Ursula (The Little Mermaid) such. In Andersen's tale, the sea witch is not a villain as much as she is "a disreputable mermaid." JR Thorpe of "Bustle" agreed that, in Andersen's story, "The sea witch isn't the enemy". Instead, "human ... nature is." While the original sea witch is willing to help the little mermaid despite the fact that she openly disagrees with her motives, Ursula is only interested in helping Ariel in the hopes of ultimately overthrowing her father. Emma James of "Teen Ink" observed that in addition to giving the character the name "Ursula", the studio "changed her role as a catalyst
The Little Mermaid (1989 film) in box office earnings outside the United States and Canada between both releases, resulting in a total international box office figure of $211 million. "The Little Mermaid" received largely positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes reported that the film has a 92% "Certified Fresh" score based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads ""The Little Mermaid" ushered in a new golden era for Disney animation with warm and charming hand-drawn characters and catchy musical sequences". Roger Ebert, film critic for the "Chicago Sun-Times", was enthusiastic about the film and wrote that,