As excitement grows for the live action film rendition of ‘The Little Mermaid’ (click here to read more), Disney and ABC teamed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the animated adaptation of the classic tale by bringing it to a live audience.

Assembling a star-studded cast that featured the likes of Auli’i Cravalho (“Ariel”), Queen Latifah (“Ursula”), Shaggy (“Sebastian), John Stamos (“Chef Louis”), Graham Phillips (“Prince Eric”), and more, the semi-live musical – which aired November 5 –  used stunning graphics, props, and costumes to bring to life the celebrated story and – of course – reimagined versions of the toon’s beloved musical numbers (‘Kiss the Girl,’ ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls,’ ‘Under the Sea,’ and ‘Part of Your World’).

With those powers combined, to say ‘Little Mermaid’ made a splash on Tuesday night’s ratings is an understatement.  More inside:

Airing live at 8pm, the showing reeled in a whopping 9.52 million viewers.  When recast the following hour, Nielsen reports 8.44 million tuned in – giving the Hamish Hamilton-directed feature an average of 8.98 million total viewers.

Coming as the night’s most-watched live program, its overall ratings were only bested by CBS juggernaut ‘NCIS’ (which drew in 10.74 million).

Congratulations are due to the cast and crew!

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[main photo source: ABC/Eric McCandless]

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