Movie Smarts

The Little Mermaid Quiz: See What Floats Back

A few easy wins, a few head-scratchers, and an explanation after every answer.

Published 2026-10-24 Updated 2026-10-24 15 questions

The Little Mermaid (1989). Watch the trailer.

The Little Mermaid: Someone Is Ready to Make Waves

A young dreamer feels certain that life somewhere else would be more exciting than life at home. A chance at that adventure comes with a bargain she has not thought through nearly enough. Soon, her friends are scrambling to help while a powerful enemy waits for the plan to go wrong. The songs are sunny, the choices are risky, and parental advice has never been less popular.

You know the big tunes. Time to fish out the smaller details.

1. What is the young mermaid's name?
- Attina
- Ariel
- Andrina
- Aquata
Ariel is the youngest of the sea king's seven daughters; Attina, Andrina and Aquata are three of her sisters, introduced in a concert she forgets to attend. Her hair was made red partly so she would not look like Daryl Hannah's blonde mermaid in Splash.
2. What is Ariel's father called?
- King Poseidon
- King Nereus
- King Triton
- King Neptune
Triton rules the undersea kingdom and is voiced by Kenneth Mars, the one-armed Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein. In Greek myth Triton is Poseidon's son, so Disney handed the throne to the junior sea god; Neptune is simply Poseidon's Roman name.
3. What is the prince's name?
- Eric
- Florian
- Adam
- Phillip
Ariel pulls Eric from a burning ship in a storm, and he spends the film searching for the girl whose voice he heard on the beach. Unusually for a Disney prince, he finishes the villain himself, driving a wrecked ship's bowsprit through the sea witch.
4. Who is the sea witch?
- Yzma
- Ursula
- Morgana
- Maleficent
Ursula is a sea witch who, as she grumbles, was banished from Triton's palace, and the trident is what she is really after. Morgana is her sister in the direct-to-video sequel, while Maleficent and Yzma belong to Sleeping Beauty and The Emperor's New Groove.
5. What is Ariel's fish friend called?
- Guppy
- Flounder
- Marlin
- Bubbles
Flounder is a small yellow and blue tropical fish rather than an actual flounder, and he objects when Ariel calls him a guppy. Marlin and Bubbles swim in a different studio's ocean: both are from Pixar's Finding Nemo.
6. What kind of animal is Sebastian?
- A clam
- A crab
- A lobster
- A shrimp
Sebastian is a red crab, King Triton's court composer, saddled with keeping an eye on Ariel. Samuel E. Wright, who voices him, later originated Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway, and the crab very nearly ends up in a pot in Eric's kitchen.
7. What kind of bird is Scuttle?
- A puffin
- An albatross
- A seagull
- A pelican
Scuttle is a seagull voiced by the comedian Buddy Hackett, and his garbled lectures on human objects are Ariel's only briefing on life on land. He later spots Ursula's reflection in the bride's mirror and raises the alarm that wrecks the wedding.
8. What does Scuttle call a fork?
- A whirlywhisk
- A snarfblat
- A dinglehopper
- A thingamabob
Scuttle says a dinglehopper is for twirling through one's hair, which is why Ariel combs hers with a fork at dinner in Eric's castle. The snarfblat is his name for the pipe, and thingamabobs are among the treasures Ariel sings about in her grotto.
9. What does Ariel give Ursula in exchange for becoming human?
- Her memories
- Her necklace
- Her hair
- Her voice
Ursula takes Ariel's voice and keeps it in the nautilus shell around her neck, arguing in song that men prefer a girl who keeps quiet. The price is gentler than in Andersen's tale, where the sea witch cuts out the mermaid's tongue.
10. How long does Ariel have to receive the kiss required by Ursula's deal?
- Until midnight that night
- Three days
- One week
- One month
Ariel has until sunset on the third day to get a kiss of true love; otherwise she turns back into a mermaid and belongs to Ursula. Flotsam and Jetsam tip over the rowboat on day two, and on day three Ursula herself turns up disguised as a bride called Vanessa.
11. Which song describes Ariel's wish to explore the human world?
- Poor Unfortunate Souls
- Kiss the Girl
- Under the Sea
- Part of Your World
Ariel sings it in her grotto, surrounded by the human junk she has salvaged from shipwrecks. Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg wanted the song cut after children fidgeted at a test screening, and lyricist Howard Ashman and the directors talked him out of it.
12. Who voices Ariel?
- Judy Kuhn
- Paige O'Hara
- Linda Larkin
- Jodi Benson
Benson was a Broadway performer who had appeared in Smile, a short-lived musical with lyrics by Howard Ashman, which is how she came to audition. Paige O'Hara is Belle, Judy Kuhn is Pocahontas's singing voice and Linda Larkin speaks for Jasmine.
13. Who voices Ursula?
- Bette Midler
- Ellen Greene
- Eartha Kitt
- Pat Carroll
Carroll was not the first choice: Elaine Stritch had the part and was replaced after clashing with lyricist Howard Ashman over how the songs should be sung. Ursula's look owes a good deal to the drag performer Divine.
14. What kind of creatures are Ursula's sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam?
- Sea snakes
- Squid
- Moray eels
- Sharks
Flotsam and Jetsam are moray eels, each with one glowing yellow eye that Ursula uses to spy on the kingdom from her lair. Both are voiced by Paddi Edwards, and both are destroyed when a blast from the stolen trident meant for Ariel hits them instead.
15. Who wrote the fairy tale that inspired the film?
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Charles Perrault
- The Brothers Grimm
- Lewis Carroll
Andersen's tale is far bleaker: the mermaid gives up her tongue, every step feels like walking on knives, and the prince marries someone else. Disney had toyed with the story in Walt's day, and Kay Nielsen's old concept art was dug out for the 1989 film.

