As the story goes, Ursula gives Ariel feet so that she can walk on land and hopefully get the hapless Prince Eric to fall in love with her. In exchange, Ursula takes Ariel's siren song from her throat.
What does Ursula take from Ariel in The Little Mermaid?
Ariel agrees and signs a magical contract, so her voice is magically pulled into Ursula's Nautilus shell necklace; causing Ursula to laugh gleefully as her plans begin to unfold as Ariel's tail is split into legs.
What crimes did Ursula commit in The Little Mermaid?
As well as attempting to murder Eric, Ursula accidentally murders her minions Flotsam and Jetsam. Her attempt to overthrow Triton would likely see her become the first person convicted of treason in the US since the Second World War too. You wait 70 years for a treason conviction then two come along at once!
When Ursula and Triton's father died, the pair were given an equal share of the sea plus two magical items. Triton received the trident while Ursula received the magic Nautilus shell. Though the two were meant to rule the seas together, Ursula's greed and use of dark magic to usurp Triton led to her being banished.
A scene where Ariel is in Ursula's hideout, taking a deal and getting her voice stolen by Ursula's spell to turn into a human so she can be with Prince Eric. (WARNING!) This scene may be scary for younger audience.
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.
In the past, Ursula was a resident of King Triton's palace, before being banished and exiled by order of the king. Scorned, she has since vowed to exact vengeance by harnessing the power of the king's trident and installing herself as ruler of all the ocean.
In the European and Sacramento productions of the musical based on the first movie, Ariel and King Triton learn during the last confrontation that Ursula killed Ariel's mother.
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.
Athena took too long to try and escape (going back for a music box she'd gotten for her husband as a gift), and she ends up crushed between the pirate ship and the rocks of the cove. Ariel's mother is far from the only material figure in Disney Animation to die.
It's possible Ursula is not a mermaid in appearance because she and Triton did not have the same mother or father. If they're half siblings, Ursula's tentacles make more sense.
In the 1989 animation, Ariel gives up her voice to Ursula the sea witch in exchange for legs. While Ariel is hesitant, Ursula reminds her that she will have no need for her voice above water. I was curious to see how the live action adaptation would navigate this complex plot line.
Ariel gives up her voice repeatedly to become an outside observer of humans from the moment the movie starts; she skips a solo at a concert to poke around a shipwreck. She shows us right away where her values lie and outright tells us about them before she meets Eric.
Being half human, half octopus, and always only second best to King Triton, Ursula has lots of anger issues. She is dying to find a way to become more powerful than Triton, and Ariel is just the tool she needs to trick her way to power.
In the original extended script of the 1989 movie, it is said that Ursula is Triton's sister and that she was banished because she turned to dark magic.
Most of the mermaids and mermen escape safely, but Attina, the oldest princess, gets her tail stuck between two rocks. Athena is able to free her, but she is crushed to death by the ship while trying to save the music box, and the ship sinks after hitting the rocks. Athena's death leaves Triton completely devastated.
One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.
Ursula being Triton's sister greatly changes her motivations, making them far darker than in the original animated film. Whereas Ursula wanted the same things as her animated counterpart, the live-action iteration's actions make her more dangerous and petty.
The deal struck is that mute Ariel has three days to get Prince Eric to kiss her, at which point she'll become permanently human, and Ursula will return her voice.
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.
3. Ursula. Tales of the mythical kraken may have inspired the sea witch Ursula's villainous behaviour in her final battle. Villainous Ursula has a human upper body and a collection of octopus arms instead of legs.
