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.

Why is a black girl playing The Little Mermaid?

On the significance of casting a Black actress as Ariel

Sherri Hope Culver: To have a Disney character who is not just a princess but a live-action, real flesh and blood person that children can be inspired by is important. This is because people of color are less likely to see themselves reflected in the media.

How are King Triton's daughters all different?

Each of Triton's daughters has different hair and eye color in the third movie, but in the first movie, they all have blue eyes. Originally, Aquata was the oldest sister and the heir to Atlantica's throne. However, this was retconned by Ariel's Beginning and switched her place with Attina.

What is The Little Mermaid's ethnicity?

In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish. As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races.

Why are Ariel's sister's names different?

First, each sister rules over a different sea – each representative of the mythical seven seas. Triton even calls them, “my daughters of the seven seas.” Accordingly and appropriately, the seas are given fictional, mythical, names – which makes sense.

The Little Mermaid The Seven Seas Kingdoms & Cultures EXPLAINED!! 💖🧜🏻‍♀️

Why were Ariel's sisters different nationalities?

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.

Do all of Ariel's sisters have the same mom?

The Seven Princesses of Atlantica (commonly referred to as the Daughters of Triton or Ariel's Sisters) are the seven daughters of King Triton and Queen Athena, debuting in Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid.

Who was the first black Ariel?

Disney's live-action version of the 1989 animated classic 'The Little Mermaid' hits theaters on Friday. This highly-anticipated film is also marking a moment in Disney history with Halle Bailey as the first Black Ariel.

Is Ursula Ariel's aunt?

In the animated film, Ursula was a villain who enjoyed messing with people and getting what she wanted. In The Little Mermaid live-action, however, Ursula's backstory gets an adjustment — she is upgraded to Triton's sister and Ariel's aunt, making her revenge and motivations all the more sinister.

Do Ariel's sisters represent the 7 seas?

The Seven Daughters Represent The Seven Seas

There is clearly a theme with all of their names beginning with "A," but that changes in the live-action movie. It's also not the only change for The Little Mermaid.

Is Ariel's dad white?

The casting is beautifully “colour blind”, with the prince being white and his mother being Black (he is adopted). At the same time, the Little Mermaid's father is white, while her mermaid sisters are of various different races and ethnicities.

Why is Prince Eric's mom black?

There are several instances when Eric's mother Queen Salina (Noma Dumezweni), who is Black and adopted him as a child when he washed up from the ocean, chastises him for his obvious love for beings that are considered other.

Why is Sebastian in Little Mermaid Jamaican?

Voice actor Wright's singing style and the compositions by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for the Sebastian character lean heavily to calypso and reggae influences. Sebastian's back story is that he was born off the coast of Jamaica to Claude and Claudia Sebastian and went to school in Trinidad.

What is the mental illness in The Little Mermaid?

In the movie The Little Mermaid (Clements & Musker, 1989), Ariel displays symptoms of disposophobia, which is defined as the fear of getting rid of things.

What happened to Ariel's mother?

Ariel's Mother Had a Brutal Disney Death

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.

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 an octopus and not a mermaid?

Ursula's original design was inspired by many different sea creatures, including scorpion fish and manta rays, before director Ron Clements decided to base the character on an octopus.

What is Ariel's original ethnicity?

The little mermaid is based on a Danish folktale. So it should be undisputed that she's white because its set in a European country just like Mulan was set in China. Yet in Mulans remake she kept her original race. Yet Ariel changed.

Why does Ursula hate Triton?

Throughout the film, Ursula is driven by vengeance and a lust for power. Her prolonged vendetta against King Triton fueled her desire to usurp him in revenge for her banishment from the palace.

Why did Disney make Ariel black?

Sampson also explained the additional significance of having a black mermaid due to the societal assumption that black people don't swim. She pointed out that this is only the case because black people were systematically denied the opportunity to learn to swim for centuries.

Are Ursula and Triton siblings?

Just a thought I had rewatching the Little Mermaid this morning. Ursula only wants the thrown, and mentions she lived in the castle at one point. While not a lot of evidence, I believe that suggests Ursula might be King Triton's older sister.

Why did they change the names of Ariel's sisters?

Ariel's sisters have different names and roles

The seven sisters are now meant to be rulers from the seven seas. "We made the decision to lean into the mythology of Triton and the underwater world," Marshall said in production notes. "Having the seven sisters from the seven seas also felt more global."