viat on Instagram: "Fun Fact: The Little Mermaid (1989) Ariel is iconic for her vibrant red hair, but the color choice was a deliberate move to differentiate her from a very famous real-life mermaid at the time: Daryl Hannah's character in the 1984 movie Splash. That character was blonde. Ariel was initially planned to be a blonde, too, but the animation team opted for a shocking red hue not only to make her unique but also because red contrasts brilliantly with the different shades of green in