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) final performance also featured special appearances by Brad Kane (the singing voice of the title character of "Aladdin") and Susan Egan (who played Belle in the stage adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast"), who sang songs from their respective films, and a duet of "A Whole New World". On May 16, 2017, ABC announced that it planned to air a special broadcast of the film, "The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live", on October 3, 2017. The special was to feature a presentation of the film intertwined with live performances of its songs by guest musicians, in a