Which Disney animated film is based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen?

The Disney animated film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale is “The Little Mermaid.”

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” released in 1989, adapts Andersen’s 1837 story about a mermaid who longs to experience the human world. The film follows Ariel, who rescues Prince Eric and makes a bargain with Ursula to gain human legs. Disney reshaped the darker literary tale into a romantic musical adventure with a happy ending for Ariel and Eric.

The original story is substantially different. Andersen’s mermaid gives up her voice for human legs, suffers painful transformations, and ultimately becomes a spirit of the air rather than marrying the prince. The Disney version adds familiar characters such as Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle, while Ursula draws on the sea-witch figure from the original tale.

The answer is sometimes confused with “Frozen,” which was inspired by another Andersen work, “The Snow Queen.” However, “The Little Mermaid” is the direct and canonical Disney adaptation represented by the choices here.