Creation
Ursula was created for Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid, not being in the original story.
Major Story Arcs
The Little Mermaid (1989)
In The Little Mermaid Ursula tricks Ariel into giving Ursula her voice in exchange for legs in order to pursue Prince Eric. On the condition that she kiss Eric in three days of the transformation. If she does not kiss him she will become Ursula’s forever, being transformed into a little shriveled polyp.
When Ariel gets too close to kissing Eric, Ursula turns into the beautiful Vanessa. Using Ariel’s voice to lure him to her, she cast a spell of bewitchment and entrancement upon him. After casting the spell she convinces him to marry her, now killing any chance of Ariel kissing him in time.
Ariel friends foil the wedding, but not in time to keep Ariel from becoming a polyp. Ariel’s fins and voice returns and Ursula’s true form is reviled. Ursula then takes her to her father, King Triton, and shows him his withering daughter. She then strikes a deal with him. She will release Ariel if Triton takes her place.
Triton agrees and Ariel is restored while her father starts withering instead. While Triton is too weak to rule Ursula takes the crown and the Triton and declares her self Queen of Atlantica.
However, soon after gaining power she is defeated by Price Eric by stabbing her through the heart. All of her evil doings are undone and King Triton is king once again.
The Little Mermaid 2 (2000)
In the direct to DVD The Little Mermaid sequel from eleven years later, Ursula is long dead however is mentioned often in the movie due to her sister coming back for revenge. Her sister, Morgana would attempt to kill Ariel’s newborn daughter, Melody.
Comics & Mickey’s House Of Mouse
Ursula appears often in promotional martial for Disney animation, and is often grouped with the villains in non-canon comics, and kid books. She would also appear in Mickey’s House of Mouse.
Other Versions
Once Upon A Time
The ABC live action drama, had three different versions of Ursula;
The first being the Evil Queen who took the name from a sea goddess, that Ariel believed in. Regina used this identity to trick Ariel into helping her, and granted her legs, although after Ariel figured it out. Regina remove her singing voice, leaving her to stay as a silent mermaid. Regina and Ariel’s rivalry ended after Regina returned her voice. Regina was played by Lana Parrilla.
The second being the Sea Goddess who pretended to be a golden statue of herself, who was prayed upon by those who believed in her, including Ariel. After learning of Regina pretending to be her, she attacked Regina in her own castle, giving a warning.
The third being the Sea Witch, who is the main Ursula of the series with her father naming her after the Goddess. She used to be a mermaid that wanted to explore the world, and no longer use her voice to kill innocent sailors. Her father was angered by this, and made a deal with Captain Hook to remove her singing voice, although she can still talk normally. Ursula stole her father’s magic to turn herself into the Sea Witch with lower half of an octopus. She worked with Cruella, Rumpelstiltskin and Maleficent to try to get happy endings for the villains, however discovered a better way by helping the heroes. She made a deal to get back her voice and reunite with her father. Ursula was played by Merrin Dungey.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
In the live action remake of The Little Mermaid, Ursula was once again the main villain, granting Ariel legs to walk and being an evil sea witch. The only change made to her side of the story was her ending, no longer being defeated by Prince Eric but instead Ariel herself. Ursula was played by comedian actress, Melissa McCarthy.
Descendants Franchise
Ursula only appears briefly in the second movie, however her daughter, Uma is the main villain and later a main character of later movies, while her sister would be one of the main villains of the fourth movie.