12 things you probably didn't know about 'The Little Mermaid'

Disney was working on a sequel to the popular live-action mermaid comedy Splash (1984) when Ron Clements pitched The Little Mermaid.Clements told Yahoo in 2016 that then-Disney execs Michael Eisenberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg temporarily nixed his idea because they thought doing two mermaid movies would be too much.But they later returned to The Little Mermaid when they realized it was a fairy tale [Disney] hadn't done.Baltimore-based drag queen and actress Divine inspired early sketches of the iconic Disney villain, according to a Hazlitt report by Nicole Pasulka and Brian Ferree.Unfortunately, Divine died a year before the movie was released and never got to see the character come to life. Pat Carroll wasn't the first choice for the voice of Ursula.The studio wanted Golden Girls star Bea Arthur to voice the sea witch, according to Allan Neuwirth's book Makin' Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies.But apparently, Arthur's agent wasn't a fan of the idea.Most fans would probably be quick to call the film's sassy villain an octopus, but Ursula is actually a cecaelia, which is a mythical human-octopus hybrid.The character doesn't even have eight tentacles. She has six plus her two human arms, reportedly because animating the tentacles cost too much money. When Ariel sings Part of Your World, there are some fun background details in the treasure trove behind her. There's a bust of what appears to be Abraham Lincoln on one of the shelves in the cave, and Ariel swims up to the famed painting Magdalene With the Smoking Flame by Georges de La Tour.Part of Your World was almost removed from the film after initial test screenings showed audience members weren't loving it, according to the Disney Plus documentary Howard about the late Disney lyricist Howard Ashman. Fortunately, a positive second round of screenings saved the sentimental scene from the chopping block.Due to limited resources and the intense amount of animation work required for the film, Disney hired Pacific Rim Productions to hand-painted the bubbles seen throughout The Little Mermaid, according to The Political Economy of Disney: The Cultural Capitalism of Hollywood.The directors were specific about the fact that they wanted each one done by hand, so every bubble throughout the entire film was unique.During a 2013 appearance on Wendy Williams' talk show, Alyssa Milano told the host that animator Glen Keane created Ariel in her likeness.He used photos of the actress from when she was younger to perfect Ariel's facial features, but Milano said she didn't know she was the inspiration behind the character until the company asked her to host The Making of the Little Mermaid.Ariel's father, King Triton, is the son of Poseidon.Given that Poseidon is Zeus' brother, and Zeus is Hercules' father, Ariel and Hercules are first cousins, once removed.Considering this was Alan Menken's first time composing a Disney film, it's rather impressive he and Ashman won the awards for best original score and song at the 1990 Academy Awards.Mickey, Goofy, Donald Duck, Kermit the Frog, Mr. Limpet, and the Duke and King from Cinderella all make surprise cameos in the film.There are a few hidden Mickeys in The Little Mermaid, including on Ursula's contract for Ariel and in the background of the scene where Chef Louis tries to cook Sebastian. Read More:18 interesting things you may not know about iconic Disney princess outfits10 surprising things you probably didn't know about 'Toy Story'27 hidden references and clever jokes in 'Hercules' you probably missed as a kidAll of Disney's animated princess movies, ranked by critics

12 things you probably didn't know about 'The Little Mermaid'

The idea for the film was initially shut down.

Ursula was inspired by a famous drag queen.

Disney wanted Bea Arthur to voice Ursula.

Ursula isn't technically an octopus.

Ariel's cave of treasures has some fun Easter eggs.

"Part of Your World" was almost cut from the film.

Disney reportedly outsourced the animation of the bubbles that appear in the film.

Ariel's features are based on actress Alyssa Milano's.

Ariel and Hercules are sort of cousins.

"The Little Mermaid" earned two Oscars for its music.

There are a few hidden cameos in the movie.

There are also a few hidden Mickeys in the movie.