The little Mermaid was released on November 17 1989 and is largely accredited with being the film that heralded the beginning of the Disney Renaissance. With the average production time of an animated Disney film being 6 years this film was developed in the height of the 80’s.


The assignment of designing the heroine Ariel was left to animator Glen Keane who would go on to animate other Disney characters such as the Beast, Aladin and Tarzan. He wanted the heroine to be reminiscent of the traditional Disney Princesses while at the same time being relatable to the ‘modern...