Glen Keane brought such sensativity to the drawing of Ariel- he's like the Lon Chaney Jr of Disney animators- his characters sometimes may look big and tough on the surface but underneath they're really sensative people who are just hurting on the inside i.e. Ariel, the Beast-I admire Glen Keane's work a lot!
For Alyssa Milano,I would like to see Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed as "The Little Mermaid".Thank you very much for that amazing making-of. I still got 1989 French version on VHS with Claire Guyot (Ariel's french voice).
that's because i'm pretty sure that actually was probably around eric's age (I looked it up and he was 18)...don't be so sour about our society y'all..it's not as bad as you think..there have ALWAYS been immature teens
I was crying even before it reached one minute. That song always gets me. Even at the very start of any Disney film, before it even starts haha. Just reminds me of being young and care free :D Thanks for posting anyways...great upload.
in hand drawn animation every frame is/was drawn and painted by hand. Though in the Little Mermaid we see some of the first uses of 3D animation, the scene where Ariel is running down the stairs, the stairs are 3D animation and Ariel is hand drawn. In 3D animation the set and characters are all designed and created on a computer.
One of my favorite parts of the Little Mermaid to watch is the part where the fish escapes from the boat and makes it into the ocean, and then the merpeople appear on the scene. I love the music with the main titles
Wow! I feel the same way!!! Ariel was a ditz. Sadly we are both ENFP's and that disturbs me. Belle was the hottest Disney babe of all time...gorgeous and hyper-intelligent. BTW Notice how so many Disney Dads are either overbearing, insane or ineffectual?
Snow White actually had a lot of character development for the time, you know being the first feature length animation and all. The expectations of the story and development of animated movies are much higher than they were back in the day. Animation was just getting started in the 1920s and 30s and wasn't thought too much of. Animations were similar to funnies in newspapers then. Disney was called foolish when people heard he was going to make Snow White. ~animation history nerd random facts
OMG! I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE!! These old movies made of drawings were so magical! no pixar movie can top that, yes, they're not that bad but it's just not the same
Someday I wish to become a well-known character animator... Make great movies the way they should be made. Disney was an inspiring force in the 1990's for me.
Yeah, I love the old Disney movies too but they have made a lot of really good movies recently. I think we forget a lot that 2D animation is no longer popular in the U.S. It's mostly done in Korea now.
I Love the part with the pencil animation and the numbers where Ariel is singing a sample of Part Of Your World (Reprise). Expect the music is a keyboard and not the original music BUT I like the keyboard just as better. It's from 5:02 and 5:15
Mark Foy Hahahahahahahahahahahaha that's a very funny explanation. If she hated Disney so much then why did she agree to host the behind the scenes of this film?
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman knew what it took to create a true musical. Howard with lyrics and Alan with music. Alan and Howard were unbeatable team! This however, was the ONLY movie that Alan and Howard were present to receive an acadamy award for, TOGETHER. Their first movie, "Little Shop of Horrors" was nominated but didn't win any. "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" won awards, but only Alan was there to receive them because by then, Howard had sadly passed away.
Most of the animators you see here are working on Disney's newest movie coming later this year. I'm hoping it lives up to my expectations, since it is a return to Disney's traditional hand-drawn style.
She was only 28 when she did the voice of Ariel. And Chris looks so young too! lol! But at least he gave a bit of commentary for this special, unlike the similar special on the DVD Platinum Ed. of Little Mermaid, from 2006.
I remembered that this movie is on Disney plus and it's also in the program Once Upon a Studio. This is one of my favorite Disney movies. My favorite character in the movie is Ariel and my favorite song in the movie is Part of Your World.
Same I have a VHS recorder for 14 years and I still watch Disney movies and all my VHS that I have as a kid. I even record the movies that I love on VHS.
Probably right before it came out... as she says in the beginning, "I got a sneak preview of the movie..." so I'm guessing it had not yet been released.
Tv documentary showcases the making of the movie that began the Disney Renaissance. Hosted by Alyssa Milano, we hear from directors Ron Clements, John Musker, animators Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, Kathy Zielinski, reference models Sherri Stoner, Joshua Finkle, visual effects supervisor Mark Dindal, background supervisor Donald Towns, composers and songwriters Alan Menken and Howard Ashman and actors Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Buddy Hacket, and Pat Caroll.
