Disney Story Origins Number 3 — The Little Mermaid

“The Little Mermaid” originally titled Den lille havfrue, which is Danish for “the little seawoman” is one of the better known fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. In this episode I compare the original Little Mermaid with Disney’s version.

Ariel’s bright red hair was chosen in part so she’d resemble this mermaid painted by John William Waterhouse in 1901.

Ariel’s physical characteristics are mostly modeled after an actress named Sherri Stoner. Glen Keane also used Alyssa Milano, among others to decide on hairstyles, attitude etc.

Read the Original Fairytale: “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen”

More Links that helped my research:

Wikipedia: Hans Christian Andersen

Wikipedia: The Little Mermaid

Wikipedia: The Little Mermaid (1989 Film)

The Disney Wiki: The Little Mermaid

The Origin and meaning of the Disney Princess Names

Creating Ariel (Stuff They Don’t Tell You)

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