The Little Mermaid (1989 film) ""The Little Mermaid" is a jolly and inventive animated fantasy—a movie that's so creative and so much fun it deserves comparison with the best Disney work of the past." Ebert also commented positively on the character of Ariel, stating, "... Ariel is a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently, even rebelliously, instead of hanging around passively while the fates decide her destiny." The staff of "TV Guide" wrote a positive review, praising the film's return to the traditional Disney musical as well as the film's animation. Yet they also wrote that the film is detracted from by
The Little Mermaid (1989 film) way, "Mermaid" was slated as the next major Disney release. More money and resources were dedicated to "Mermaid" than any other Disney animated film in decades. Aside from its main animation facility in Glendale, California, Disney opened a satellite feature animation facility during the production of "Mermaid" in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (near Orlando, Florida), within Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World. Opening in 1989, the Disney-MGM facility's first projects were to produce an entire Roger Rabbit cartoon short, "Roller Coaster Rabbit", and to contribute ink and paint support to "Mermaid". Another first for recent years was the