Oh lord, Menken and Ashman are geniuses. What Howard's talking about at the end...in "Little Shop of Horrors," that song would be "Somewhere That's Green!" :D TLM is...just...another masterpiece...it gives you shivers, it's so amazing. I've always related so well to Ariel. I now understand Triton better, too.
Funny how Sebastian sucks up to Triton while he's in his presence, but later breaks so many of Triton's rules behind his back. Just goes to show that he sees Triton just as strict as Ariel sees him. Kind of reminds me of Cogsworth.
@Chaostic i found this on the web, i hope is useful information ''The wedding scene at the close of the film marked one of the first use of CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) in a Disney feature. Is a digital ink-and-paint and animation production system that colors the animators drawings digitally, as opposed to the traditional animation method of tracing ink and paint onto cels. The rest of The Little Mermaid uses hand-painted cels. All subsequent Disney features have used CAPS.''
Voice actor info: Jodi Benson: Ariel (The Little Mermaid Series and Kingdom Hearts, of course), Tula (The Pirates of Dark Water), Patsy Smiles and Jane Doe (Camp Lazlo) Christopher Daniel Barnes: Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Spider-Man 1994-1998 Fox Kids Version, which is one of the best Spider-Man series ever produced)
When an artist designs a character, there's usually a starting point reference he or she may use as inspiration. so even though Alyssa Milano may have been the original inspiration physically (even emotionally) for Ariel, the later use of live action reference performances and performances by voice actress jodi benson are going to play a much heavier role in the look and feel of the character.. just in case anyone was curious to know as to how you get from point A) Alyssa to point B) Ariel ;)
Wow...she's right. "The Little Mermaid" began the new era of Disney classics. I'm proud to say that I lived through the best times; TLM came out a year after I was born.
@PurpleRosa98 Er.....Actually, Jodi was in her twenties when she voiced the character. She was on Broadway before she worked for Disney. In fact, the dude who wrote "Part of Your World" got the idea to write the song after he worked as lyricist for the 1986 Broadway musical "Smile" (a production which Jodi starred in.)
lol! you sure looove muusic :) Ya, I love the ending music too when the beast is about to die. My favourite one is the music in the beginning of the movie explaining why the prince was turned into a beast. *Have you ever noticed that the Beast does NOT have a name. Near the ending of the movie(after Gaston falls to his death) Belle reaches out to the beast saying: "Beast!" that's when I realized "Hey! He's hasn't got a name!" lmao I wonder what his name is? Benjamin, Jacques?(french)
You know I totally agree with you! I have been watching The Little Mermaid ever since I was 2 years old, now I am 13 years old and I still love it!. It is actually my favorite movie ever. I am one of the teenagers who really likes Disney.
I sympathize with Ariel and I understand why Ariel left home because she was feed up with her father especially after he destroyed her things she worked so hard to collect.
He plays Greg Brady in the Brady Bunch movies of the 1990s (The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel). He also showed up randomly across various 90s TV shows.
Rest in peace Howard Ashman...his lyrics were gorgeous...
thank you Jodi for being the voice to the most inspiring princess, thank you "watch and you'll see somehow I'll be part of your world."
Belle, Mulan, Anna, Rapunzel, Tiana and Pocahontas are way more inspiring. Ariel is fun and all but she has many flaws.
La_Trolette none of whom we’d even be talking about if not for Ariel
RIP Howard. You gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul. Wonderful lyricist you were.
Sooooo eighties, lol.
I've never seen Howard Ashman talk. I'm really glad that they interviewed him. Thanks for posting this!
hard to believe that this movie is 25 years old today. 25 years of entertaining Disney fans under the sea.
Glen Keane brought such sensativity to the drawing of Ariel- he's like the Lon Chaney Jr of Disney animators- his characters sometimes may look big and tough on the surface but underneath they're really sensative people who are just hurting on the inside i.e. Ariel, the Beast-I admire Glen Keane's work a lot!
For Alyssa Milano,I would like to see Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed as "The Little Mermaid".Thank you very much for that amazing making-of.
I still got 1989 French version on VHS with Claire Guyot (Ariel's french voice).
The guy who models for Eric is gorgeous.
Jodi Benson and Alyssa Milano
My 2 beautiful queens 💖
Yes, I wanted to point that out, too! That the animators based Ariel's face on Alyssa Milano! :)
She looks so much like Ariel! ❤
Her, and 'Slappy Squirrel'. (Sherri Stoner)
Alyssa Milano... always so beautiful. One of my very favorite episodes of Charmed was "A Witch's Tale" in which her character turned into a mermaid.
