Disney's sea witch Ursula's villainy is defended by The Little Mermaid live-action remake's Melissa McCarthy, stating that she is misunderstood. The Little Mermaid's sea witch Ursula is a misunderstood figure among Disney's pantheon of villains, according to Melissa McCarthy.

Who is the true villain in The Little Mermaid?

Revered as a fan favorite, Ursula has established herself as one of Disney's most iconic characters; she is widely regarded as one of the studio's "classic" villains.

Was Ursula actually evil?

Ursula is based on the "sea witch" character in Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Little Mermaid". In the original story, the sea witch is a neutral enabler, but for Disney's animated adaptation, the character was modified into a full-fledged antagonist and plays a larger role in the overall story.

Is Ursula a hero or villain?

Ursula doesn't bother hiding her villainy

Instead, she draws up a contract for Ariel, who fully knows that Ursula is a sea witch, and watches the mermaid sign it willingly. Later, she comes for Ariel after the mermaid tries to back out of the voice-for-legs deal. As evil plots go, that's as fair as you can be.

Why did Ursula become a villain?

Ursula's plan was not only to trick Ariel, so she could own her but also to get rid of her, so she could replace King Triton and thus rule over the oceans. However, her reasons to do so, for her resentment towards King Triton and company, and for her banishment and isolation weren't revealed in the movie.

Film Theory: The DARK Secret of the Little Mermaid (Disney)

Why does Ursula hate Ariel?

Ariel makes this deal because she falls in love with Prince Eric and desires to be with him. Ursula specifically targets Ariel because she sees an opportunity to exploit her curiosity about the human world and her fascination with Prince Eric.

Who killed Ursula in the original Little Mermaid?

Ariel kills the Sea Witch at the end of the movie.

At the end of the 1989 animated film, Eric saves the day and kills Ursula. But in the new movie, Ariel is no longer the damsel in distress. She takes matters into her own hands and kills Ursula herself.

Why is Ursula so scary?

Ursula: She's a Witch

This sea enchantress harkens back to myths of old, luring innocents to her lair and stealing their lives, or worse. Ursula captures perfectly that fear deep water creates as she lurks in the shadows. It's impossible to know what she's up to...or when she'll strike.

Why is Ursula the worst villain?

Ursula deliberately makes the terms of her deals with mortals nearly impossible to fulfill, because she wants her clients to fail and turn into polyps she's duly surprised and enraged when Ariel almost succeeds anyway.)

Why is Ursula jealous?

Throughout the film, it's revealed that Ursula's fixation on Ariel is due to her jealousy of Ariel's beauty and “princess” title.

Why did Ursula become skinny?

But in a desire to re-market these ladies to a chic clientele, it appears that they decided to shave more than a few pounds off of Ursula the Sea Witch and Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts. Because in order to be fashionable, you must be thin. The fact is, Ursula was fashionable.

Why does Ursula want Ariel's voice?

The Little Mermaid

During the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls", Ursula asks Ariel for her voice, saying that men only want silent and obedient women, but secretly in an attempt to make sure Eric won't be able to recognize her or fall in love with her, to which Ariel agrees, and signs a contract.

Were Triton and Ursula siblings?

Although The Little Mermaid live-action confirms Ursula is Triton's sister, the Sea Witch does not have a mermaid's tale like Ariel. Rather, Ursula's appearance is radically different from her family, and she sports tentacles that look like a permanent black dress.

What happened to Ariel's mom?

While it is known that her mother perished, there is no story attached to the event. However, much later, in 2008, an animated The Little Mermaid prequel revealed that Ariel's mother was crushed by a pirate ship during an altercation between humans and merpeople.

Why is Ursula a octopus?

“There's so much you can do with tentacles. They give a creepy feeling,” supervising animator Ruben Aquino told Premiere magazine in 1989, adding the team ultimately decided to make her look like an octopus.

Is Ursula a drag queen?

Ursula was initially going to resemble Joan Collins, however, basing the character on Divine made much more sense. "It just seemed like a funny and quirky idea," Minkoff added, "to take [Ursula] and treat her more like a drag queen."

Why did Ursula seduce Eric?

At first it seems Ursula does this only so Ariel can't reveal her identity to Eric - but the true reason is so Ariel can't further control him.

What was Ursula before she was evil?

In this novel, Ursula is King Triton's younger sister who was betrayed by him as a child for choosing a tentacled form instead of a mermaid's tail, and grew up as a human in the town of Ipswich with an adoptive human father.

Why does Ursula hate Phoebe so much?

It's pretty simple. Ursula and Phoebe developed totally opposite personalities while growing up. Deep down, Ursula wanted to have what Phoebe had, that is, a respectable life, a group of best buddies to hang out with and a good cheerful life - with prospective dates and a lot of fun too.

Why is Ursula a drag queen?

The original character in the 1989 movie was inspired by the triple threat drag queen, actor, and singer Divine, a fact that was mere speculation at first, but has since been confirmed by those involved with the film. Divine catapulted to cult fame after appearing in Pink Flamingos, John Waters' filthy 1972 comedy.

What is Ursula afraid of?

Lettie is finally able to do away with Ursula when she learns the monster's real name—Skarthatch of the Keep—and what Ursula is afraid of: the hunger birds. Ursula reappears briefly after the hunger birds eat her to torment the narrator, making him feel friendless and alone.

What crime did Ursula commit?

Ursula: Treason, conspiracy, attempted murder, usurpation, attempted world domination, theft, false imprisonment, sabotage, impersonation, brainwashing, abuse of power.

Why is Scuttle a girl?

Scuttle is not only changed from male to female but is also now a diving bird instead of a seagull. "This was done specifically so that Ariel would only meet Scuttle underwater, because, at the start of our story, Ariel has never dared go above the surface," director Rob Marshall said in production notes.

What happens if Ariel doesn't kiss Eric?

Ariel was offered by Ursula to become a human for three days and would become human permanently if she shares a kiss of true love with Eric, but will turn back into a mermaid and be bound to Ursula for eternity if she fails to kiss Eric.

Is The Little Mermaid a dark story?

Mermaids Have No Souls In The Fairy Tale

One of the ways that The Little Mermaid's original story is dark compared to the Disney adaptation is that Hans Christian Andersen's story pays particular attention to the souls and the potential afterlife of the individuals in the story.