All the answers

1. What is the young mermaid's name?

Ariel

Ariel is the youngest of the sea king's seven daughters; Attina, Andrina and Aquata are three of her sisters, introduced in a concert she forgets to attend. Her hair was made red partly so she would not look like Daryl Hannah's blonde mermaid in Splash.
2. What is Ariel's father called?

King Triton

Triton rules the undersea kingdom and is voiced by Kenneth Mars, the one-armed Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein. In Greek myth Triton is Poseidon's son, so Disney handed the throne to the junior sea god; Neptune is simply Poseidon's Roman name.
3. What is the prince's name?

Eric

Ariel pulls Eric from a burning ship in a storm, and he spends the film searching for the girl whose voice he heard on the beach. Unusually for a Disney prince, he finishes the villain himself, driving a wrecked ship's bowsprit through the sea witch.
4. Who is the sea witch?

Ursula

Ursula is a sea witch who, as she grumbles, was banished from Triton's palace, and the trident is what she is really after. Morgana is her sister in the direct-to-video sequel, while Maleficent and Yzma belong to Sleeping Beauty and The Emperor's New Groove.
5. What is Ariel's fish friend called?

Flounder

Flounder is a small yellow and blue tropical fish rather than an actual flounder, and he objects when Ariel calls him a guppy. Marlin and Bubbles swim in a different studio's ocean: both are from Pixar's Finding Nemo.
6. What kind of animal is Sebastian?

A crab

Sebastian is a red crab, King Triton's court composer, saddled with keeping an eye on Ariel. Samuel E. Wright, who voices him, later originated Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway, and the crab very nearly ends up in a pot in Eric's kitchen.
7. What kind of bird is Scuttle?

A seagull

Scuttle is a seagull voiced by the comedian Buddy Hackett, and his garbled lectures on human objects are Ariel's only briefing on life on land. He later spots Ursula's reflection in the bride's mirror and raises the alarm that wrecks the wedding.
8. What does Scuttle call a fork?

A dinglehopper

Scuttle says a dinglehopper is for twirling through one's hair, which is why Ariel combs hers with a fork at dinner in Eric's castle. The snarfblat is his name for the pipe, and thingamabobs are among the treasures Ariel sings about in her grotto.
9. What does Ariel give Ursula in exchange for becoming human?

Her voice

Ursula takes Ariel's voice and keeps it in the nautilus shell around her neck, arguing in song that men prefer a girl who keeps quiet. The price is gentler than in Andersen's tale, where the sea witch cuts out the mermaid's tongue.
10. How long does Ariel have to receive the kiss required by Ursula's deal?

Three days

Ariel has until sunset on the third day to get a kiss of true love; otherwise she turns back into a mermaid and belongs to Ursula. Flotsam and Jetsam tip over the rowboat on day two, and on day three Ursula herself turns up disguised as a bride called Vanessa.
11. Which song describes Ariel's wish to explore the human world?

Part of Your World

Ariel sings it in her grotto, surrounded by the human junk she has salvaged from shipwrecks. Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg wanted the song cut after children fidgeted at a test screening, and lyricist Howard Ashman and the directors talked him out of it.
12. Who voices Ariel?

Jodi Benson

Benson was a Broadway performer who had appeared in Smile, a short-lived musical with lyrics by Howard Ashman, which is how she came to audition. Paige O'Hara is Belle, Judy Kuhn is Pocahontas's singing voice and Linda Larkin speaks for Jasmine.
13. Who voices Ursula?

Pat Carroll

Carroll was not the first choice: Elaine Stritch had the part and was replaced after clashing with lyricist Howard Ashman over how the songs should be sung. Ursula's look owes a good deal to the drag performer Divine.
14. What kind of creatures are Ursula's sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam?

Moray eels

Flotsam and Jetsam are moray eels, each with one glowing yellow eye that Ursula uses to spy on the kingdom from her lair. Both are voiced by Paddi Edwards, and both are destroyed when a blast from the stolen trident meant for Ariel hits them instead.
15. Who wrote the fairy tale that inspired the film?

Hans Christian Andersen

Andersen's tale is far bleaker: the mermaid gives up her tongue, every step feels like walking on knives, and the prince marries someone else. Disney had toyed with the story in Walt's day, and Kay Nielsen's old concept art was dug out for the 1989 film.