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imdb.com

Future 'Mermaid' director Ron Clements originally presented the idea of an animated 'Little Mermaid' to then CEO Jeffery Katzenberg at a pitch meeting. But Katzenberg wasn't interested. The studio was working on a sequel to the 1984 comedy 'Splash,' and Katzenberg thought that two mermaid movies would be overkill.

The 'Splash' sequel never happened and must not have been going so well, because Katzenberg reversed his decision and greenlit 'Mermaid' for development the very next day.