Hynfucs on Instagram: ". Interesting Fact: The Little Mermaid (1989): Ariel was originally designed as a blonde, but Disney changed her hair to bright red to avoid confusion with other famous blonde mermaids and heroines. The red hair also made her stand out visually against the ocean backgrounds, especially in underwater scenes. Animator Glen Keane based Ariel’s facial expressions and movement on actress Sherri Stoner, who performed many scenes in a pool to help the animators capture realistic