Ursula is the main antagonist of Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid and its 1992-94 spin-off television series. Pat Carroll, Ursula's voice actress in all of her appearances, envisioned the character as "part Shakespearean actress, with all the flair, flamboyance and theatricality, and part used-car salesman with a touch of con artist".
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 villain and plays a far larger role in the overall story arc. Ursula is a Cecaelian sorceress who "helps" unfortunate merfolk in order to achieve her own goals.
(A Cecaelia is creature with the upper body of a human or elf, and the lower torso of a squid or octopus. They can travel on land short distances by use of their tentacles, and some often refer to them as the "witches of the sea" regardless of gender.)
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| Ursula |
During pre-production, Ursula was not originally designed as a Cecaelia. It was originally thought that she should be another sea creature, such as a rockfish or lionfish. The production team had seen a documentary about octopi, and decided that their multiple arms and imposing appearance would be perfect for the character they were creating. Ursula is drawn with only six tentacles however, due to the studio's budget and difficulty in coordinating a full set of eight. Although Pat Carroll states that this actually makes her a squid, biologically she resembles an octopus far more than any other sea-creature. Her basic overall look was based on the famous Drag performer known as "Divine" (Harris Glenn Milstead).
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| Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula |
Let the witchery begin! Celebrate Halloween all October long
with a new witch post every day! Who's your favorite?
with a new witch post every day! Who's your favorite?
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