Top 10 Best On-Screen Mermaids


A mermaid is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including the Near East, Europe, Africa and Asia. The first stories appeared in ancient Assyria, in which the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her human lover. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks and drownings. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same tradition), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.
10. Mermaids, 1990
Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax (Winona Ryder) is tired of her wacky mom (Cher) moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper (Bob Hoskins), Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.
9. Ponyo, 2008
During a forbidden excursion to the surface world, a goldfish princess (Yuria Nara) becomes more and more human after befriending a village boy.
8. H2O: Just Add Water, Australian Television Programme
Teenagers always feel different, but these three Australian girls really are different; they're mermaids! Trying to keep their special powers a secret is hard for Emma, Rikki and Cleo. When they're not in school they're using their magical powers to save sea turtles and rescue those in need. Local bully Zane and popular snob Miriam don't make it easy on the girls to keep their adventures hidden.
7. The Thirteenth Year, 1999
As a boy (Chez Starbuck) approaches adolescence he grows scales and fins, communicates with fish and breathes underwater.
6. Hook, 1991
When his young children are abducted by his old nemesis, Capt. Hook (Dustin Hoffman), middle-aged lawyer Peter Banning (Robin Williams) returns to his magical origins as Peter Pan. Peter must revisit a foggy past in which he abandoned Neverland for family life, leaving Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) and the Lost Boys to fend for themselves. Given their bitterness toward Peter for growing up -- and their allegiance to their new leader, Rufio -- the old gang may not be happy to see him.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 2011
The checkered past of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) catches up to him when he encounters Angelica (Penélope Cruz), a beautiful pirate that Jack once loved then left. Angelica forces him to accompany her to the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the notorious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Accompanied by a zombie crew, the trio sets sail to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. However, Jack's rival, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), also seeks the fountain, as does a ship from Spain.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005
The fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returning for his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). There is an upcoming tournament between the three major schools of magic, with one participant selected from each school by the Goblet of Fire. When Harry's name is drawn, even though he is not eligible and is a fourth player, he must compete in the dangerous contest.
3. Aquamarine, 2006
Two teenage girls (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, Emma Roberts) discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton), is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard (Jake McDorman).
2. Splash, 1984
A young boy saved from drowning by a beautiful mermaid, falls in love with her 20 years later when she returns to seek him out. Before he can choose between life on dry land or a deep sea paradise with his dream woman, the lovers are rudely interrupted by the intervention of a scheming scientist.
1. The Little Mermaid, 1989
In Disney's beguiling animated romp, rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel (Jodi Benson) is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula (Pat Carroll) to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter.