Little Mermaid Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
Here are 23 facts about The Little Mermaid animated movie that will make you watch it again on Disney+:
Ursula is heavily inspired by the popular drag queen Divine, who starred in movies such as Hairspray (1988) and Pink Flamingos.
Thanks to the box-office success of The Little Mermaid ($211M worldwide), Disney experienced what has now been labeled the '90s "Disney Renaissance," a period marked by a string of hits, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and many more.
Like in other Disney films of the past, the filmmakers used real people to act out the scenes, helping them better animate the movements. Sherri Stoner was the lone actor used for Ariel so all the animators could draw her the same way.
Hans Christian Andersen, the author of the fairytale "The Little Mermaid," also wrote "The Snow Queen," which Disney adapted into Frozen.
Animator Glen Keane credits the focus on creating expressive lower eyelids of Ariel for giving her so much personality. Inspiration was taken from Alice's expressive animation in Alice in Wonderland (1951).
Keane also admitted that he was worried the famous "reaching out" moment at the end of "Part of Your World" was too cheesy, but left it in due to deadlines. Years later, he no longer feels that way, citing one viewer who told him that, as a child sitting in the theater, she had reached out to Ariel to pull her closer. Movie magic, man.
Voiced by the legendary Buddy Hackett, Scuttle is one of the more lively comic relief characters in Disney history, but it took a little homework to accomplish this. Animators took rapid photos of Hackett's face to help them animate the outrageous expressions of Scuttle.
More than ONE MILLION bubbles were hand-drawn for the film. Keep in mind that the movie is underwater for a good portion, which means every frame needed bubbles to express movement in the water.
Ursula is only animated with six tentacles, which doesn't quite make her an "octopus-woman." I guess she'll have to settle for being an "iconic-woman."
Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck all make a cameo at the beginning of the film. They are in the crowd watching.
Ariel was going to have blonde hair instead of her classic red hair. Keane confirmed the change to Ariel being a redhead was more of a match for her "fiery personality." Guess there were some red flags before changing it, huh?
There was a point where the filmmakers had "Part of Your World" on the chopping block. Lyricist Howard Ashman, who wrote "Part of Your World" with composer Alan Menken, actually threatened to quit the project if the song was cut.
Ashman had the idea to change Sebastian's character, which was initially a stuffy English crab, into a Caribbean crab. According to him, it opened a "treasure trove of possible stylistic influences and calypso and reggae," which informed a lot of the storytelling.
Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, sat in the dark and covered her face to sing "Part of Your World" as if she were underwater. According to her, it really helped get into the head of the mermaid who feels stuck.
Ariel is the first Disney princess to have biological siblings. No evil stepsisters, but no mom. I still haven't seen the prequel, but I believe the mom has a presence... unless it's a sequel and she has somehow been alive? Under the SEA-quel! Ignore my rambling and continue...
Christopher Daniel Barnes, the voice actor for Eric, was 16 years old when he recorded for the film. I'm sorry, what? If you listen to his voice, I never would have guessed in a million years that it was a kid. For the math, Benson would have been about 28 when she recorded for Ariel.
Another fun fact about Barnes is that when he played Eric, he drank water while recording to simulate drowning during that scene where Ariel comes in for the save. That's commitment...and also incredibly silly to visualize.
The final action sequence took more than a year to animate. It's an impressive scene, and it's one of the most amazing 2D scenes in terms of scale. The waves. The rain. Giant Ursula. *chef's kiss*
Golden Girls legend Bea Arthur was initially considered for the role of Ursula by the filmmakers. But after holding auditions, Pat Carroll landed the role and delivered one of the best Disney villain performances of all time.
A deleted plot twist was going to reveal Ursula as Ariel's aunt and Triton's sister. Although it would've been an interesting element, the film ultimately didn't need it.
And lastly, another trailblazing fact about The Little Mermaid is that it was the first Disney movie to digitally combine characters in the foreground with scenery in the background.
Watch The Little Mermaid on Disney+.
What's your favorite moment from The Little Mermaid? Comment below!
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