The Little Mermaid is a beloved Disney film. It tells the story of a young mermaid who longs to join the human world. With the aid of sea witch, Ursula, she grows legs and joins people above the water.
Ariel must gain the love of a prince in order to stay there.
Despite the efforts of the evil Ursula, Ariel (Spoiler Alert) falls in love with the prince, marries him and remains on land. They live happily ever after.
So how exactly did Disney animators go about creating this movie and its many characters? They used a number of different inspirations. For example, Ursula was based on a drag performer.
Ariel's body and personality were actually based on actress Alyssa Milano who was, at the time, starring in the TV series "Who's the Boss?" The effect of her hair underwater was based on footage of astronaut Sally Ride when she was in space.