Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you say our trivia’s complete? There’s nothing fishy about these thirteen things that you probably didn’t know about The Little Mermaid, and were confident that you’ll make them a part of your world.
13. Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Kermit the Frog can be briefly seen in the crowd of sea-people as mermen when he passes over them.
12. Originally, Sebastian was to have an English accent. It was lyricist/producer Howard Ashman who suggested he speak with a Caribbean accent. This opened the door to calypso-style numbers like “Under the Sea”, which won the Academy Award.
11. The character of Ursula was based on drag performer and John Waters regular Divine. Her personality and some of her actions were also largely inspired by a previous Disney villain, Madame Medusa from Disney’s The Rescuers.
10. It’s possible that Prince Eric could be related to Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. In the dining room in Eric’s castle on Ariel’s first evening on land, there is a painting hanging on the wall.
9. Ariel was quite deliberately made a redhead in order to distinguish her from Daryl Hannah’s character in Splash.
8. “Part of Your World” was nearly cut; Jeffrey Katzenberg felt that it was “boring”, as well as being too far over the heads of the children for whom it was intended. At a test screening, children were restless during the song which did not have finished animation – in particular one child sat in front of Katzenberg, spilled his popcorn, and was more interested in picking it up than watching the sequence. After trying with an adult audience, the song was considered a greater success and so the song was left in the film.
7. The Little Mermaid had been a Disney property since 1941. Walt Disney planned to include the much darker Hans Christian Andersen version of the tale in a planned anthology film of the fantasy author’s works. After a bitter strike by the animators that same year and the increasing focus on wartime propaganda shorts, the initial version of The Little Mermaid was shelved in 1943.
6. Ariel’s rendition of “Part of Your World” set a precedent for subsequent Disney animated musicals where the protagonist would vocalize his or her desires early in the film. The song was referred to by Howard Ashman as the “I Want” song.
5. There were several deleted scenes – including An extended “Fathoms Below” sequence where it is revealed that Ursula is Triton’s sister; alternate version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” explaining why Ursula was banished by Triton; a scene in which Sebastian finds out Ariel is missing; extended scene of Sebastian lost in Eric’s castle; Sebastian giving additional advice to Ariel; and the fight with Ursula to the ending with no dialogue.
4. This was the first Disney film to receive an Academy Award since Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).
3. Ariel’s body type and personality were based on Alyssa Milano. The effect of her hair underwater was based on footage of astronaut Sally Ride in weightless conditions.
2. This was the last Disney animated feature to use hand-painted cels and analog camera and film work.
1. Several elements from the original Hans Christian Andersen story were kept in the movie, including: Ariel being the youngest of many sisters, the secret white marble statue, the polypi along the entrance to Ursula’s cavern, and Ariel asking what she’ll have left without her voice and the sea-witch’s response. However, in the original story, Ariel doesn’t turn back into a mermaid at the end. When the sun rises on the last day she turns to foam and dies.
The Little Mermaid (1989)
G | 1h 23min | Animation, Family, Fantasy | 17 November 1989 (USA)
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince’s love.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
Writers: John Musker, Ron Clements
Stars: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois
