In the classic fairytale "The Little Mermaid," a young and beautiful mermaid dreams of exploring the world above the sea. However, to make her dreams come true, she must make a deal with a wicked octopus witch. The Little Mermaid, named Ariel, is captivated by the human world and yearns to be part of it. She is enchanted by the colorful creatures and the captivating stories she's heard about the land. Despite the warnings of her father, King Triton, who fears the dangers that lie above the ocean, Ariel remains determined. Desperate to experience life as a human, Ariel ventures into dangerous territory and stumbles upon the notorious octopus witch, Ursula.

Is Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid' an octopus? Sort of.

Octopuses do like to cause chaos—much like the classic tentacled villain. But Ursula also shares traits with these fascinating sea creatures.

The animated sea witch in Disney's The Little Mermaid originally had six arms, which is more squid-like. In the new live-action movie, she has eight—but also retains qualities of other sea creatures, such as bioluminescence.

With Disney’s new live-action The Little Mermaid film in theaters, you may be wondering: What kind of ocean-dwelling creature is Ursula, exactly?

An octopus, obviously, you might say—but not so fast. Octopuses have eight tentacles, and Disney’s animated sea witch made her debut in Walt Disney Animation Studios' original 1989 film with six.

To create the character in the 1980s, Disney animation artists looked to lionfish, eels, pufferfish, scorpion fish, and manta rays as inspiration. Since the enchantress in Hans Christian Anderson’s 1837 fairy tale had a much smaller role and no name, the artists had a literal ocean of possibilities.

“There’s so much you can do with tentacles. They give a creepy feeling,” supervising animator Ruben Aquino told Premiere magazine in 1989, adding the team ultimately decided to make her look like an octopus. “Of course, we cheated a little bit. We put in only six tentacles,” he said. Why? It was what animators call “line mileage”—simplifying a character’s design can help make the animation process more efficient.

While definitely creepy, Ursula’s appendages (including her human-like arms) are definitely not tentacles. “Those are arms, not tentacles—and let me explain,” says Jennifer Mather, an octopus expert and psychology professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. (Here’s why octopuses remind us so much of ourselves.)

“Many invertebrates have tentacles—snails and jellyfish, for example—whereas an arm has suckers all the way down its length. A tentacle, on the other hand, has a flexible elastic extension with suckers only on the ends.”

Artwork by Disney animator John Musker gives an insight into how Ursula was developed for the 1989 film.

A squid has six arms, which is probably why Pat Carroll, the late voice actress who portrayed Ursula in the original film, claimed she was a squid. But Carroll didn’t mention that most squid also have two tentacles and two legs—used for moving and swimming—while their arms are for grabbing and feeding. That makes for 10 total appendages, which is also true of cuttlefish, a relative of octopuses and squid.

In the 2023 movie, Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula got a revamp, and now boasts eight arms with bioluminescent suckers. But now there’s a new problem: Bioluminescence is common in squid and cuttlefish, but very rare in octopuses.

“There’s only one kind of octopus with bioluminescent suckers: Stauroteuthis syrtensis, or the Dumbo octopus,” says Mike Vecchione, zoologist and cephalopod expert with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. (And yes, completely coincidentally, it’s named for Disney’s famous elephant.)

All this to say—it’s complicated, and were Ursula a real-life aquatic creature, you could argue she’s any one of these mollusks.

Desperate to experience life as a human, Ariel ventures into dangerous territory and stumbles upon the notorious octopus witch, Ursula. With her eerie and captivating presence, Ursula offers Ariel a tantalizing deal. In exchange for Ariel's voice, Ursula promises to grant her wish and make her human.

The evil lair

Habitat-wise, Ursula is almost certainly an octopus.

“Most squids spend their time jetting around in open water, whereas most [octopuses] are benthic, which just means they live at the bottom,” says Vecchione.

Clever camouflage is an octopus's primary defense, particularly if laying eggs, so a secluded cave or crevice makes for an ideal lair. (See beautiful octopus pictures.)

“Especially if it’s dark, if there’s anything at all for an octopus to climb into, they will,” says Cristina Robles-Beilby, aquarist and resident octopus expert at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The way we first see the cartoon Ursula emerging through a clam shell, one slithery arm at a time, is according to Robles-Beilby, “100 percent octopus.”

Ursula

Ursula is the main villainess who first appeared in the 1989 Disney film, The Little Mermaid. She's voiced by Pat Carroll. Ursula is based on "herself" in the Hans Christian Anderson's story "The Little Mermaid". In the original story, she's a neutral enabler, but for Disney's adaptation, the character was modified into a full-fledged antagonist and lays a larger role in the overall story. Ursula is a sea witch who "helps" unfortunate merfolk by granting their wishes, but end up withering them into polyps for her gardens. Her appearance's an obese purple-skinned, white-haired female Cecaelian. Her character's been compared to "Madame Medusa" from "The Rescuers", in terms of style, dramatics and choice of minions. Most importantly, Ursula is also the mother of Uma.

However, there's a catch. If Ariel fails to win the love of a prince within three days, she will become Ursula's prisoner forever. Ariel, longing for a life beyond the waters, accepts the deal despite her father's warnings. As a result, she loses her ability to speak and is forced to navigate the human world in silence. With the help of her friends, Flounder the fish and Sebastian the crab, Ariel embarks on a mission to capture the heart of Prince Eric, the human she has fallen in love with. Ursula, being the conniving and manipulative witch that she is, tries her best to sabotage Ariel's chances with the prince. She transforms herself into a beautiful human named Vanessa and uses her enchanting voice to captivate Prince Eric. Ariel, unable to communicate or reveal her true self, faces immense challenges. Despite Ursula's best efforts, love triumphs in the end. Ariel's determination, courage, and selflessness win the day, and she successfully breaks free from Ursula's clutches. With the help of her father and friends, Ariel defeats the witch and regains her voice, ultimately finding her happily ever after with Prince Eric. The Little Mermaid octopus witch serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of making deals with malevolent creatures. It highlights the importance of staying true to oneself, overcoming adversity, and fighting for love and freedom. Ariel's story reminds us that even in the face of obstacles and unscrupulous characters, true love and determination can conquer all..

Reviews for "The Little Mermaid's Hidden Nemesis: The Octopus Witch Revealed"

1. Emily - 2/5 stars

I was really disappointed with "Little mermaid octopus witch". The storyline felt very dull and unoriginal. It followed the same predictable plot line as other fairy tales, and there were no new twists or surprises. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult for me to connect with them. The animation was also subpar compared to other animated films. Overall, I would not recommend this movie to others looking for an engaging and imaginative fairy tale story.

2. Michael - 1/5 stars

I cannot express how much I disliked "Little mermaid octopus witch". The dialogue was poorly written, the voice acting felt forced, and the humor fell flat. The attempts at creating an underwater world were laughable with unrealistic and poorly executed CGI. The characters were uninteresting and one-dimensional, making it hard to care about their journey. I found myself checking the time throughout the entire movie, counting down the minutes until it would finally be over. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this film.

3. Sarah - 2.5/5 stars

"Little mermaid octopus witch" was an underwhelming film for me. While the animation was visually impressive, the story and characters were lacking. The plot felt disjointed and rushed, with major events happening without much explanation or build-up. The main character, the little mermaid, lacked agency and was often overshadowed by the more interesting supporting characters. The musical numbers were forgettable, and I didn't find myself invested in any of the songs. Overall, I expected more from this movie and was left feeling unsatisfied.

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