Released in , The Little Mermaid is widely credited with launching the Disney Renaissance , a decade-long era of critical and commercial dominance for the studio. Before its release, Disney's animation department was struggling after several underwhelming projects; The Little Mermaid proved that animated musicals based on classic fairy tales were still cultural powerhouses. 'The Little Mermaid' changed everything - by Caroline Siede

The phrase "" typically refers to a high-quality, modern digital encode of Disney's animated classic. The "10-bit" designation signifies a deeper color depth than standard 8-bit files, reducing "banding" (visible color transitions) in scenes with gradients, such as the vast blue expanses of the ocean floor. The Film That Saved Disney