One princess from the world of Disney comes from the deep depths of the ocean and her name is Ariel. She has bright red hair, a green fishtail, and fascination for freedom & love. The story of Ariel is not a simple one... she falls in love with a human, makes a deal with an evil sea creature, and must try to get a prince to love her back within 3 days. Some viewers might not think she's the best, but most people adore her.
Other Disney princess stories like Aladdin or Sleeping Beauty are interesting but The Little Mermaid is seriously one of the best. Here are ten fun facts about everyone's favorite mermaid princess.
10 Ariel Is The Only Disney Princess To Become A Mom
In the sequel film The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Ariel and Eric share a daughter together named Melody. While Ariel was desperate to become a human girl to live her life on land with Prince Eric, her daughter wants the opposite.
Melody is desperate to become a mermaid and explore the ocean and all of its mystery. The reversed storyline is very interesting to see.
9 Ariel Was Originally Going To Have Blonde Hair
Due to the release of the mermaid film Splash around the time of production, Disney execs knew they needed to make the character of Ariel different in some way. They decided to give her red hair instead of blonde hair.
Imagine Ariel the mermaid with any hair color other than red just feels weird! Disney execs were smart for going the redhead route.
8 Ariel & Her Sisters All Have Names Starting With Letter A's
Ariel is not the only member of her family to have a name that starts with the letter A. Her six older sisters all do too! They are named Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina.
Ariel is nothing like her sisters who are willing to fall in line and follow instructions for King Triton, their father. Ariel is more of a rebel which means that their name lettering is the only real thing she has in common with them.
7 The Song "Part Of Your World" Was Almost Cut Out Of The Film
Executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg wanted to cut "Part of Your World" out the movie for some unknown reason. Thankfully, no one listened to him and they decided to keep the song in the film.
"Part of Your World" is easily one of the most beloved and memorable Disney songs from a Disney movie in history. The song is all about Ariel wanting to become a human so that she could be with Prince Eric.
6 Sebastian Was Originally Going To Be British Instead Of Jamaican
Sebastian, the worrisome crab, is known for his hilarious concern for Ariel's wellbeing despite the fact that she is an independent young woman. He is also known for singing Disney songs "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea".
It is weird to think that his voice was almost British rather than Jamaican. His Jamaican accent is a huge part of his overall character.
5 Pinocchio's Shipwreck Scene Helped Inspire An Ursula Scene
The animation crew for The Little Mermaid took notes from another classic Disney film in order to create the Ursula scene where she emerges from the ocean water perfectly-- Pinocchio.
The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio are two films that could not be any more different but they come from shared inspiration. Both films are very intense with crazy climaxes that have the potential to frighten little kids.
4 Halle Berry Overcame Backlash & Online Hate After She Was Cast As The Live-Action Princess Ariel
In response to landing the lead role in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey said, “I feel like I’m dreaming, and I’m just grateful. And I don’t pay attention to the negativity."
She went on to say, "I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, and greater, and it’s going to be beautiful. I’m just so excited to be a part of it.” Her maturity is incredible and it will amazing to see her in the role.
3 Ariel Is 16 Years Old In The First Film
Ariel is supposed to be around sixteen years old in the first animated film. Other Disney princesses have other ages of course. Cinderella, for example, is around 19 or 20 years old while Snow White is around 14.
The ages of the princess impact their storylines a bit. For example with Ariel, she is at the age when young people really want to experience freedom and act like adults already, even though they are still kids.
2 Ursula Was Originally Supposed To Be A Spinefish Or Scorpion Fish
Ursula is the evil villain of The Little Mermaid. She is just as bad as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Lady Tremaine, the evil stepmother, from Cinderella. She is thought to be an octopus but she only has six legs. The fact that she is part human might explain the lack of her other two legs.
Originally she was supposed to be either a spinefish or a scorpionfish with a lot of spikes covering her body. How creepy would that have looked? Disney villains are the worst.
1 The Scary Shark Actually Had A Name -- Glut
Although viewers never got a chance to hear the shark's name, his name was Glut. He scared Ariel pretty badly making him one of the villains in the film alongside Ursula and her slimy followers. Glut also scared Ariel's Disney sidekick, Scuttle.
The shark, Glut, had sharp teeth and undeniable speed as he swam through the water. The fact that he never got a chance to hurt Ariel or Scuttle was a relief to viewers watching The Little Mermaid for the first time.