Trivia about The Little Mermaid:
Originally, Sebastian was to have an english accent. The suggestion to change it to a Caribbean accent by lyricist/producer Howard Ashman opened the door to calypso-style numbers like "Under the Sea," which won the Academy Award.
Ariel's rendition of "Part of Your World" set a precedent for subsequent Disney animated musicals where the protagonist would vocalize his or her desires early in the film.
Ariel is the first Disney princess to have biological siblings.
"Part of Your World" was nearly cut from the movie.
For the movie, the actor that voiced Prince Eric was only 16 years old (Christopher Daniel Barnes) - the producers felt his voice sounded much older than he really was.
Many fans debate if Ursula is a squid or an octopus based on the number of her tentacles.
In the movie, the dress that Ariel wears during her dinner with Eric is actually a combination of different dresses worn by every Disney princess prior to her. The puffy sleeves with the diamond designs are similar to the sleeves on Snow White's iconic dress. The light pink color comes from Cinderella's mother's dress (the one the stepsisters rip apart). The full skirt and draping are from Cinderella's famous ball gown. Finally, the off-the-shoulder neckline and long, pointed sleeves were inspried by Princess Aurora's royal ball gown.
The Little Mermaid had been a Disney property since 1941.
Ariel is purposefully made to stand out from her sisters.
Jodi Benson sang "Part of Your World" in the dark to get that 'under the sea' feeling.
