Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (1975 film)

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid
Japanese theatrical release poster
Directed byTomoharu Katsumata
Written byMieko Osanai
Ikuko Ōyabu
Based on"The Little Mermaid"
by Hans Christian Andersen
Produced byKen Ariga
Yoshio Takami
StarringFumie Kashiyama
Mariko Miyagi
Taro Shigaki
CinematographyShigeyoshi Ikeda
Yoshihiro Yamada
Henning Kristiansen
Edited byYutaka Chikura
Music byTakekuni Hirayoshi
Animation byReyko Okuyama
Production
company
Distributed byToei Company
Release date
  • March 21, 1975 (1975-03-21) (Japan)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

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.'Andersen's Fairy Tales: Princess Mermaid') is a Japanese anime film based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale, released in 1975 by Toei Animation. This film is close 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. In Japan, this film was shown in the Toei Manga Matsuri (Toei Cartoon Festival) in 1975.

The film was later released in the United States, dubbed into English by G. G. Communications, Inc. and Prima Film, Inc., in January of 1979, under the title: Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid (Andersen's name would be correctly spelled in subsequent releases).

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