Prince Eric is the deuteragonist of Disney's 1989 animated feature film, The Little Mermaid. He is a young, dashing prince of a seaside kingdom with a passion for sailing. During one of his voyages, Eric was rescued by a mysterious girl after nearly drowning during a storm. Grateful for her heroism, and enchanted by her beautiful voice, Eric becomes determined to find and marry his rescuer. The character is based on the "prince" character of Hans Christian Andersen's story The Little Mermaid but adapted by writer Roger Allers for Disney's film.