Barbie in A Mermaid Tale

Barbie in A Mermaid Tale follows Merliah, a champion surfer from Malibu who believes she is an ordinary teenager until she discovers a family secret: she is a mermaid. When her mother, the queen of the underwater kingdom of Oceana, is endangered, Merliah sets out with her dolphin companion Zuma on an undersea journey. There she befriends other mermaids who join her effort to save the realm, and she comes to see that the quality that sets her apart is a source of strength.

The 2010 American animated family fantasy film runs 75 minutes and was directed by Adam Wood, the first of the three features he directed in the order listed, followed by Stumped the same year and Henchmen in 2018. Elise Allen wrote the screenplay, Tiffany J. Shuttleworth and Anita Lee produced, and the production involved Mattel, Mattel Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment. Kelly Sheridan voices Merliah, with Kathleen Barr, Tabitha St. Germain, Peter Mel, Nakia Burrise and Maryke Hendrikse also in the voice cast.

The film took about 16 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 5,200 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.3 out of 10 from around 821 votes, so the more modest sample there is noticeably warmer than the larger one, a pattern common for family titles with a dedicated audience.