← Apex Mountain

The Little Mermaid

1989 · directed by John Musker and Ron Clements · 83 min
27,191 feet · Prominence
69th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredThe 69th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw72

Lifetime worldwide gross $211m, re-releases included; about $562m in 2026 money.

Rank511 of 11,051In 19899 of 156

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise92

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics90 baseAwards39 signal → +2 lift

Oscars2 won Original Song, Original Score
Golden Globes2 won Original Score, Original Song1 nominated Best Picture
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy82

Judged directly: Launched Disney Renaissance, Ariel permanently iconic.

Verdict82 of 100IMDb7.6 from 310kWikipedia61k views a monthAge37 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 92 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 72 praise 92 legacy 82averages 82, placing it at27,191 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

Whose apex this is

▲ René Auberjonois▲ Jodi Benson▲ Samuel E. Wright▲ Pat Carroll

In these careers — elevation for this film

Jodi Benson18,643 ftSamuel E. Wright18,382 ftPat Carroll18,259 ftBuddy Hackett18,093 ftKenneth Mars18,093 ftRené Auberjonois17,997 ftChristopher Daniel Barnes17,965 ftNancy Cartwright17,646 ft