The Little Mermaid was the first feature of Disney’s revived animation era, commonly called the Disney Renaissance.
Released in 1989, The Little Mermaid renewed the commercial and critical strength of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Its success helped establish the model of combining fairy-tale storytelling, memorable songs, comedy, and expressive character animation that defined the studio’s major releases during the 1990s.
Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King followed during the same era, but they were not the first Renaissance features. The term “Disney Renaissance” is an informal label used for the period beginning with The Little Mermaid and continuing through several highly successful animated films.