On a cloudy day at sea, Prince Eric sets sail and listens to the crew aboard his ship as they share superstitions about King Triton, ruler of the merpeople. Meanwhile, in the ocean depths below, Triton and his subjects gather for a concert featuring his daughters and conducted by the court composer, a crab named Sebastian. Everything proceeds smoothly until the king’s youngest daughter, the mermaid Ariel, disrupts the performance by being absent for her solo. Instead, Ariel and her fish friend, Flounder, are gathering souvenirs from a shipwreck. After the two friends narrowly escape from a shark and swim to the ocean surface, Ariel shares her findings with Scuttle the seagull, who identifies each item. Upon learning that one object is a musical instrument, Ariel realizes her blunder and hurries home, unaware that the sea witch Ursula’s pet eels have been watching and following her. By projecting their sight to a magic bubble in the witch’s lair, the eels inform Ursula of Ariel’s fascination with humans. Banished and politically powerless, the witch gleefully views this revelation as an opportunity to reclaim the throne from Triton and instructs her minions to continue spying. Upon her return home, Ariel receives a scolding from both her father and Sebastian that only increases in censure after Flounder unwittingly mentions their excursion. Triton furiously forbids Ariel from having any association with humans, referring to them as “fish-eating barbarians,” but she disagrees and rebels, arguing that she is sixteen years old and no longer a child. Once they are alone, the king commands Sebastian to watch over Ariel, which the crab begins to do as soon as he notices her sneaking out of the palace with Flounder. Sebastian follows the two friends to a large underwater grotto where Ariel has squirreled away her collection of man-made objects. There, the princess expresses her desire not only for independence but also for a life in the human world. Sebastian confronts Ariel, and she implores him not to tell her father about her hideaway before a massive shadow passing overhead draws her attention. Unable to resist her curiosity, Ariel swims to the surface to find Eric’s ship, on which a birthday celebration for the prince is underway. As she moves closer for a better look, the mermaid sees handsome Eric for the first time and becomes besotted. She overhears Grimsby, Eric’s manservant, urging the prince to marry soon, to which Eric replies that he will once he finds the right girl. Suddenly, a hurricane sets in; Eric is thrown overboard and almost drowns before Ariel drags him to safety on the beach. The mermaid sings as she keeps vigil by the prince’s side, leaving him dazed with the memory of her voice when he wakes and she dives back into the ocean. Entirely smitten, Ariel becomes determined to be with Eric, much to the delight of Ursula, whose spies have witnessed everything. Over the following weeks, Ariel’s infatuation manifests itself in her dreamily distracted behavior, rousing her family’s curiosity. After Sebastian tries in vain to discourage such feelings and convince Ariel of the merits of living undersea, Triton probes him for information on who has captured her heart; subsequently, Sebastian blurts the truth about Ariel rescuing a human. The princess is in her secret grotto when her father arrives, incensed, and, at her continued defiance, destroys her entire collection. Thus finding Ariel alone and distraught, Ursula’s minions persuade her to visit the sea witch, who offers a deal: in exchange for her voice, Ariel can become a human for three days, before the end of which Eric must fall in love with her and kiss her to make the transformation permanent. Otherwise, the enchantment will end and the mermaid will belong to Ursula. Ariel accepts the contract, and Ursula places Ariel’s voice in a shell necklace before transforming her into a human. Sebastian and Flounder, having followed the princess to Ursula’s lair, help her swim up to the ocean surface and eventually the shore, where Eric finds her during a walk and assumes that she has survived a shipwreck. The prince recognizes Ariel but quashes his excitement when he learns she cannot speak and therefore cannot be his mysterious rescuer. Feeling sympathy for her nonetheless, Eric brings Ariel back to his palace for care and shelter. Meanwhile, Triton is worriedly scouring the ocean for his daughter, regretting his part in driving her away. The next day, Eric shows Ariel his kingdom, finishing the tour with a rowboat ride during which Sebastian provides romantic music; Eric and Ariel nearly kiss but Ursula’s lackeys intervene by capsizing their boat. Infuriated by how close Ariel came to success, Ursula transforms herself into a beautiful woman and uses the princess’s voice to enchant the prince later that night. The following morning, Eric announces his plan to marry Ursula at sunset, leaving Ariel heartbroken. Later, however, Scuttle the seagull discovers Ursula’s disguise and alerts Ariel, who immediately swims out to the ship on which the wedding is being held, while various sea creatures aid her by disrupting the ceremony. In the ensuing chaos, Ursula’s shell necklace is broken along with the spell upon Eric, and Ariel regains her voice in time for Eric to realize her true identity, but not for them to kiss before sunset. The princess becomes a mermaid once more, and Ursula whisks her away to the ocean where Triton finds her and learns of her deal. Upon proving the contract unbreakable, the witch offers the king an opportunity to take his daughter’s place, which he accepts. Ursula then transforms the king into a polyp and claims both his crown and magic trident. Determined to save Ariel, Eric dives into the water and launches a harpoon at Ursula just as she moves to kill Ariel, angering the witch into magically magnifying herself to a towering size. Using the trident, Ursula summons a storm to create a massive whirlpool in which she traps Ariel. The turbulent waters unearth various shipwrecks, and Eric manages to climb aboard one vessel to steer it towards the witch and drive its pointed bow through her abdomen. Ursula dies, and all under her power, including Triton, become merpeople again. Afterwards, when Triton observes Ariel pining for Eric as she watches him on the beach from afar, the king permanently transforms his daughter into a human. Ariel goes to Eric on shore, and they finally share their first kiss. With Triton’s blessing, they happily marry soon after on a ship at sea before an audience of merpeople, humans, and sea creatures.