Still can't believe that the actor who voiced Eric was only sixteen at the time.
Teenagers weren't that childish back then...
Don't remind me....
that's because i'm pretty sure that actually was probably around eric's age (I looked it up and he was 18)...don't be so sour about our society y'all..it's not as bad as you think..there have ALWAYS been immature teens
***** That's usually how it works.
AliSakurai They picked him because he sounded a lot older than his actual age.
This was my favorite movie when I was a kid.
I was crying even before it reached one minute. That song always gets me. Even at the very start of any Disney film, before it even starts haha. Just reminds me of being young and care free :D
Thanks for posting anyways...great upload.
Ms. Jodi Thankyou for playing Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Ariel is my favorite favorite from The Little Mermaid.
i just realized that the same guy that voiced Eric also voiced Spiderman in the Spiderman animated series in the 90's... Cool
Also the person who voiced Floatsam and Jetsam voiced Gozer in Ghostbusters
Gosh Jodi Benson is amazing
Laura McLaughlin Ikr
Anyone else noticed her middle finger when she said "kiss by a prince" @ 0:27
in hand drawn animation every frame is/was drawn and painted by hand. Though in the Little Mermaid we see some of the first uses of 3D animation, the scene where Ariel is running down the stairs, the stairs are 3D animation and Ariel is hand drawn. In 3D animation the set and characters are all designed and created on a computer.
Little mermaid = the best Disney movie ever
Katie Locka I strongly agree your opinion, little mermaid must be best Disney movie ever
One of my favorite parts of the Little Mermaid to watch is the part where the fish escapes from the boat and makes it into the ocean, and then the merpeople appear on the scene. I love the music with the main titles
I remember this why doesn't Disney show TV specials like this now
Well knowing king triton I bet he won't be happy with walking around as he says it 'his " ocean" ugh why is he so grumpy all the time it makes me mad
Oh just the right story about a grumpy old merman who yells at his daughter and brakes her stuff and spies on her and calls Eric a " barbarian"
Oh she loved it didn't she she loved who king triton was yelling at his daughter and spieing on her and literally destroying her entire stuff
Only becuse she dosent whant to listen to her mean old dad
She wanted two !!!!!!!!!
Oh good lord, those animators have more talent in their hand than I have in my entire body!
Ariel's live-action model voiced Slappy Squirrel XD
Ahh...this brings back so many childhood memories...
Ariel is my favorite.Reminds me of Tangled's Rapunzel.
It still one of the best Disney movies to this day good thing Disney is turning it into live action they nevered did it to the little mermaid before
Thank you soooo soooo much for uploading this!!!
7:27 DADDY I LOVE HIM 😍😂😂
Melina Gaines At that point, I was like "Oh shit"!!!!
Michael Frazier Jr same;)
Wow! I feel the same way!!! Ariel was a ditz. Sadly we are both ENFP's and that disturbs me. Belle was the hottest Disney babe of all time...gorgeous and hyper-intelligent. BTW Notice how so many Disney Dads are either overbearing, insane or ineffectual?
Oh gosh, I gotta start watching more of these. Thank you for uploading this.
the backround music at the begining gives me goose bumps whenever i hear it!
It's funny that he says all that about Alice when at the film's release, Disney himself was disappointed that Alice seemed "heartless".
Alyssa Milano is so pretty and sweet!!
I love you for posting this!
Notice how she flips you off at 28 seconds into the video.
Snow White actually had a lot of character development for the time, you know being the first feature length animation and all. The expectations of the story and development of animated movies are much higher than they were back in the day. Animation was just getting started in the 1920s and 30s and wasn't thought too much of. Animations were similar to funnies in newspapers then. Disney was called foolish when people heard he was going to make Snow White.
~animation history nerd random facts
WOW that's Phoebe from Charmed. GOD I used to love that show when I was a kid.Good old days.
I can't wait to see how they are gonna make the Little Mermaid into a live action movie
Believe me.. you don't want it... 😅
Oh man this did not age well
they ruined the little mermaid for me
It’s actually good has most of songs
OMG! I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE!! These old movies made of drawings were so magical! no pixar movie can top that, yes, they're not that bad but it's just not the same
Someday I wish to become a well-known character animator... Make great movies the way they should be made. Disney was an inspiring force in the 1990's for me.
