Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid can make some major changes to the animated classic and improve its characters, and it can do so with Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) by exploring her backstory and connection to one character. Disney continues to ride the wave of live-action remakes of some of its animated classics, and next in line is The Little Mermaid. The animated version was released in 1989 and is loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, but with significant changes to the story in order to make it more family-friendly and less dark.
The Little Mermaid live-action remake is directed by Rob Marshall with music by Alan Menken and new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda to give it a fresher vibe. The Little Mermaid takes the premise of the animated version, following the title mermaid, Ariel (Halle Bailey), as she transforms into a human after falling in love with human Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), but for that, she makes a deal with sea witch Ursula, who takes Ariel’s voice as pay for turning her into a human. Ursula is one of the most iconic Disney villains, but the movie doesn’t explain her real motivations and backstory, and that’s something the live-action remake can do to improve this underwater villain.
The Little Mermaid Should Explore Ursula & King Triton’s Backstory
In Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Ursula (who by then had been banished for years) tricks Ariel into agreeing to their deal that will make Ariel human while Ursula takes her voice, but it was all part of a bigger plan. Ursula wanted to use Ariel as ransom to get King Triton’s trident so she could then declare herself Queen of the Seven Seas, which she does at the end before being killed. Ursula’s hate for King Triton isn’t explained in The Little Mermaid beyond Triton banishing Ursula years before, and the reason for it isn’t explained either, and her revenge against Triton and Ariel ends up lacking motivation.
It’s clear that there’s a history between Triton and Ursula, but exactly what and why is never revealed in the animated movie – however, the Little Mermaid stage musical addressed this part of Ursula’s history, and it rescued a concept that was going to be used in the movie: Ursula and Triton being siblings. The musical explained that, when Triton and Ursula’s father died, they were given an equal share of the sea and two magical items: the trident that Triton carries and a magic Nautilus shell for Ursula, which she later uses to keep Ariel’s voice. Although they were meant to rule the seas together, Ursula’s greed and use of dark magic to usurp Triton led to her banishment. The story was later reinvented and Ursula and Triton were made the seventh and eighth siblings, with Ursula killing their older siblings so she could become queen.
How The Little Mermaid Remake Is Different From The Animated Version
The Little Mermaid remake exploring the backstory of Ursula and Triton would benefit both characters but mostly Ursula, adding depth and giving her a clearer motivation to target Ariel, while also adding a layer of complexity to her dynamics with Ariel and Triton, as well as to the one between Ariel and her father. There’s hope for Ursula’s character going through improvements in the new Little Mermaid movie as other characters have been confirmed to have gone through changes, as is the case of Prince Eric, who has been given a proper backstory and a “very similar trajectory in a way to Ariel”, as he doesn’t feel like he fits in the world he has been raised in. The Little Mermaid can fix many of the animated movie’s mistakes and improve the characters, and hopefully, it will avoid the biggest mistakes of previous Disney live-action remakes.
