- “You can't live in that world unless you become a human yourself.”
- ―Ursula to Ariel
Ursula is the main antagonist of the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. She is Ariel's aunt and Triton's younger sister.
She is based on the sea witch from the Danish fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen and the character of the same name from the 1989 animated film.
Role in the film[]
Ursula is seen in her lair watching Ariel via crystal ball where she feels humiliated of being banished into her lair for 15 years just as she tasks her eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, to keep a watch over Ariel.
After Ariel becomes saddened when King Triton destroyed her treasures in her grotto, Ursula appears via image giving Ariel the opportunity to change her fate just as she follows the eels Flotsam and Jetsam to her lair. Swimming past various polyps, Ariel approaches Ursula in her lair where she gives a deal as she sings the musical number "Poor Unfortunate Souls" to Ariel who wants to become a human. Ursula tells Ariel that she must receive true love's kiss from Eric so that she can remain a human permanently within three days or she will turn back into a mermaid if she fails. Ariel accepts, causing Ariel to give up her voice, her tail, and the ability to breathe underwater, turning Ariel into a human.
Ursula disguised as Vanessa in the remake.
After Flotsam and Jetsam knock Ariel and Eric off the boat, Ursula became enraged that Ariel did not receive true love's kiss as she plans to transform into a beautiful woman using Ariel's voice so that she can fall in love with Eric, in which Ursula transforms into Vanessa. Later when Scuttle reveals that Vanessa is indeed Ursula when she sees her via mirror in a room, she warns Ariel about this, fearing that she might marry Eric. During the wedding, Vanessa attempts to marry Eric whom she hypnotizes at his castle where a large group of wedding guests are gathered to watch to which Scuttle disrupts the wedding, taking Ursula's shell from her neck and later shattering the shell, causing Ariel to reclaim her voice as well as causing her to transform into a mermaid.
After Ariel transforms from her human form to her mermaid form, Vanessa is revealed to be Ursula in disguise as she reveals her true form and captures Ariel, causing the wedding guests to retreat from the castle. King Triton later confronts Ursula in the ocean, noticing of what she has done to his daughter as Triton attempts to kill her, but Ursula blocks him, telling him that he already made a deal to which Ursula destroys Triton with his own weapon. As a result of Triton being destroyed, Ursula wears Triton's crown and arms herself with his large trident. As she tries to kill Ariel, Eric injures her with a harpoon, and the sea witch sends Flotsam and Jetsam to drown the prince. Ariel attacks her aunt, causing her to zap Flotsam and Jetsam. Enraged, Ursula transforms into a giant sea monster with the intentions to kill Ariel's true love once and for all.
As Ursula creates a giant whirlpool within the ocean, Eric attempts to fight back, but Ursula attacks him, just as Ariel uses a piece of a destroyed ship and turns the helm to face Ursula. Ariel then steers the ship in front of Ursula, causing the broken part of a mast to impale her, killing Ursula for good. Following Ursula's death, King Triton is revived by his powerful trident, and later transforms Ariel into a human so she can live among Eric and receive her happily ever after as her truest and happiest self.
Trivia[]
- Unlike the original character, this variant of Ursula is King Triton's sister, making her Ariel's paternal aunt.
- The plotline of King Triton and Ursula being siblings is a deleted concept from the animated film. It was first used in the musical adaptation.
- Unlike the original storyline, this variant of Ursula kills people instead of turning them into creatures. She also takes a piece of Ariel's tail for the potion instead of asking her to sign a contract like the original film.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
.png "The Little Mermaid 2023 (1).png (415 KB)")
_-_Ursula.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023 film) - Ursula.jpg (4.06 MB)")
_-_Ursula.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Ursula.jpg (4.57 MB)")
_-_Ursula_and_Ariel.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Ursula and Ariel.jpg (222 KB)")
_-_Tentacles_Heart.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Tentacles Heart.jpg (264 KB)")
_-_Ursula_Over_Cauldron.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Ursula Over Cauldron.jpg (225 KB)")
_-_Vanessa.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Vanessa.jpg (2.72 MB)")
_-_Vanessa_and_Eric.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Vanessa and Eric.jpg (1.66 MB)")
Miscellaneous[]
_-_Poster.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Poster.jpg (4.38 MB)")
_-_RealD_3D_Poster.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - RealD 3D Poster.jpg (259 KB)")
_-_Ursula_Poster.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Ursula Poster.jpg (3.67 MB)")
_-_Photography_-_Ursula_Brewing.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Photography - Ursula Brewing.jpg (6.53 MB)")
_-_Photography_-_Vanessa_1.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Photography - Vanessa 1.jpg (3.09 MB)")
_-_Photography_-_Vanessa_2.jpg "The Little Mermaid (2023) - Photography - Vanessa 2.jpg (3.74 MB)")