0:47 till 1:14 I loved this part. It's just show how wonderful Disney was. I had to say i was crying :')
Yeah, I love the old Disney movies too but they have made a lot of really good movies recently. I think we forget a lot that 2D animation is no longer popular in the U.S. It's mostly done in Korea now.
I want 2D back, I want this kind of magic back ;_; Thanks for uploading
Alyssa Milano was actually part of the inspiration for Ariel.
haha, the prince voice actore was actually a 16 year old. classic.
I Love the part with the pencil animation and the numbers where Ariel is singing a sample of Part Of Your World (Reprise). Expect the music is a keyboard and not the original music BUT I like the keyboard just as better. It's from 5:02 and 5:15
Awesome. I was born 1991 and I've known how to work a VCR since I was 2 or 3 and I've loved VHS tapes since.
Alyssa Milano also starred in a TV movie with Connie Sellecca called "The Surrogate."
I love this movie. My favorite characters are Sebastian, King Triton, and Scuttle.
Making of The Little Mermaid hosted by The Little Mermaid
a bit creepy
Why the heck did she show the middle finger what the heck?
A big fuck you to Disney.
Mark Foy Hahahahahahahahahahahaha that's a very funny explanation. If she hated Disney so much then why did she agree to host the behind the scenes of this film?
+Mark Foy Lol
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman knew what it took to create a true musical. Howard with lyrics and Alan with music. Alan and Howard were unbeatable team! This however, was the ONLY movie that Alan and Howard were present to receive an acadamy award for, TOGETHER. Their first movie, "Little Shop of Horrors" was nominated but didn't win any. "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" won awards, but only Alan was there to receive them because by then, Howard had sadly passed away.
Most of the animators you see here are working on Disney's newest movie coming later this year. I'm hoping it lives up to my expectations, since it is a return to Disney's traditional hand-drawn style.
born in 1995 :) still have a VCR to play all of the movies i watched as a kid
I am in love with this movie! Its my favorite disney movie , for sure!
She was only 28 when she did the voice of Ariel.
And Chris looks so young too! lol! But at least he gave a bit of commentary for this special, unlike the similar special on the DVD Platinum Ed. of Little Mermaid, from 2006.
Guardado por 13 años hasta ahora lo e podido ver (Spanish)
I remembered that this movie is on Disney plus and it's also in the program Once Upon a Studio. This is one of my favorite Disney movies. My favorite character in the movie is Ariel and my favorite song in the movie is Part of Your World.
This girl is now 40 years old.
I can't believe that is Alyssa Milano (Phoebe from Charmed) I didn't realize her roots were in Disney. This is so cool!
did you know that Christopher Barnes also voiced Spiderman and is the current official voice of Prince Charming (Cinderella)
***** omg I never thought of that
Nipun Sharma He was also in The Brady Bunch Movie.
This is the film that saved Disney. Without it there's no Aladdin, no Hunchback, no Lion King... For that I'm eternally grateful.
Milano served as inspiration for designing Ariel's character!!
I love the Little Mermaid!! It has always been my favorite Disney movie and always will be :)
Disney is amazing and so as "The Little Mermaid",thank you so much for the upload!
Ariel 16 years old
I'm the biggest fan of the beginning of this documentary. It's so magical. It's beautiful. Not to mention, Allyssa Milano is really talented. :)
Why wasn't this included on the BluRay?
Same I have a VHS recorder for 14 years and I still watch Disney movies and all my VHS that I have as a kid. I even record the movies that I love on VHS.
This looks old . Was it filmed when the movie came out in 1989 ?
Probably right before it came out... as she says in the beginning, "I got a sneak preview of the movie..." so I'm guessing it had not yet been released.
It's really old though so yeah it really old BIG TIME
Emily Googoo This had to been shown in the summer of 1989. This film was released on November 17, 1989.
Tv documentary showcases the making of the movie that began the Disney Renaissance. Hosted by Alyssa Milano, we hear from directors Ron Clements, John Musker, animators Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, Kathy Zielinski, reference models Sherri Stoner, Joshua Finkle, visual effects supervisor Mark Dindal, background supervisor Donald Towns, composers and songwriters Alan Menken and Howard Ashman and actors Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Buddy Hacket, and Pat Caroll.
