- “Shut your clams!”
- ―Ursula to Uma and the Lost Revenge's Crew in Descendants 2
Ursula is the main antagonist of the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, and one of the villains that has been imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. She is the mother of Uma and older sister of Uliana. In her teenage years, she attended Merlin Academy. She is the owner of Ursula's Fish and Chips shop.
In Descendants 2, she is voiced by Whoopi Goldberg.
Background Information
Character origins
Further information: The Little Mermaid
Frustrated by having been banished from Atlantica long ago, Ursula wishes to take possession of King Triton's trident to rule the seas herself. After seeing that Triton's daughter, the mermaid princess Ariel, has fallen in love with a human prince, Ursula offers her the deal of turning her into a human in exchange for her voice, but if she does not kiss the prince in three days, the deal would be undone. and Ariel would become Ursula's property.
When the deadline was almost up, in order not to risk it, Ursula became human under the name "Vanessa", also using Ariel's voice to deceive Prince Eric, who was under a spell and had her married immediately. With the help of her friends, Ariel managed to stop the wedding and recover her voice, but it was too late, because the three-day period had ended and Ursula took Ariel with her to the sea.
At the bottom of the sea, they both met King Triton, who offered to take Ariel's place in exchange for her freeing his daughter. After that, Ursula took possession of the trident, and after turning Triton into a seaweed, she faced Ariel. Ursula used her new powers to gain gigantic size, and while Ariel and Eric tried to confront her, Eric's ship ended up impaling Ursula, with she and her powers being destroyed.
Powers
As a Sea Witch, Ursula can practice Sea Magic and cast spells. She uses her skills to ultimately benefit herself and has been doing so for quite some time according to her solo, "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Her magic is used to seemingly help others but always comes with a price; a negative consequence which ends up in merfolks being transformed into trapped polyps which are prisoners in her garden.
History
The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
Upon seeing Jay, Ursula chased him away from her store.[1]
Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
When her daughter, Uma, was a child, Ursula gave her a piece of her necklace. When Uma was old enough, Ursula employed her daughter as a worker at the Fish and Chips store instead preferring to remain at home to watch her Auradon soap opera shows.
Descendants 2
After hearing Uma and the Lost Revenge's crew sing[2], Ursula ordered them to be quiet, unleashing one of her tentacles in the process. She then says that the dishes aren't gonna wash themselves. When the latter captured Ben, he assumed the plan to be one of Ursula's before Uma admitted it was all her doing, claiming that her mother would only care if the night shift needed to be done.
Escape from the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel
Upon Mal's return to the Isle of the Lost, Ursula was visited by her with Mal questioning where Uma was though Ursula admits she does not know where her daughter is. She then confessed to have having seen the battle of Cotillion where she was proud of Uma for her fight against Mal though the latter ignores Ursula's praise and instead leaves to continue her search.[3]
Descendants: The Rise of Red
Ursula is mentioned as a former student of Merlin Academy. After going back in time, Red and Chloe come across Uliana, the younger sister of Ursula, who wants to surpass her older sister's reputation. While Ursula was a student at Merlin Academy, she was considered a bully and the one behind turning the freshmen students into frogs.
Gallery
Trivia
- Ursula's crimes were:
- She was voiced by Pat Carroll in The Little Mermaid and by Jodi Benson in her Vanessa disguise, Benson also voiced Ariel in the same film.
- According to The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, she had her seashell necklace stolen by Mal.
- She is the first and so far only Disney villain to become a giant without transforming into another species.
- She is the fourth Disney villain to be called a monster by the main protagonist. The first and second are Honest John and Gideon, the third is Lady Tremaine and the fifth is Gaston.
- She is the third female Disney Villain to sing a song. The first was Queen of Hearts, the second was Madam Mim and the fourth was Mother Gothel.
- Interestingly, Whoopi Goldberg who voices her in Descendants 2 also voiced Shenzi in The Lion King.
- She is part of the groups of villains that had to be resurrected given that she was killed once she was struck with Triton's trident.
- Interestingly, while in the Descendants franchise she has a sister, Uliana, in the animated sequel to The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, set in an alternate timeline to the Descendants universe, she also has another sister named Morgana.
- In the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, Ursula was originally written to be King Triton's younger sister and Ariel's paternal aunt but this idea was abandoned. Later this idea was used in some media like books, the musical and the 2023 live action remake.
References
- ↑ The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, Chapter 2, Page 29 – Ursula and her Fish and Chips store are mentioned.
- ↑ What's My Name
- ↑ Escape from the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, Chapter 22.
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