Top 10 Mermaids in Movies and TV
Some screen characters are all wet – and that's the way we like them. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Movie and TV Mermaids. For this list, we're looking at the most memorable or popular mermaids to appear on the big and small screens. These mermaids were memorable for being iconic portrayals of our favorite mythical creatures.
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Top 10 Mermaids in Movies and TV
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Some screen characters are all wet – and that’s the way we like them. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movie and TV Mermaids. For this list, we’re looking at the most memorable or popular mermaids to appear on the big and small screens.
#10: Ponyo “Ponyo” (2008)
Physically, Ponyo is probably the most atypical mermaid on the list. She’s part fish and part human, but it’s not the typical fish tail bottom with a human top. Instead, Ponyo starts out as mostly fish, with a human-like face. After she befriends a human boy, she finds a way to change herself into a little human girl – but with devastating consequences for the forces of nature. Fortunately, Ponyo uses her magic, skill and bravery to help set things right – and becomes permanently human in the process.
#9: Miranda “Miranda” (1948)
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Mermaids are famous as sirens, alluring and often irresistible beauties who think nothing of ensnaring a man’s heart. That’s certainly true of Miranda, but as played by the delectable Glynis Johns, her attentions bring laughter as well as romantic entanglements. Seductive she certainly is, she’s also charmingly naïve. There’s never any real doubt that the men she is after will come to their senses. Miranda is coy, outlandish and manipulative – but always amusing.
#8: Rikki Chadwick, Emma Gilbert & Cleo Sertori “H2O: Just Add Water” (2006-10)
In most mermaid tales, the fish-women are basically just another species. In this popular Australian TV series, Rikki, Emma and Cleo start out as normal human girls. It’s only after swimming in a pool on a mysterious island that contact with water turns them into mermaids. As a bonus, the girls gain special powers. Rikki can heat water to great temperatures. Emma controls water-based weather. And Cleo has the power to mold water into solid shapes. So what if a few stray drops of water tend to bring out their fishy selves?
#7: Mermaids “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005)
In modern culture, mermaids have tended to be fairly cute. They may be self-centered or overly interested in seduction, but they’re basically harmless. The mermaids (and mermen) from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," however, are something else. Fierce, warrior-like and very territorial, they are one of the major obstacles in the story’s TriWizard tournament. It’s unlikely Dumbledore would let anything truly bad happen during this competition. But if one met these creatures without his protection, there’s no telling what they might do.
#6: Mermaids “Hook” (1991)
Mermaids are traditionally a part of any telling of the Peter Pan story. In Disney’s cartoon version, they are vain, shallow and easily provoked to jealousy. Just ask Wendy. When they reappear in "Hook," their appearance is practically a cameo. Still, they make an impression. They give a very personal greeting to the grown-up Pan when they rescue him from the briny deep. There’s no question as to just how fond of Peter they were – and still are.
#5: Diana, Venus & June “Mermaids” (2003)
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A trio of sisters are the title characters in this 2003 film, but only one is a full-fledged sea-swelling mermaid at the story’s start. After the death of their father at the hands of a fisherman, the vengeful Diana confronts her land-loving sisters. She demands they join her as she hunts down the murderer. Although the three sisters have vastly different personalities, they reveal a similar core of inner strength and familial love. This unites them and ultimately brings them closer together once more.
#4: Aquamarine “Aquamarine” (2006)
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Two friends facing permanent separation wish they could stay together. The next day, they find a stunningly beautiful mermaid in a swimming pool – who can grant their wish if they help her. The mermaid, Aquamarine, is fleeing an arranged marriage and seeking true love. She’s a wild but entirely lovable creature, who assumes human form on dry land. The vivacious creature is a true fish-out-of-water who is experiencing sensations that most people take for granted. The excitement she feels is entirely contagious and lovable.
#3: Syrena “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011)
A group of pirates needs a mermaid’s tears to access the power of the legendary Fountain of Youth. They blithely abduct the fetching young Syrena for that purpose. Understandably angry, suspicious and uncooperative, Syrena undergoes a transformation at the hands of a young missionary. He treats her with kindness and humanity and she responds to this. She may be a mermaid, but she knows love and compassion when she sees it. Though her screen time is limited in this big budget epic, Syrena’s character development is impressive and she captures the heart of all those in the audience.
#2: Madison “Splash” (1984)
The current popularity of mermaids can be traced back to the huge success of this romantic fantasy. Picking her name from a street sign, Madison’s endearing naiveté is matched only by her tremendous loyalty. Having met a human boy named Allen when young, she struggles to connect with him as an adult. Madison takes in the sites of New York City, learns to speak English and finds fascination in the strange ways of land dwellers. She’s an irresistible treasure, no matter the trouble she causes. Fortunately Allen recognizes this before it’s too late. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Lenore the Mermaid “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid” (1948) - Lily “Magic Island” (1995) - Mermaid “She Creature” [aka “Mermaid Chronicles, Part 1: She Creature”] (2001) - Neried “Fishtales” (2007)
#1: Princess Ariel “The Little Mermaid” (1989)
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Who doesn’t love Ariel, the Disney version of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved little mermaid? She’s so winning that it’s incredible Prince Eric doesn’t confess his love at first sight. It seems humans are a little dense, sometimes. Audiences root for Ariel, whether yearning for something outside her own world or flailing as she works to win her heart’s desire. Such determination can’t go unrewarded. And at the end, she captures not only Eric’s heart, but those of all who watch her. Do you agree with our list? What other great mermaids from the movies and TV deserve to be on this list? For more enthralling top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
