Ursula

Ursula
First Appearance	The Little Mermaid (1989)
Attractions	Beverley Sunset Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After Fantasmic! The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure Miss Adventure Falls Prince Eric's Village Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Actor	Pat Carroll
Biographical Information
Alias	The Sea Witch Vanessa
Alignment	Evil
Pets	Flotsam & Jetsam
Physical Description
Species	Cecaelia
Gender	Woman

Ursula is the main-antagonist of the 1989 film The Little Mermaid, voiced by the late Pat Carroll.

History

Background

Origins

Ursula was a Cecelia sea witch of some rank who was a member of the court of King Triton's mer-folk kingdom. It is sometimes said that Ursula may have been King Triton's sister. For unspecified reasons related to her black magic and devious nature, King Triton banished Ursula from the kingdom. Ursula then plotted revenge on Triton with schemes to take over his kingdom for herself.

Ursula made her lair from a deep sea structure which resembled the remains of a sea monster. Here, she and her eel pets Flotsam & Jetsam who acted as her eyes, deceived mer-folk into making faustian bargains with Ursula before Ursula would transform them into polyps for her garden.

The Little Mermaid

Ursula had Flotsam & Jetsam spy on Triton's daughter Princess Ariel who had fallen in-love with the human Prince Eric while wishing to be a human herself. After Triton destroyed Ariel's collection of belongings from the human world, Flotsam & Jetsam persuaded her to go see Ursula to make a deal. Ursula then coerced Ariel into a magical contract where Ariel would become a human for three days, at the cost of her voice. If Ariel got Eric to fall in love with her and kiss her, then Ariel would remain a human permanently, otherwise she would turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula.

Ursula had her eels sabotage Ariel's chances with Eric so that she could enslave Ariel and use her as a bargaining token with Triton. On the last day, Ursula gave herself a beautiful human form named Vanessa. Vanessa used her voice to enchant and hypnotize Prince Eric then convince him to marry her on a ship, though this ceremony was interrupted by Ariel and her friends. However, the sun set just before Ariel could be saved, meaning Ursula got possession of Ariel.

After this, Ursula started turning Ariel into a polyp in-front of Triton until Triton agreed to take her place, signing over his kingdom and magical trident. With the trident, Ursula gained control of the seas. Ariel and Eric then fought back with Ariel tricking Ursula into shooting and killing her own pet eels, before Ursula turned into a giant monster and rose sunken ships from the depths. Eric then piloted one of the ships to impale her gut with its sharp splintered bow. After this, Triton regained control of the seas and all of Ursula's polyps were freed.

Appearances

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Sunset Boulevard

Beverley Sunset

Artwork of Ursula appeared overhead in the store.

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

Miss Adventure Falls

Ursula's contract made with Ariel appears within Captain Mary Oceaneer's collection of ocean artifacts.

Fantasmic!

Ursula is one of the villains summoned by the Evil Queen to fight Mickey Mouse.

Fantasyland

Prince Eric's Village

In the cartography shop, Ursula's likeness appears on a map.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Ursula is one of the antagonists of this attraction, being resurrected by Hades for his plans only to go behind his back and plot to flood Fantasyland.

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Ursula is main-antagonist of this attraction, appearing within her lair where she sings Poor Unfortunate Souls and again in the final scene, dying in the background. In the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction, a mural on the ceiling of Prince Eric's castle depicts a Kraken-like Ursula with the poem, "A monstrous beast has risen up to rule the waters wide What say you sailors shall we fight? Or swim away and hide".

Paradise Pier

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure

Ursula is main-antagonist of this attraction, appearing within her lair where she sings Poor Unfortunate Souls and again in the final scene, dying in the background.

Trivia

• At a convention, Ursula's voice-actress Pat Carroll used Ursula's voice to perform the Ghost Host's dialogue from the Haunted Mansion.
• Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid's predecessor attraction, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage, also featured a giant tentacled monster via the Giant Squid.

Gallery