| Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Arturo A. Hernandez |
| Produced by |
David K. Lovegren David W. King Stephen Swofford |
| Screenplay by | Jennifer Ventimilia |
| Story by |
Arutro A. Hernandez Jennifer Ventilmilia |
| Starring |
Sarah Silverman Jojo Siwa Wendi McLendon-Covey Whoopi Goldberg Guillermo del Toro Yara Shahidi Brian d'Arcy James Wes Studi |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | James Chressanthis |
| Edited by |
Robert Fisher Jr. Seamus O'Toole Robert Grahamjones |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Dice Productions |
| Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date | August 22, 2025 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Box office | $521 million |
Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean is a 2025 American animated musical adventure film produced by Dice Productions and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Arturo A. Hernandez and co-written by in his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Jennifer Ventilmilia, it serves as the sequel to 2024's A Vanellope Halloween and the tenth installment in the Vanellope's Adventures film series. The film features Sarah Silverman, Jojo Siwa, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Whoopi Goldberg, Guillermo del Toro, Yara Shahidi, Brian d'Arcy James, and Wes Studi. In the film, Vanellope von Schweetz becomes a mermaid for 24 hours and is accompanied by the underwater kingdom's soon-to-be-queen Saturday Polliwogs as they sets out to defeat an evil mermaid named O'Malley, who intends to take over the ocean.
Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean was released in the United States on August 22, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $521 million worldwide against a $150 million budget. A sequel, Vortex Vanellope, is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2026 to honor the franchise's tenth anniversary.
Plot[]
During the summer in Anythingville, Vanellope Von Schweetz, Ryan Oliver West, Bethany Hayden West, Judy Hopps, and Hank make a trip to Anythingville Beach. Vanellope tries to get across the ocean, but is washed away. They hitch a submarine ride with its driver, Roger Redford. A young mermaid named Saturday Poliwogs and her sea lion friend Seraphina spot the submarine and meet Vanellope and the others. Vanellope puts on a crown that transforms her into a mermaid for 24 hours.
When Vanellope, Saturday, and Seraphina get to Mermaid Kingdom, Saturday's home, Maria, the queen of the mermaid kingdom and Lily's mother, and her advisor, Saoirse the sea horse, have Sunday and Seraphina keep her safe and out of trouble, doubting Vanellope's potential because she is from the land. Vanellope decides to solve three missing sea creatures and defeat the evil Margaret O'Malley. O'Malley was banished from the kingdom by Merci for her evildoing and plots to get revenge on Merci.
Meanwhile, Ray decides they should search for Vanellope. Suddenly, the submarine fills up with water. Ray, Judy, Beth, Lawrence, Hank, and Roger escape and get to the surface before it explodes, bringing a life raft in the process. Vanellope, Saturday, and Seraphina find the missing creatures, but later, after a great white shark named Hax chases them, they escape, but Vanellope finds out that Saturday was unintentionally wasting her time as a mermaid to protect her. Disappointed, she swims away from Saturday and Seraphina, the former of whom is captured by O'Malley. Seraphina informs a still-infuriated Vanellope of O'Malley's evil plan. Feeling remorseful over her argument with Saturday, Vanellope has Seraphina return to Mermaid Kingdom to report to Maria and Saoirse, and swims to follow O'Malley and save Lily and the ocean.
Maria demands Saturday's release by agreeing to take her daughter's place as O'Malley's prisoner, giving up her trident and losing her power and authority over Mermaid Kingdom. O'Malley steals the trident and tries to kill Vanellope, but Saturday intervenes, causing O'Malley to inadvertently kill Hax. Ray, Judy, Beth, Hank, and Roger appear with the help of a blue whale. O'Malley causes a raging storm in which Vanellope steals the trident and gives it back to Maria. Maria regains her power and defeats O'Malley, and Saturday and Vanellope reconcile.
With O'Malley gone, the storm subsides and Mermaid Kingdom goes back to normal. At sunrise, Saturday asks Vanellope to join the mermaids. Vanellope respectfully declines, gives Lily the crown, and turns back into her natural form. Saturday presents Vanellope with a seashell necklace as a momentum. The two share a hug and bid each other a heartfelt farewell. Back on the beach, Vanellope, Judy, Beth, Hank, and Ray say goodbye to Roger and decide to go to the Anythingville Aquarium. In Mermaid Kingdom, Saturday is crowned the new queen of the mermaids.
Cast[]
- Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz
- Jojo Siwa as Saturday Polliwogs, Merci's teenage daughter and the princess of the Mermaid Kingdom.
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Margaret O'Malley, an exiled evil mermaid, who plots to destroy the Mermaid Kingdom to make a home for her sharks.
- Whoopi Goldberg as Maria Polliwogs, the queen of the Mermaid Kingdom and Lily's mother.
- AnnaSophia Robb as Seraphina, a sea lion and Lily's best friend.
- Kirsten Dunst as Saoirse, a sea horse and Maria's advisor.
- Brian d'James Arcy as Roger Redford, a submarine driver.
- Andy Dick as Hax, O'Malley's great white shark.
Box office[]
In The United States and Canada, Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean was released alongside The Invisible Man, and was projected to gross $123 million in its opening weekend. After grossing $275 million in its opening weekend, including $145 million from its first day of release, it has earned $207 million in North America and $314 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $521 million. Produced on a $150 million budget, it was commercially profitable and successful.
Critical response[]
Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean received positive reviews from critics, with an 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus reads, "Vanellope's Adventures in Mermaid Ocean isn't as much of a majestic sight as the ocean itself, splashes into a watery world containing what younger viewers and Vanellope's Adventures fans will expect". On Metacritic, it has an average score of 67 out of 100 based on 56 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.