He became a lead character animator, one of the group of young animators mentored by "Disney's Nine Old Men". Keane animated some of Disney's most memorable characters in what has been called the "New "Golden Age" of Disney Animation. He designed and animated the character of Ariel in the film "The Little Mermaid" (1989), and the eagle Marahute in "The Rescuers Down Under". He was supervising animator for the title characters of the three Disney hit features "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas".