In which Disney animated film was the CAPS system first used for a scene?

The Little Mermaid was the first Disney animated feature to use the CAPS system for a scene.

CAPS, or Computer Animation Production System, was developed jointly by Disney and Pixar in the late 1980s. It digitized parts of the ink-and-paint and compositing process, replacing the need to transfer drawings onto cels and enabling computer-controlled camera movements, layered compositions, and a wider range of color effects.

The 1989 film used CAPS experimentally for a single shot in the farewell rainbow sequence near the ending. The Little Mermaid was therefore a test case, not a fully digital production. The Rescuers Down Under, released in 1990, became the first Disney feature made entirely with CAPS and is often the answer to a differently worded question about the first fully digital animated feature.

CAPS later became central to Disney’s Renaissance-era workflow, supporting films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan. The system’s development team received an Academy Scientific and Engineering Award in 1992.