Perfect

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2001)

The Little Mermaid revitalized animation and Disney. The art form had vacillated quite badly in the 80's but this film came along and once again proved that an animated film can be fun, entertaining and worthy of critical acclaim all the same time.
A film in this genre needs to be judged by the characters, songs and imagery. Here we have them all at peak form. "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea" are two of the best Disney Songs ever. Sebastian and Flounder and the lovable, timeless comic relief sidekicks. And the images - Disney still has not and may never top the sequence to the two aforementioned songs.
But no animated film is can be great without a great villain, and Ursula the Sea Witch is one of the greats. Smarmy, sarcastic, evil, vengeful, arrogant, funny and everything else she needs to be, the character is brilliantly voiced by Pat Carroll and sings the single best ever Disney Villain song - "Poor Unfortunate Souls".
Recently watching Shrek, Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2, I found it amazing that the most recognizable name in the credits for Little Mermaid is Buddy Hackett. Voice-over has been come hotly sought after work for A-list actors (just look at Shrek!) and they have this movie to thank.
I love The Little Mermaid. My wife and I saw it when we were dating and then I got to go again on the re-release with my daughter. It is a treat to be enjoyed over and over again.
**** out of ****.