I love the little mermaid, too. I was just the right age when the movie came out and probably watched it at least 200 times throughout my childhood. And I adored Ariel as if she was real. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of seeing her out the window of Disneyland's old submarine ride and almost fainting with joy.
But that doesn't stop me from having fun with it. Because it's still just a movie at the end of the day.