Daniel A. Haskett (born August 20, 1952) is an American veteran animator who, according to Variety, was one of a "group of young animators trained by Disney's 'Nine Old Men' that were confined to one small room in the Disney Feature Animation Building in the 1970s." He started his career in 1969 when he graduated from the High School of Art and Design, and the first thing he did was a commercial for a coffee called Brim, and, according to him, it was "very psychedelic". Haskett was worried when he first entered the company in 1977 due to Disney's reputation at that time. He designed the character Belle for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as Ariel for The Little Mermaid, and Tod as an adult for The Fox and the Hound. Haskett also did earlier designs for Ursula; some were inspired by singer Patti LaBelle, and the character's hair almost looked like fins. Haskett was the main designer of the characters Minerva Mink for Steven Spielberg's Animaniacs and Radio AAHS's mascot disc jockeys Ozzie and Kazoo. Haskett also has credits for Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Toy Story, The Pagemaster, The Prince of Egypt, Sesame Street and The Simpsons. He has been drawing characters for Looney Tunes since 1979 and has recently worked as a character designer for the web series Looney Tunes Cartoons. Notable credits Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) — assistant animator Cat's Can (1986, Sesame Street short) — director Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) — animator The Simpsons (1989) — character designer for Moe Szyslak and Barney Gumble The Little Mermaid (1989) — character designer for Ursula and Ariel Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) — character designer, most known for Babs Beauty and the Beast (1991) — character designer for Belle Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) — animator References External links Interview with Dan Haskett on SeeingBlack.com Daniel A. "Dan" Hasket on The Internet Animation Database American animators Walt Disney Animation Studios people 1952 births Living people African-American people High School of Art and Design alumni