The undersea kingdom of King Triton, ruler of the Mer-people, is a glorious place but for his daughter, Ariel, it just isn't enough. The impulsive mermaid longs to go discover all the wonderous things that happen on land and her longing is intensified when she falls in love with a human, Prince Eric, after rescuing him from a shipwreck. However, the only way for her to enter the world the humans is to make a deal with the evil sea-witch, Ursula.