Mermaids have successfully enchanted all types of artists throughout the centuries. From paintings to stories, they’ve managed to stay relevant until today. But despite there being plenty of films featuring a mermaid character, there aren’t too many films where we can see them as the main protagonist.
Given that fact, this list was much more difficult to do than our other ones. After scouring the net for hours, here are the Hollywood 10 of the best mermaid movies we found.
Top 10 Best Mermaid Movies of All Time
Mad About Men (1954)
Mad About Men (1954) is a British mermaid film about a mermaid who is given the chance to live as a human as she pretends to be Caroline, a relative who looks exactly like her. But things take a different turn when she falls in love with a human man.
The film follows the story of the film, Miranda, which also stars Glynis Johns as the mermaid. However, the film’s production house insists that the film is not a sequel to the aforementioned movie.
The Mermaid (2016)
The Mermaid (2016) is a Chinese romantic fantasy movie directed by Stephen Chow.
The film’s story revolves around a businessman who falls in love with a mermaid who was sent to kill him. Sounds like a fun story, huh?
The film was so popular among audiences it earned enough to become the fourth most financially successful film in China.
Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010)
Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010) is the 17th film in the Barbie movie series.
Here we see Barbie play the character of Merliah, a Malibu surfer girl who one day finds that she can breathe underwater. She would eventually learn that this is because her real mother was actually a mermaid who gave Merliah away because she was born with legs instead of a tail.
The Little Mermaid (2018)
This film may have gone undetected in your radar for months. Good thing it’s still in theaters.
Here we see a reporter and a young girl discover a beautiful creature which they believe might be a real mermaid. We won’t spoil you about any more details. So you better head on to the cineplex to watch this film.
The Lure (2015)
Now, time for something a little bit more different.
Here we The Lure (2015) a Polish film which mixes elements of the horror, fantasy, and musical genres to create a unique film that weirdly works on all levels.
The film follows the story of two mermaid sisters who step away from the sea to perform in a nightclub as strippers. After one of them falls in love with a human, she proceeds to give up her voice to keep her legs. Unfortunately, he doesn’t return her feelings. Meanwhile, the other mermaid begins committing a series of murders, thirsting for human blood.
The film is a reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous story, The Little Mermaid, but we dark twists.
Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011)
We know, we know, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011) isn’t really a mermaid film, but hey, it does have one heck of cool mermaid characters.
Here we see a more vicious set of mermaids than we’re used to. We can’t blame them though, the people did hunt them to take mermaid tears. One exception is Syrena, a mermaid with a ‘pure heart’ and even saves the life of one pirate.
Eventually, Syrena and the pirate fall in love despite their differences. Too bad the love story is only a subplot and wasn’t explored as we would have liked.
Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea (2000)
Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea (2000) is the movie sequel of Disney’s popular classic The Little Mermaid.
Here, we follow the story of Ariel’s daughter Melody as she discovers her mother’s past and her family under the sea. In a twist of events, Melody follows in the footsteps of her mother to make a deal to get a mermaid tail and live in the sea. Unfortunately, her trip turns awry when she becomes entangled in a plot to dethrone her grandfather King Triton.
Aquamarine (2006)
Aquamarine’s Aqua is probably the most popular mermaid character of the 21st century.
In the film, we see the blonde and bubbly mermaid wash ashore after a night of intense sea storms. She is found by two human best friends who decide to take her in. The three soon become very good friends as the two help Aqua get used to human life and get the attention of a cute human boy. Unfortunately, Aqua can’t stay on land forever.
At its core, the film is a story of friendship and its importance just with a fantastic twist.
Splash (1984)
In Splash (1984), we follow the love story of a human boy and a mermaid girl, Madison. First meeting as young children, they meet again 20 years later as adults and fall in love with each other.
Thus, the man must make a decision between staying on land and losing Madison or coming back with her to the sea. Unfortunately, their situation is made more complicated when a scheming scientist comes in the scene.
Although a bit cheesy at times, Splash is still a good watch if you like the mermaid myth.
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Making it to the tops spot on our list is Disney’s adaptation of a popular Hans Christian Andersen story.
In The Little Mermaid (1989), we first get to meet Ariel, a princess mermaid who lives in her father’s under the sea kingdom with her sisters. But despite her happy life in the ocean, she longs of knowing a different world– the one above water.
She gets a chance at human life when she strikes a deal with an evil sea witch Ursula who takes her voice in exchange for giving her legs.
What’s your favorite mermaid movie? Did you see it on our best mermaid movies list? Don’t forget to share this article with your friends on social media!
