1. A Tale (Tail?) As Old As Time
The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, but the story goes all the way back to 1837. Originally written as a ballet, the fairy tale of the young mermaid longing to gain a human soul was created by Hans Christian Andersen.
2. Walt Disney and The Little Mermaid
The idea of bringing Ariel to the screen also goes way back. Walt Disney had considered putting together a series of fairy tales in vignette form, including The Little Mermaid. Work was started soon after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but the idea was discarded.
3. Splash!
More than 50 years later, The Little Mermaid was again proposed as a possible animated feature. It was nearly discarded again, because the live action film Splash (also about a mermaid) had been released a few years earlier, and plans were in the works for a sequel. Thankfully, the project was quickly put back on the drawing board.
4. The Little Mermaid Statue. And It’s Not Where You Might Think.
You might know about the Splash fountain in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but what about the Little Mermaid statue? No, not the one that used to be in Ariel’s Grotto, but the one that sits on a rock in the harbor of Copenhagen. The statue was completed in 1913, although the one on display in the harbor is actually a copy. (The original has always been kept in a secret location to keep it safe.)
5. Ariel Who?
Ariel wasn’t known as Ariel in the original fairy tale. She was simply referred to as the “little mermaid.” Aside from Disney’s Ariel, the character has gone by other names as well. For instance, in the Japanese animated series Adventure of the Little Mermaid, she is known as Marina.
6. A Shakespearian Connection
Ariel was also the name of one the spirits in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (although interestingly the character is male), and Ariel is also the name of one of Uranus’s moons. The moon was named after the Shakespeare character, not the mermaid, but that’s still a bragging right that Ariel has over any other Disney princess!
7. A Royal Color
Ariel might be well known for her bright red hair, but she has another color-related claim to fame. The blue-green color of her fin was custom made by the Disney paint lab, and they named the color “Ariel” after the character.
8. Ariel in 3D!
Ariel’s animator Glen Keane (who also developed the characters Aladdin, Beast, and Pocahontas), reanimated Ariel in 3D for her appearance in Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
9. Under the Sea
You could once visit an elaborate version of Ariel’s Grotto in Fantasyland, though the original was closed to make way for the Fantasyland expansion. That expansion of course included the new attraction, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, but also includes a new version of the Grotto where you can meet the famous mermaid herself! Speaking of Under the Sea, when you’re on the attraction…pay close attention to the Animatronic versions of Ariel you’ll see throughout your voyage. She’s incredibly lifelike – so much so that you can actually see her hair “floating” in the water!
10. A True Disney Legend
Jodi Benson, the singer/actress who provided the speaking and singing voices of Ariel in the original film, its sequels, and the Kingdom Hearts video game series, made a cameo appearance in Enchanted as Sam, Robert Philip’s secretary. The film also saw cameos by other Disney princess actresses, including Paige O’Hara (Belle) and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas).
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