For the first time the animated film "The Little Mermaid" was released in 1989. The main character of the picture is the young girl Ariel. Disney thought about creating a cartoon from the very foundation of the studio, even before the release of "Snow White". Its head decided to create an interpretation of the story of Hans Christian Andersen in 1930. At that time it was technically impossible, so the picture came out only after 59 years.
Character Creation
The appearance and style of the Little Mermaid were invented by the animator Glen Keane. His wife inspired him to create the image. Alyssa Milano was also involved in the creation of Ariel. Disney collaborated with the model Sherry Stoner, who repeated the movements of the character in reality, posing for the animators. Voice acting Ariel was engaged in theater actress Jody Benson, who admitted that the main character of the cartoon is her favorite character. In Russian dubbing, the girl was voiced by Svetlana Svetikova.
The main difficulty in creating the cartoon was that Ariel (Disney) had to be shown in completely different scenes - at sea and on land. Animators created 32 color models. Just look at the varied colors and shades of the splendid Ariel Castle! Disney, or rather full-time artists, did a good job on the girl’s tail - a special shade was created specifically for this, which was named after the main character. Red hair caused controversy between the animators and the studio leaders - the latter wanted to see the blonde mermaid. Artists won: red harmonized much better with the color of the tail.
Character and appearance of the character
At 16, Ariel is very beautiful. He wears gorgeous red hair and a large green tail. The character of the girl is mischievous and rebellious. Ariel is the most naughty of all the sisters, it is she who constantly gets embroiled in adventure. All her life the girl lives in the sea, but she is irresistibly drawn up, so she collects things that used to belong to people. Friendliness, kindness, love for friends and family - this is all Ariel. Disney is a company that has always created good and kind cartoons, and this time the creators endowed the main character with empathy: she constantly saves the inhabitants of the sea world who are in trouble.
Cartoon plot
The little mermaid Ariel lives in the great sea kingdom with her father Triton and six sisters. Her best friends are Sebastian Crab and Flounders Fish. Together with him she studies a sunken ship. Trying to find the answer to the question of what the objects they found mean, Ariel recalls that she should participate in the choir in honor of Triton. He chastises his daughter for being late, and the girl floats away to her collection of human things.
Suddenly, she and Sebastian see a large ship that is wrecked. The little mermaid Ariel rescues Prince Eric, brings him ashore and sings a song. When he opens his eyes, she swims away. In order to become part of the human world, Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula - she gives her her voice.
Appearance in other cartoons
Ariel can be seen in the second part of the cartoon - "The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea." The plot tells about the events that occurred a year after the adventures of the first part. Eric and Ariel are happy, they have a beautiful daughter, Melody. Parents decide not to tell the girl their story in order to preserve it. But the naughty girl is still drawn to the sea. Under the influence of evil spells, Melody turns into a mermaid.
The next part, “The Little Mermaid: The Beginning of Ariel's Story,” is the prequel to the first cartoon. It tells about the girl’s childhood. She also appears in The Mouse House as a guest in Mickey Mouse's house.
Interesting Facts
- About a thousand flowers and backgrounds were used in the cartoon. Artists painted over a million drawings. The directors demanded that each individual bubble be drawn by hand. For this, additional animators were invited.
- For the first time in history, digital technologies were involved (the scene of the wedding of Ariel and the prince).
- To help the animators, live actors were shot on camera.
- In Andersen’s original tale, it didn’t end so well - the prince married another, and the girl turned into sea foam. Screenwriters found the story too tragic and rewrote the plot.
- Over the course of the storm, 10 special effects specialists worked on the scene during the year.
Like other Disney cartoons, Ariel has won the love of viewers across the globe. Until now, children are watching with interest this legendary cartoon created by the studio of a unique and ingenious animator.