- a summery

The little mermaid lives in a magnificent undersea world. Even so, she deeply wishes to visit the strange and wonderful land of humans above the surface. She is told she must wait until she turns fifteen; meanwhile, her sisters tell her everything they’ve seen up there. When the day finally occurs, she ascends to the surface and beholds a glorious royal ship. On board, a party is being thrown for the young prince. The mermaid is captivated by everything she sees, but especially by the prince. When a sudden storm wrecks the ship she rescues the prince and brings him ashore. This is where some young girls find him; he never manages to see his actual saviour.

The mermaid then discovers the prince’s castle. The more she sees of the human world, the more she wants to become human herself, win the heart of the prince, and secure an immortal soul. In a desperate gamble, she seeks out the horrifying sea witch and makes a bargain: she can walk among humans, but only at the cost of her beautiful voice, and she will never again be able to return to the sea; she must conquer the heart of the prince, or she will die the morning after his wedding.

The determined mermaid sets her new lovely legs on shore and finds the prince, who is immediately stunned by her beauty. But he has arranged to marry the daughter of the neighbouring king; the court is already preparing to leave.

The prince finally meets the princess he is to marry – and she’s the woman of his dreams! The wedding preparations begin; the mermaid realizes her death is near. On the night of the wedding, her sisters emerge from the sea. They’ve cut off their long hair and given it to the sea witch for a knife, the weapon the little mermaid can use to kill the prince. When the prince’s blood falls on her feet, their feet will grow together into one fishtail. The Mermaid hesitates -- and finally hurls the knife into the sea. The morning sun appears on the horizon. As she leaps into the water, she simply dissolves into foam. She has entered the world of the spirits of the air. She is told that if she commits herself to doing good deeds for 300 long years, she can attain the immortal soul that she desires so much.