Under the Sea first appeared in Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid, released in 1989, where Sebastian the crab sings it to persuade Ariel that life under the ocean is better than life on land. Written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the calypso-inspired number won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became one of Disney's most recognisable tunes. Dubbed versions, including the Italian In fondo al mar, helped it travel far beyond English-speaking audiences, and the chorus is still widely reused online for ocean, holiday and mermaid content.