Oh lord, Menken and Ashman are geniuses. What Howard's talking about at the end...in "Little Shop of Horrors," that song would be "Somewhere That's Green!" :D TLM is...just...another masterpiece...it gives you shivers, it's so amazing. I've always related so well to Ariel. I now understand Triton better, too.
you know what's ironic: when Alyssa Milano was later in "Charmed", she starred in an episode where she becomes a mermaid herself;P!
Thank you for making my childhood wonderful and full of magic :)
Can't wait for the 3D / blu ray release in September/October! This got me so excited! It's been my favorite Disney film since childhood.
What happened to this disney channel?
Fun fact; Later on CHARMED Alyssa Milano played a Mermaid again....
I wish they made Disney movies like they used to. Hand drawn, not ALL computer animated. The drawn movies showed TRUE talent.
I always feel like Ariel's face looks odd at 8:27. But I love, love, love how her hair was animated.
Funny how Sebastian sucks up to Triton while he's in his presence, but later breaks so many of Triton's rules behind his back. Just goes to show that he sees Triton just as strict as Ariel sees him.
Kind of reminds me of Cogsworth.
Jeez, that pronunciation; sounds like she's saying "Hands Christian Aronson."
i was only two months old when this movie came out and it's my most favorite disney movie ever!
@Chaostic i found this on the web, i hope is useful information ''The wedding scene at the close of the film marked one of the first use of CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) in a Disney feature. Is a digital ink-and-paint and animation production system that colors the animators drawings digitally, as opposed to the traditional animation method of tracing ink and paint onto cels. The rest of The Little Mermaid uses hand-painted cels. All subsequent Disney features have used CAPS.''
This is awesome! The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie and I never knew this existed!!!
The Little Mermaid is my number one Favourite Disney film ever 😊❤️🧜🏻♀️
It's sad that he died. He could have kept Disney on the spot even to this day...
Voice actor info:
Jodi Benson: Ariel (The Little Mermaid Series and Kingdom Hearts, of course), Tula (The Pirates of Dark Water), Patsy Smiles and Jane Doe (Camp Lazlo)
Christopher Daniel Barnes: Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Spider-Man 1994-1998 Fox Kids Version, which is one of the best Spider-Man series ever produced)
5:00 Sherri Stoner, folks...ya know, the lady behind slappy squirrel on animaniacs?
vj
I wish so badly I could watch this movie like that again, with the old sounds and old colors...all that old movie look...that's nostalgic for me :´ )
When an artist designs a character, there's usually a starting point reference he or she may use as inspiration. so even though Alyssa Milano may have been the original inspiration physically (even emotionally) for Ariel, the later use of live action reference performances and performances by voice actress jodi benson are going to play a much heavier role in the look and feel of the character..
just in case anyone was curious to know as to how you get from point A) Alyssa to point B) Ariel ;)
I MISS OLD DISNEY MOVIES!
Wow...she's right. "The Little Mermaid" began the new era of Disney classics. I'm proud to say that I lived through the best times; TLM came out a year after I was born.
@PurpleRosa98
Er.....Actually, Jodi was in her twenties when she voiced the character. She was on Broadway before she worked for Disney. In fact, the dude who wrote "Part of Your World" got the idea to write the song after he worked as lyricist for the 1986 Broadway musical "Smile" (a production which Jodi starred in.)
lol! you sure looove muusic :)
Ya, I love the ending music too when the beast is about to die.
My favourite one is the music in the beginning of the movie explaining why the prince was turned into a beast.
*Have you ever noticed that the Beast does NOT have a name. Near the ending of the movie(after Gaston falls to his death) Belle reaches out to the beast saying: "Beast!"
that's when I realized "Hey! He's hasn't got a name!" lmao
I wonder what his name is? Benjamin, Jacques?(french)
Thanks for sharing Pattybug!
You know I totally agree with you! I have been watching The Little Mermaid ever since I was 2 years old, now I am 13 years old and I still love it!. It is actually my favorite movie ever. I am one of the teenagers who really likes Disney.
I sympathize with Ariel and I understand why Ariel left home because she was feed up with her father especially after he destroyed her things she worked so hard to collect.
I miss the old Disney channel
They need a Retro Disney channel to play all the old cartoons, thumbs up if you again
He plays Greg Brady in the Brady Bunch movies of the 1990s (The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel). He also showed up randomly across various 90s TV shows.
if we closed r eyes then we wouldn't be able to see them right now becus r eyes would be closed