Animation Sensations, a premiere animation art gallery, has an extensive collection of original Walt Disney animation art, including original production drawings from The Little Mermaid. Our collection of Little Mermaid animation drawings for sale includes some wonderful portraits of Ariel from the 1989 film. We also have two original drawings of Ariel and Sebastian by Mark Henn, Walt Disney Animating Director for The Little Mermaid. These wonderful Original Drawings were drawn by Mark Henn in 1990; they are framed together with Sotheby's "The Art of The Little Mermaid" invitation. 

Please browse our site to find more animation art, including Little Mermaid production cels, production backgrounds, Courvoisier set ups, publicity posters and Disney limited edition cels.  We buy and sell original animation art. 
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The Little Mermaid,  Walt Disney 1989
About the Film

Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid revived the studio's animated classic fairy tales tradition and introduced the first animated Disney princess since Sleeping Beauty's Briar Rose (Princess Aurora) three decades earlier.  The Little Mermaid marked the start of the period know as the Disney Renaissance. 

The Little Mermaid is based on a famous tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Walt Disney animation artists had first considered an animated version of The Little Mermaid in the late 1930s and at the time talented Disney illustrator Kay Nielsen prepared a number of striking story sketches using pastels and watercolors. When Disney Studios finally decided to make the film in the mid-1980's, they retrieved Nielsen's artwork from the Disney Archives. Walt Disney Animators found ample inspiration in Nielsen's work and awarded him with a posthumous credit for a "visual development" on the film. 

Studio animators used live models to help perfect the character's expressions and movements.  Many of Ariel's features were derived from actress Alyssa Milano and actress Sherri Stoner was brought into the studio as a live-action model for Ariel.

The Little Mermaid won the 1989 Best Original Song Academy Award for "Under the Sea", a song composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman.  The song, which is heavily influenced by the Calypso style of the Caribbean, was performed in the film by Samuel E. Wright, the voice of Sebastian.  The film was also awarded Academy Award for Best Original Score. 

Animation Art, Production cels and drawings from The Little Mermaid are colorful and lively.  These animation cels are true works of art and a must-have for any animation collection.