she uses all of Ariel’s treasures against Atlantica, Ariel ends up losing all of her treasures. Despite her loss, the episode’s end finds Ariel realizing that things are just things, and it’s the memories that surround them, and the friends she has, that are what’s really important. Plus, Ursula’s appearance was certainly unforgettable!

6 “Metal Fish” (7.5)

While visiting with her friend Archimedes, who knows a good deal about the human world, Ariel witnesses a human getting into a “metal fish” and going into the sea. Unfortunately for the human, his submarine begins losing air and he’s in danger of drowning.

Desperate to help, Ariel convinces her father to help the human. With help from Sebastian and his crab scouts, they also temporarily patch the hole that is causing the submarine to lose air. As it turns out, the human in the submarine was Hans Christian Andersen, none other than the real-life author of The Little Mermaid. It’s no wonder that the audience loved this meta installment of the series.

5 “Red” (7.6)

While dancing at Ariel’s party, King Triton begins to feel his age. Glowfish decides to use the opportunity to trick Ariel into giving King Triton the youth stone, which turns the king into a young merboy! While Ariel gets a taste of parenthood and tries to keep her young father out of trouble, Glowfish enjoys the royal jewels, and the evil sorceress that helped him awaits the trident so she can be freed.

Ariel and her father each understanding one another better following their role reversal was an important experience not just for them, but also for audiences. Parenthood and childhood are not easy, but it’s easier when they have one another to rely on.

4 “The Evil Manta” (7.7)

While out exploring, Ariel and Flounder come across a trapped creature. Thinking him to be innocent, Ariel frees him, only to find that it’s The Evil Manta himself. The Evil Manta wastes no time in heading to Atlantica to cause destruction in the form of pitting Atlantica’s creatures against one another, which effectively ruins their friendships.

Horrified, Ariel and Flounder do everything they can to repair everyone’s friendships, and reminisce on their own in the process. This episode of The Little Mermaid focuses on a very important life lesson about friendship and encourages audiences to embrace everyone’s differences.

3 “Charmed” (7.7)

Ariel finds herself in a jam after she tries on a human bracelet. The problem is, it won’t come off without the lock; as Ariel has already gotten in trouble with her father for bringing home a human item, she decides she can’t go home until she gets the bracelet off.

Unfortunately, Ariel winds up at the bottom of a whirlpool while trying to remove the bracelet. King Triton hurriedly rescues Ariel and apologizes to her, realizing he’s made her afraid to come to him with her problems, and he promises to listen to her from then on. The episode portrayed how, even if parents don’t always agree with their children, they will be there for them, and home is always there if they need it.

2 “Heroes” (7.7)

When hero Apollo returns home to Atlantica, everyone is thrilled at the upcoming celebrations except for Apollo himself. When Apollo leaves for his next adventure, Ariel and Flounder instantly jump at the chance to go with him.

While on their odyssey, Apollo reveals that he is not the hero everyone believes him to be, as his heroic action was an accident and he didn’t have the courage to tell everyone the truth. The episode was unforgettable in its message that audiences can be heroes even if they are scared, and that heroes come in all forms.

1 “Wish Upon A Starfish” (8.0)

In a storm, Ariel comes across a new treasure that makes her want to be able to dance just like humans do.  Upon returning to the sea, Ariel is sad as she is unable to do what humans can. That is, until she meets her new friend Gabriella, who tells Ariel about a magical starfish that can make any dream come true. Gabriella is deaf, and she has a dream to be able to sing.

Though when Ariel and Gabriella find him they don’t get their wishes, Ariel declares that they don’t need magic, they’ll just have to make their own wishes come true! Ariel’s friendship with Gabriella was noteworthy given they happily accepted one another for who they were, and supported one another’s dreams.

About The Author

Kacie Lillejord
(374 Articles Published)

A Seattle native, Kacie has loved entertainment in the forms of books, films, television and music since day one. Inspired by a filmmaker relative, Kacie has been pursuing a career in the film and television industry in Los Angeles ever since. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Kacie has written for her college newspaper The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, 25YL, and now has added Screen Rant to her resume. She loves writing and all things pop culture.

More From Kacie Lillejord