Aquamarine

Plot

Best friends Claire Brown and Hailey Rogers are enjoying their last few days of summer vacation in their small beach town of Baybridge near Tampa, Florida, before Hailey has to move to Australia due to her mother's job as a marine biologist. Hailey prays to the ocean gods for a miracle to change her mother's mind about moving; minutes later, a violent storm occurs.

The next morning, Claire accidentally falls into the local pool, which has been flooded with seawater from the storm. Believing to have seen something moving in the water, the girls sneak back into the pool that night, where they discover a mermaid named Aquamarine, who had been washed in by the storm. Aquamarine explains that she ran away from home after being forced into an arranged marriage between her and a merman by her father, as the mermaids do not believe in true love. However, he has agreed to end the engagement if she is able to prove to him within three days that true love does exist.

Aquamarine explains that she is able to transform her mermaid tail into human legs during the day, but will revert into a mermaid if she touches water, as well as when the sun sets. Her eye is eventually caught by Raymond, a lifeguard Hailey and Claire have had a crush on for years. They are reluctant to help her get him to notice her, but agree after Aquamarine reveals anyone who helps a mermaid is granted a wish, hoping to use the wish to prevent Hailey's impending move.

Not understanding human social cues, Aquamarine is rejected by Raymond when they first meet. Hailey and Claire promise to make Raymond fall in love with her in the next three days using strategies found in teen magazines. A group of popular girls lead by Cecilia Banks, the spoiled daughter of local meteorologist Storm Banks who is also interested in Raymond, attempt to sabotage Aquamarine by telling Raymond she has a boyfriend, something the girls manage to clear up, bringing them closer together.

Aquamarine and Raymond bond at "The Last Splash", a local celebration. She hastily leaves before the sun sets, but first kisses him and asks him to meet her on the pier in the morning. Cecilia follows the girls to the water tower where Aquamarine is staying and discovers her true secret. She unhooks the ladder to prevent Aquamarine from leaving and calls the news to expose her on national television. The town's mysterious handyman, Leonard, helps Aquamarine escape, and she grants him a wish. As punishment for publicly humiliating him, Storm confiscates Cecilia's pink Volkswagen convertible car.

Cast

Voices

Emma Roberts as Claire's starfish earrings

Joanna "JoJo" Levesque as Hailey's starfish earrings

Sara Paxton as Aquamarine's starfish earrings

Production

Principal photography for the movie began in Australia in February 2005, and wrapped up the following April.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on June 13, 2006, and on Blu-ray on March 6, 2012.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, Aquamarine grossed $7.5 million in 2,512 theaters, ranking #5 at the box office. By the end of its run, the film grossed $18.6 million domestically, and $4.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $23 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on reviews from 89 critics, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's consensus states: "A lighthearted, gum-smacking, boy-crazy film with a hopeful message for young girls." On Metacritic, Aquamarine has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on scale of A to F.

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called Aquamarine a "bright and breezy tween fantasy romantic comedy that coasts along on its charming performances and the light comedic touch of first-time feature director Elizabeth Allen." Variety's Joe Leydon praised the film, writing, "The high-concept premise ... has been fleshed out with inventive wit, unsticky warmth and more than a little wackiness. Result is an unusually likeable family-friendly comedy that could appeal far beyond its target [audience]".

Numerous critics praised the film's themes and message. Grading the film a "B−", Chris Kaltenbach of The Baltimore Sun liked how "Aquamarine exhibits a welcome empathy for adolescent girls and an understanding of how they interact" while teaching the difference between "what is important (friendship, self-confidence, altruism) and what seems important (puppy love, trendiness, running with the pack)." Describing Aquamarine as engendering a "vision of cherished sisterhood", Callie Ahlgrim of Insider wrote that the film "is a rom-com insofar as it tells a boy-meets-girl story—but the deeper, more honest love between its young female leads is the film's true emotional core." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe wrote that Aquamarine "is unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another." Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle found that while the film "has a sweetness and innocence that makes it near perfect entertainment for its target audience", Aquamarine "avoids seeming coy and doesn't flinch from taking on serious issues that illustrate that life isn't all fluff even for the young." Rating the film 3 out of 5 stars, Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel wrote, "Aquamarine really is just an adorable movie. And along the way, life lessons about love, friendship, adjusting to bad news and overcoming grief are passed along in a not-that-obvious fashion." Rating it 3 out of 4 stars, Todd Hertz of Christianity Today wrote, "The movie scores a major victory in reaching its audience with the all-too-important message that they are fine just the way they are."

Legacy

Since its release, Aquamarine has become a cult film, and is especially popular among Generation Z. It has been ranked as one of the best "mermaid movies" by USA Today, as well as Teen Vogue. Chappell Roan cited the film as the inspiration for the music video for her 2022 single "Casual", telling Teen Vogue that the concept for the video was "Aquamarine but like, gay".

Soundtrack

One Original Thing – Cheyenne Kimball

Strike – Nikki Flores

Connected – Sara Paxton

Gentlemen – Teddy Geiger

One and Only – Teitur

Island in the Sun – Emma Roberts

Time for Me to Fly – Jonas Brothers

Can't Behave – Courtney Jaye

Summertime Guys – Nikki Cleary

One Way or Another – Mandy Moore

Sweet Troubled Soul – Stellastarr

I Like the Way – Bodyrockers

Two of the film's stars, Roberts and Paxton, were featured on the soundtrack. In 2008, La La Land Records and Fox Music released a limited edition CD (1000 pressings) of David Hirschfelder's score (incorporating Paxton's voice) for the film.

Main Titles

The Storm

Washed Ashore

Claire Falls In

Meeting Aqua

The Next Morning/Shell Phone Call

Making the Deal

Ray & Aqua/Magazines

Paddleboat Date

The Water Tower

Sequel series

In June 2026, a sequel series pilot was ordered by Disney with Roberts to reprise her role as a guest star and executive produce. In August 2026, Jake McDorman was announced to return as Raymond, who will now be a single father to his daughter with Aquamarine, Coral, played by Kenzi Richardson, since her disappearance, and will also serve as executive producer. The series also welcomes regulars Briella Guiza, as Coral’s friend Mia, Theodore Dalton, as August a local town surfer, and Annika Reese, as mean girl Paige. The films director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum will also return to the director’s seat and will executive produce the series, along with film producer Susan Cartsonis.