Disney is reissuing The Little Mermaid on Blu-ray and there are some amazing extras that might be new to even cult Disney fans. (Like, for example, a look at a deleted character called Harold The Merman?!)
Some of the best stuff, however, is a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how The Little Mermaid was created — here are the actual people whose movements and expressions came to create Prince Eric and Ariel in animated form.
This is Sherri Lynn Stoner, the live-action reference actor for Ariel, filming a dinner scene back in the '80s. She's a brunette.
Here's what she looks like today.
Joshua Finkel, the live-action reference for Eric, resembled the Disney prince a bit more.
This is "Eric" today.
In this clip, "Prince Eric" talks about how live action turns into animation.
And here's a bit about Ariel. Turns out a lot of Ariel's quirks came from improvisation.
The three-disc Blu-ray package of The Little Mermaid is out on Oct. 1. You can find out more here.