Eventyr, fortalte for Børn (Fairy Tales Told for Children) influenced The Little Mermaid

Andersen's tale gives the film the bargain with the sea witch, the voice as the price, and the legs that are agony to walk on. The ending is inverted: Andersen's mermaid is not chosen, cannot bring herself to kill the prince, and dissolves into sea foam, while the film marries her off. The change is the most discussed single decision in the Disney canon.