Creator of Ariel, Aladdin and Pocahontas leaves Disney

[caption id=“attachment_256160” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Ariel from the Little Mermaid was a Glen Keane creation: Screengrab from YouTube”]  [/caption] Glen Keane, the man responsible for creating many of Disney’s most beloved characters has announced that he is leaving the company after nearly 38 years. Keane was a part of Disney animations from 1974 and was responsible for the creation of characters like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, the Beast from _Beauty and the Beast_and, Tarzan and Pocahontas. In his letter to employees Keane said,

I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist it’s siren call to step out and discover them. Disney has been my artistic home since September 9,1974. I owe so much to those great animators who mentored me—Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston—as well as to the many other wonderful people at Disney whom I have been fortunate to work with in the past nearly 38 years.

The rumors are that Keane may move to Dreamworks studios which is responsible for movies like Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda and How to Train your Dragon. However he has not confirmed anything yet, saying instead that he was exploring his options. In the meantime here are some links to our favorite Disney songs featuring Keane’s characters. (Note: The links provided are from YouTube and Firstpost is not responsible for the veracity of the content) * Part of your world - The Little mermaid  Every little girl who watched Little Mermaid wanted to be Ariel - or at least sing like her. This longing ballad where Ariel dreams of being a part of the human world is a steady favorite. * Prince Ali - Aladdin  The lovable scoundrel Aladdin, is one of Disney’s most beloved characters. And this song, where he uses the powers of Robin Williams’ genie to make a grand entrance in his bid for the heart of Princess Jasmine best showcases the hopes and dreams of Disney’s ‘diamond in the rough’ * Something there that wasn’t there before - Beauty and the Beast  Although “Beauty and the Beast” is the most popular song from the movie, it is in this song that we actually see Belle warm towards the Beast, who it seems is not a horrendous monster, but a big old softie… with personality issues. * Colors of the wind - Pocahontas  As much as we’d like to be non conventional - the character Pocahontas is synonymous with this song. So enjoy.