"Rethinking Columbus" offered some good insight

Rating: 5/10 (2 October 2006)

In 1992, when most of the country was celebrating the quincentenary of Columbus landing in the Americas, the educational organization Rethinking Schools published a study guide called "Rethinking Columbus", looking at the real effects that his legacy had. One of the things that it mentioned was portrayals of certain groups in popular media, and it mentioned Disney movies, including "The Little Mermaid". The three women in the movie are Ariel, Ursula and the maid. One exists only to be beautiful, one exists only to be evil, and the other exists only to get chores done. In short, not good role models for little girls.
I guess that as long as we understand that, the movie is probably OK. I actually think that it sounds funny that religious wackos have found what they claim are sexual perversions in the movie. What's really interesting is when one sees the cast: Rene Auberjonois, Nancy Cartwright, Gerrit Graham, Buddy Hackett, Mark Hamill, Kenneth Mars and Edie McClurg. To rephrase that: the "MASH" priest, Bart Simpson, a cult flick star, Benji from "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", Luke Skywalker, the "Young Frankenstein" cop, and the woman who got cursed at by Steve Martin in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". Whoa.