| Ursula | |
|---|---|
| The Little Mermaid character | |
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| First appearance | The Little Mermaid (1989) |
| Created by | Ron Clements John Musker |
| Based on | The Sea Witch from the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale |
| Voiced by |
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| Portrayed by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Vanessa (human alter-ego) |
| Species | Cecaelia Human (via Magical transformation) |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | The Sea Witch Queen of Atlantica (temporarily) |
| Occupation | Sorceress Faustian bargainer |
| Affiliation | Disney Villains |
| Family | |
| Children | Uma (daughter in Descendants) |
| Nationality | Atlantican |
| Pet(s) | Flotsam and Jetsam |
Ursula is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film The Little Mermaid (1989). Voiced by actress Pat Carroll, Ursula is a villainous Cecaelian sea witch who offers her youngest niece, mermaid princess Ariel, a temporary opportunity to become human so that she may earn the love of Prince Eric within three days. However, Ursula, in fact, is determined to sabotage Ariel's chances in order to usurp her older brother King Triton's position as ruler of the oceans.
Created by directors and screenwriters Ron Clements and John Musker, Ursula is based on the sea witch character who appears in the 1837 fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. However, unlike the minor role of the character in the fairy tale, Ursula's role was greatly expanded into a much more prominent villain for the film. Disney had struggled to cast Ursula for a year, during which the role was well sought after by several coveted television actresses at the time. Clements and Musker disagreed with lyricist Howard Ashman about who should voice the character. While the directors had written the role with Bea Arthur in mind, Ashman intended to offer it to soap opera star Joan Collins; both actresses rejected the part. When Ashman cast his second choice, Broadway actress Elaine Stritch, as Ursula, both stage veterans disagreed about the manner in which Ursula's song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" would be performed, and Pat Carroll was finally hired to replace Stritch after Ashman fired her. Deepening her own voice for the role, Carroll based her performance on a combination of Shakespearean actresses and car salespeople.
Animated by Ruben A. Aquino, Ursula's original design was inspired by several different sea creatures, including manta rays and scorpion fish, before Clements finally decided to base the character on an octopus; her number of tentacles was reduced from eight to six for financial reasons. Ursula's appearance was also inspired by American actor and drag queen Divine. When The Little Mermaid was first released in 1989, Ursula was immediately embraced as one of Disney's best villains, and continues to be ranked highly among the studio's greatest by the media. Praised for being humorous and frightening, the character has garnered positive reviews from film critics, some of whom dubbed her Disney's strongest villain in decades. Meanwhile, Carroll's performance has garnered similar acclaim to the point that the role has eclipsed her previous body of work, ultimately becoming virtually synonymous with the character.
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- ^ Ashman, Howard; Menken, Alan (December 15, 2014). "Fathoms Below - Work Tape Version". Spotify. Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection: The Little Mermaid. Walt Disney Records. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
King Triton's their ruler, He's got seven Fair daughters… and a witch of a sister named Ursula.
- ^ Petski, Denise (November 21, 2022). "Brandy & Rita Ora Among 7 Cast In Descendants Sequel The Pocketwatch At Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.