The Little Mermaid Inspired Magnets

How many years has it been since you’ve watched THE LITTLE MERMAID? Now is the perfect time to watch it again! The anniversary edition of THE LITTLE MERMAID is available now from the Walt Disney Signature Collection on Digital, Movies Anywhere, 4K Ultra HD, and Blu-ray™! It’s got lots of bonus features that will keep you entertained! To celebrate this 30th anniversary occasion, I’m sharing two DIY magnets inspired by THE LITTLE MERMAID. I got the idea to make these after seeing this Pancake Bunny and Milkshake Kitty craft from Raising Whasins.

The Little Mermaid Anniversary Edition

I love THE LITTLE MERMAID! The music is amazing, and the 1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed with me. The film won Best Original Score and Best Original Song “Under the Sea,” in 1989. THE LITTLE MERMAID, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, is timeless, and it’s wonderful that all generations can enjoy it together.

The film was originally released in theaters on November 15, 1989. It is the 28th film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. THE LITTLE MERMAID is the first in what many described as a new Disney animation renaissance.

When I went to Los Angeles last November for RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, part of my trip included interviewing Mark Henn who is the animator of Ariel as well as several other princesses. That was such an encouraging session to participate in, so be sure to go back and read that post.

THE LITTLE MERMAID was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. It features the voice talents of Jodi Benson as Ariel, Pat Carrol as Ursula, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Christopher Daniel Barnes as Eric, Kenneth Mars as Triton, Buddy Hackett as Scuttle, Jason Marin as Flounder and René Auberjonois as Chef Louis.

ALL-NEW BONUS FEATURES

(may vary by retailer)

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL

• Sing-Along Mode: Sing along to the movie in this sing-along version of the film.
• Alan Menken & the Leading Ladies Song: From the voice of a mermaid to the tunes of a muse, the music of Alan Menken has scored the soundtrack for some of Disney’s most iconic leading ladies. Join Alan, Jodi Benson (Ariel), Paige O’Hara (Belle), Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas Singing Voice), Lillias White (Calliope) and Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel) as we celebrate the music of their films in honor of the one that started it all … “The Little Mermaid.”
• “What I Want From You…Is YOUR VOICE”: Enter the recording studio and get an inside look at the cast of “The Little Mermaid” in their original recording sessions.
• Stories From Walt’s Office – Gadgets & Gizmos: Like Ariel, Walt Disney was a collector of many different things from miniatures to early mechanical characters that inspired the invention of audio-animatronics. We take a look at some the collections that Walt kept in his office. This is the third episode of this series.
• #TreasuresUntold: Join Ruby Rose Turner and Olivia Sanabia from the Disney Channel Original Series “Coop and Cami Ask the World.” They take a deep dive to explore some hidden treasures and fun facts about Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
• DCapella “Part of Your World” Music Video
• Classic Bonus Features: Revisit four exciting bonus features from previous releases including:
  • Deleted Character: Harold The Merman
  • Under The Scene: The Art Of Live Action Reference
  • Howard’s Lecture
  • Audio Commentary With Ron Clements, John Musker and Alan Menken

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES

• “Part of Your World” – A 30-Year Retrospective: Songwriter Alan Menken and Jodi Benson, the acting and singing voice of Ariel, sing the epitome of Disney “I Want” songs “Part of Your World.” They discuss its impact since it was first heard 30 years ago.
• Classic Bonus Features: Over 3 additional hours of previously released classic bonus features.
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Easter Eggs
  • Music Videos
  • More!

My favorite bonus features (it might be all of them)

First of all, you know me and music, so the sing-along version of THE LITTLE MERMAID is my favorite bonus! And, yes, I did sing!

Then there is “Alan Maken & the Leading Ladies Song.”  In this discussion, the ladies share their memories of musically creating their characters with Alan, discuss what it means to be part of the Disney Princess/leading lady legacy and create new memories as they sing with Alan around a baby grand piano. It’s just amazing to see all that talent in one clip! The interaction among them was so fun to watch.

I loved watching the original recording sessions in “What I want from you is your voice.” Talk about an 80s throwback! Watching Jodi Benson sing “Part of Your World” in the dark, hunched over, getting completely into character…wow!

DCapella! They are so talented, so be sure you watch this bonus!

Just watch them all! You won’t be sorry!

The Little Mermaid inspired magnets

My original plan was to make THE LITTLE MERMAID inspired pencil holders; however, that plan had to be scrapped. Since it was not happening the way I wanted it to, I had to go to plan B. However, I didn’t have a plan B! Then I remembered the craft that Christie from Raising Whasians made, and thought, “Hey, that might work for this too!” So, I decided to make THE LITTLE MERMAID inspired magnets.

I decided on making Flounder and Ursula, the Sea Witch! My daughter’s friend was over that night, so she helped me cut some of the more detailed pieces that my 48 year old fingers can’t handle!

• Items needed for The Little Mermaid inspired magnets

  • Felt (yellow, blue, dark purple, light purple, gray, orange, gold)
  • Hot glue gun
  • Magnetic tape
  • 2 wooden clothes pins
  • Elmer’s glue (I used clear) for the smaller pieces
  • Glitter glue pens (optional)

• Directions for The Little Mermaid Inspired Magnets

  • First, cut ovals from the yellow, blue, dark purple, and light purple felt (the ovals are about 2″ diameter)
  • Then cut these ovals in half
  • Cut tiny little divots, as shown, in both yellow pieces to look like Flounder’s nose.
  • The blue pieces are Flounder’s hair, stripes and tail
  • The gray piece is Ursula’s hair
  • Cut tentacles from dark purple
  • Cut a tiny conch necklace from the gold and orange pieces (don’t ask me…my daughter’s friend made that)
  • Using a hot glue gun, glue Flounder’s hair to the back of the yellow half, as shown in final picture
  • Then use Elmer’s glue to glue Flounder’s stripes to his body, as shown in final picture
  • Using the hot glue gun, put a dot of glue on his tail and glue it under the top oval half
  • Give him and eye (I used a jewel type black sticker)
  • Once his hair and stripes are dry, glue the 2 half ovals to the clothes pin
  • Glue Ursula’s tentacles to the back of the dark purple oval half
  • Then glue Ursula’s shell together with Elmer’s glue, and use the hot glue gun to glue it to her dark purple oval half
  • For her hair, put a dot of hot glue on the little half rectangle part and position it as shown in the final picture
  • Give her an eye like Flounder’s
  • Use blue glitter glue for her eye shadow and red glitter glue for her lipstick
  • Use red glitter glue for the suction cups on her tentacles
  • Finally cut magnetic tape into 8 very small pieces and put 2 on the forward part of the clothes pins and 2 on the parts you squeeze

Above all, just be creative and don’t be a stickler for making these THE LITTLE MERMAID inspired magnets exactly like mine…because mine is so totally awesome. Like I said, I wasn’t even going to make this, so I just winged it (along with a little help!). Besides, I’m sure you can think of some fun crafts on your own to make to celebrate the 30th anniversary of THE LITTLE MERMAID too! Let me know what you’d make!

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