How Die Hard Changed The Little Mermaid's Original Ending

screenrant.com:

Unbelievably, iconic action film Die Hard actually had an impact on changing the original ending of Disney classic The Little Mermaid. In 1988, Die Hard blew audiences away with its original characters and action sequences. The film impacted every action movie that would follow, but shockingly enough, it also impacted a popular children’s movie from the time. The 1989 release of Disney’s beloved animated classic, The Little Mermaid, marked the beginning of a run of success at the studio that hadn’t been seen since Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In 1984, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells were brought in by Roy E. Disney to keep the family company together, and they tasked eventual Quibi founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, with reviving the division.Against all odds, the creative team at Disney turned a struggling animation department around with a streak of films that enjoyed both critical acclaim and commercial success.

At the time, live-action films were on the rise at Disney, and animators were not well regarded, having been pushed off the studio lot to satellite offices in Glendale. Assuming the end of the animation division was looming, the artists held little esteem for their questionably qualified new chairman, who had no experience with animation. The Little Mermaid was set to be the first in an ambitious series of Disney animated movies to be released each upcoming year. Katzenberg cared only about the commercial success and wanted The Little Mermaid to revitalize Disney animated movies to make a splash at the box office. With test screenings faltering, Katzenberg, who had initially rejected the project, overwhelmed the animators with notes. Some, like suggesting they cut “A Part of Your World” have since been