What Is Ursula Exactly & Why Was She Banished Before The Little Mermaid?

Ursula may be one of Disney's most recognizable villains, but even she has some mystery to her. Ever wondered why she was kicked out of Triton's kingdom? Or what kind of sea creature she is to begin with? These seemingly simple questions take a bit of a deep dive to answer. 

1989's "The Little Mermaid" only hints at her past, with the antagonist mentioning she once resided in the palace before being exiled. The 2008 Broadway adaptation elaborates on her backstory. In it, Ursula and Triton are siblings and receive magical gifts following their father's death. While they were intended to rule side-by-side, Ursula abuses her power to try to keep the kingdom to herself, which results in her banishment. 

An easier assumption to make is her species. With her lumbering movements and numerous tentacles, it can be surmised that Ursula is an octopus. While she leads a largely solitary life in dark caverns like true octopi, a quick count of those appendages reveals that Ursula sports six tentacles instead of eight. Her original voice actress, Pat Carroll, stated that Ursula is a squid since six tentacles cost less to animate. While the economic reasoning behind this is sound, squids actually possess four additional legs for movement, meaning Ursula would have 10 legs. Keeping in line with the mythical mermaids inhabiting the movie, many classify Ursula as a Cecaelia, a human and cephalopod cross with roots in Asian and Native American folklore.

In truth, the team of artists behind "The Little Mermaid" took inspiration from various sea creatures, including lionfish, eels, and manta rays. But another real-life figure who inspired the character is worlds away from the family-friendly realm of a Disney movie. 

Ursula's big, bold personality found its inspiration in the eccentric actor and drag queen Divine. An icon of the counterculture movement, Divine is best known for headlining several of director John Waters' cult classic titles such as "Multiple Maniacs," "Female Trouble," and most notoriously, the shocking "Pink Flamingos."

Artist and future "The Lion King" co-director Rob Minkoff recalled the famous drag queen while working on "The Little Mermaid." "'Pink Flamingos' was on an endless loop at the Bijou [Theater] at CalArts when I was a student there," Minkoff said in a Vanity Fair interview. "Divine seemed like such a great, larger-than-life character, and it just seemed like a funny and quirky idea to take [Ursula] and treat her more like a drag queen." The proposition intrigued the team, especially songwriter and co-producer Howard Ashman, who identified with Divine as a gay man originating from Baltimore. Ashman even performed the demo of the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls," imbuing further characteristics into the voice that Pat Carroll admitted to taking.

For the 2023 live-action remake, actress Melissa McCarthy, a longtime fan of drag, aimed to honor Divine through her interpretation of Ursula. Speaking to Deadline, she stated, "I've watched 'The Little Mermaid' more times than any other movie ... and I always was like, 'I know for a fact ... that she had to be based on Divine' ... I just hope to do every incredible drag queen proud and Divine proud ... just to give it your all, to throw it out there, no apologies, do it your way ... I wanted to give her everything that she was due."