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@katiecouric : I thought this was so cool! Meet the real life inspiration behind Ariel from The Little Mermaid! 🧜🏻‍♀️🐠 #Repost @historycoolkids Sherri Stoner served as the animation model for Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) as well as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991).⁣ ⁣ Ariel's lower lip biting and Belle's habit of brushing hair away from her face were both Stoner's mannerisms that animators later incorporated in to the characters.⁣ ⁣ Broadway actor, Joshua Finkel served as the animation model for Eric and performed several key scenes with Stoner in order to help the animators realistically portray the interactions between the two characters.⁣ ⁣ Ariel's personality and body type were based on that of Alyssa Milano, who was starring in a TV show called "Who's the Boss?" at that time. Ariel's underwater hair was based on a combination of footage from Stoner's scene in the pool and footage of Sally Ride's hair when she was in space.⁣ ⁣ Stoner later went on to become one of the writers for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and the voice of Slappy Squirrel, the elderly and grumpy tree squirrel.