This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (February 2012)

Barbie in A Mermaid Tale
DVD cover
Directed by	Adam L. Wood
Produced by	Anita Lee Tiffany J. Shuttleworth
Written by	Elise Allen
Starring	Kelly Sheridan Kathleen Barr Tabitha St. Germain Nicole Oliver Emma Pierson Ciara Janson Nakia Burrise Maryke Hendrikse Gary Chalk
Music by	BC Smith
Distributed by	Universal Studios Home Entertainment (DVD)
Release date(s)	March 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Barbie in A Mermaid Tale is a computer animated direct-to-video movie and part of the Barbie film series. It was released on March 9, 2010. The movie is the last film featuring Kelly Sheridan as Barbie, after which she was succeeded by Diana Kaarina.

Plot

Barbie in A Mermaid Tale is about a sixteen-year-old girl called Merliah Summers, (Liah for short). She is a top surfer at Malibu and is nicknamed, "Queen of the Waves". On the day of a surfing competition, Merliah is surfing mavericks, when one part of her hair suddenly turns pink on contact with seawater. Nervous of showing everyone her hair, she dives underwater and meets a pink-ish purple coloured, dolphin named Zuma. Merliah finds out she can breathe underwater.

After telling her grandfather what happened, Merliah finds out that she is half-mermaid. Thinking that her parents died when she was a small baby, Merliah's grandfather tells her the truth. Break tells her that Merliah's father was a human named Rip and that her mother was a mermaid named Calissa (who in fact, is the Queen of Oceana).Break tells her that when Merliah's father died, Calissa was worried about the fact that Calissa's evil mermaid sister Eris would try to rule over. At the same time, Calissa gave birth to Merliah. Merliah had no tail which made it dangerous for her in Oceana. Calissa didn't want Merliah to get hurt, so she took Merliah to her grandfather, Break. Calissa asked if Break could raise Merliah so that she would be safer on land from Eris's rule.At first, Merliah didn't believe Break and left to tell her friends what happened.

After telling her friends the news, Hadley was excited and believed that Merliah is of mermaid royalty. Just then, Zuma appears and says that it is true about what Break said, but Merliah at first didn't believe anything and in anger she throws the necklace she'd been wearing ever since she was an infant, it reveals Calissa is still alive, spinning Merillia, the life force of the sea. She also tells Merliah that the reason her hair is pink, that she can breathe underwater, is because she is part mermaid. Merliah decides to try to rescue her mother and save the kingdom.

With Zuma as her guide, Merliah arrives in Oceana just when the "Eris Festival" starts. Zuma explains that ever since Eris ruled Oceana, her Merillia was not as strong as Calissa's, which made the ocean weak. Most of the coral has turned brown, much like the autumn leaves. During the "Eris Festival", Merliah and Zuma hide in a nearby shop. Merliah is terrified,as Eris controls Oceana in a evil way trapping people she doesn't like in whirlpools, and doubts she can save Oceana. After the festival ends, Zuma takes Merliah to a boutique which is owned by two mermaids, Kayla and Xylie.They chose to help her after their pet seal Snouts licks her ticklish toes making her laugh, and they make Merliah look like a mermaid.The team seeks out the Destinies, three small stylish mermaids who have prophetic powers. Just before they arrive, they hear Eris storming that she will destroy Calissa's daughter. Merliah hides, while Kayla and Xylie point Eris in the wrong direction. While Eris is distracted, Merliah and Zuma meet the Destinies. They reveal in order for the team to succeed in overthrowing Eris, they need "three tools that are spread far and wide": The Celestial Comb, a Dreamfish and Eris' protective necklace.

They set out to look for the items. First, with Fallon and Hadley's help, they find the Celestial Comb in a cave guarded by three giant jellyfish. Kayla, Xylie and Zuma lure the jellyfish away while Merliah and Snouts look for the comb. Merliah manages to get it and escapes from the cave just before it caves in. Next, they find the Dreamfish, yet again with Fallon's and Hadley's internet help, in the Adenato currents. Merliah gets one to promise to grant her a wish later on by impressing it with her surfing skills. Lastly, they get Eris' protective necklace by distracting her with some music and a song. Furious, Eris spins a whirlpool in order to get rid of Merliah. Merliah gets sucked into the whirlpool. Desperate, Merliah calls on the Dreamfish which offers to send her back to Malibu, her mermaid half to go away and it as if none of this has ever happened. Merliah hesitates and rejects the wish. The Dreamfish instead gives her a real, strong mermaid tail, and successfully escapes the whirlpool. Merliah throws Eris' necklace to the ground, revealing Calissa spinning Merillia. Merliah finds out that though Eris is from the royal family, she can't spin Merillia, which is why Eris did not destroy Calissa. Eris is fed up with Merliah and goes after her. Merliah leads Eris into her own whirlpool and Eris is sent to the bottom of the deepest trench in the ocean. Merliah sets Calissa free and Calissa makes Oceana healthy once more. Calissa gives Merliah her necklace that will let her wish to be human or mermaid at any time. Merliah then goes back to land and wins the surfing trophy.

Characters

• Merliah Summers - A 16-year-old girl from Malibu nicknamed "Queen of the Waves", whose father was a human but her mother a mermaid. Her father died when she was a baby so her mother Queen Calissa gave baby Merliah to her grandfather to raise thinking that she will be safer on the land than in the ocean. She is the main protagonist.
• Zuma - A sparkly pink dolphin who shows Merliah around the ocean kingdom and helps her save Calissa.
• Fallon - One of Merliah's best friends. She's sassy, outspoken and a little bit sarcastic, but she's a super loyal, helpful and great friend. She has dark skin, black hair, and brown eyes.
• Hadley - Merliah's other best friend. She's prone to daydream, imaginative, funny and silly. Her personality makes her the first one to believe that Merliah is half-mermaid. Hadley has reddish-brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin.
• Kayla and Xylie - Best friends and super-stylish mermaids. They own a luxurious boutique under the sea where Merliah gets a mermaid makeover. They own Snouts, a sea lion pup. They help Merliah fight the evil Eris. Kayla has blonde hair with blue streaks, while Xylie has brown hair with purple streaks.
• Calissa - Merliah's mother. She was the Queen regnant Queen of Oceana, until her evil younger sister, Eris, stole the throne from her.
• Eris - Sister of Calissa and aunt of Merliah. She is the one who overthrew Calissa and became their new evil queen. Everyone in the kingdom is afraid of her. The main antagonist of the film.
• Break Summers - Grandfather of Merliah and father-in-law of Calissa. He is the one who raised Merliah and told her about her past.
• The Destinies - Three girls who own a hair salon and can also see the future. They tell Merliah the three tools she needs to defeat Eris and restore Oceana.
• Remo - A yellow-and-green striped seahorse who is Eris' sidekick. Remo is constantly abused by Eris. He leads Merliah to where Calissa is held as soon as Eris is defeated. He likes to blow through a shell.

Cast

• Kelly Sheridan as Merliah Summers
• Kathleen Barr as Eris/Snouts
• Tabitha St. Germain as Zuma
• Nakia Burrise as Fallon
• Maryke Hendrikse as Hadley
• Emma Pierson as Kayla
• Ciara Janson as Xylie
• Gary Chalk as Break Summers
• Nicole Oliver as Calissa

Songs

Summer Sunshine and Queen of the Waves by T-Marie

External links

• Barbie in A Mermaid Tale at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website