Characters / The Little Mermaid (2023)

This is a list of characters in The Little Mermaid remake. For the characters from the original film, click here.

Atlantica

Princess Ariel

Princess Ariel

"I just want to know more about them."

Portrayed By: Halle Bailey

♫ What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet'cha on land they understand
Bet they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women sick of swimmin'
Ready to stand! ♫

— "Part of Your World"

A mermaid princess who longs to see more of the human world.

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• Adaptational Badass: Ariel is more proactive in this film. She is the one who kills Ursula instead of Prince Eric, and the one who wrestles her own voice back from Ursula/Vanessa instead of Scuttle and Max, though they still help.
• The Baby of the Bunch: This version places more emphasis on Ariel's status as the youngest. She is the only daughter that still lives with their father, and at least one of her sisters thinks that the only reason Ariel doesn't share the rest of the family's resentment toward humans is because she is too young to clearly remember their mother and what happened to her. She is also implicitly the only one who doesn't remember their Aunt Ursula and why she is bad news.
• Beautiful Singing Voice: Her voice is so lovely, it inadvertently seems to place Eric under her spell, as her Siren Song continually plays in his head.
• Break the Cutie: Happens briefly twice. The first is when Eric doesn't realize who she is and she realizes she may have given up everything she knew for nothing. She soon bounces back after a pep talk from Sebastian. The second time happens when Eric announces his betrothal to Vanessa and she only snaps out of it when she's told Vanessa is Ursula in disguise.
• Dark Reprise: As Ariel learns of Eric's upcoming betrothal with Vanessa, she sings a sadder reprise of "Part of Your World".
• Extreme Omnivore: When she becomes human, Ariel sees all kinds of new objects that she could never have known about when she was a mermaid... and responds to some of them by outright eating or taking bites out of them, including a tropical flower and a bar of soap.
  Lashana: (to another maid) Quick, get her some food before she tries to eat the scrubbing brush.
• Friend to All Living Things: She makes a proactive move during the shipwreck, ensuring Max gets to the lifeboat safely, lifting him from below the water. In turn he seems to remember her and her kindness as he almost instantly takes to Ariel in her human form.
• "I Want" Song: Ariel sings about her fascination with the human world in "Part of Your World". She gains a reprise when she rescues Eric from drowning.
• Ms. Fanservice: Her beauty is often displayed, due to the dynamic of her species, showing off her pretty face and petite midriff. She even gets a few instances of Innocent Fanservice Girl, after being rescued from the sea in the nude, though nothing too graphic is shown.
• Plucky Girl: Ariel is endlessly brave and optimistic. Even her Break the Cutie moments don't last very long.
• Race Lift: Ariel in the original film was white with bright red hair. In this film, she is black, with her hair being a darker red. Downplayed in that Colour Blind Casting is in effect when it comes to her family.
• Siren Song: Her ethereal vocalizing seemingly places Eric under a spell, as he becomes obsessed with her, as her song keeps playing in his head.
• What Have I Done: In the final verse of "For The First Time", it immediately dawns on her the severity of the price she paid when she sold her voice to Ursula, as while she can finally be on land, she will never be able to confess to Eric she was the girl who saved him, and how much she loves him.

King Triton

King Triton

"This obsession with humans has to stop!"

Portrayed By: Javier Bardem ^{Other Languages} Jérémie Covillault (European French)

The King of Atlantica, who harbours distrust towards the humans and their world.

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• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: This version calls more attention to why he hates humans, specifically that a human killed his wife. This is somewhat based on the prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning where it explains what happened to her in that movie.
• Adaptational Personality Change: He is more soft-spoken here.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Shown in a more strict and serious manner than he was in the original film. His more humanising moments in the first half, such as his brief look of shame after destroying Ariel's grotto, are downplayed or omitted, and he doesn't show any regret for his harsher actions until Ariel is already gone.
• Adaptational Modesty: Unlike his animated version, who is barechested, he sports a muscle cuirass-style breastplate.
• Back from the Dead: The trident restores him back to life after Ursula is destroyed.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Ursula sics Flotsam and Jetsam on him, electrocuting him until he crumbles into bones and ash onscreen.
• Death by Adaptation: While being turned into a polyp (which is what happened in the original movie) is considered a Fate Worse than Death, he is straight up killed by Ursula. Fortunately, the trident revives him.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: He may be more soft-spoken and not as explosively bombastic as his animated counterpart, but the mere mention of humans is a great way to get him furious.
• Jerkass Has a Point: He points out how disrespectful it was of Ariel to be late to the Coral Moon summit since it's the only time their entire family gathers every year, since all her sisters live away from home. Ariel admits it was wrong of her to be late, and concedes she'd be hurt if one of her sisters missed the gathering.
• Related in the Adaptation: He and Ursula are explicitly brother and sister in this version; interestingly, this was carried over from the original stage version of the animated movie.
• What Have I Done: Said word for word when he realizes Ariel is either lost and in danger, or has run away from home due to his actions.

Ursula

Ursula

"We got a deal? I mean, I just gave you the premium package, kid."

^{Click here to see her as Vanessa}

Portrayed By: Melissa McCarthy, Jessica Alexander (as Vanessa)

♫ Now, it's happened once or twice
Someone couldn't pay the price
And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals
Yes, I've had the odd complaint
But on the whole, I've been a saint
To those poor unfortunate souls! ♫

— "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

A sea witch who seeks to take King Triton's position as ruler of Atlantica.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: In the original, Ursula was a massively obese and ugly woman. In this version, though, she has more of a voluptuously curvy figure and a large bust.
• Adaptational Ugliness: Her One-Winged Angel form. In the original, it was just an Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever version of her default appearance. Here - it has cheek gills and glowing white eyes too, looking more like a Humanoid Abomination.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • Instead of transforming her victims when they fail to live up to their end of the deal, Ursula kills them, with their bones littering her lair. She even murders Triton when he willingly surrenders his trident to her in exchange for Ariel's safety.
  • And of course, like the animated film, this trope is in place with regards to Ursula's counterparts in the original fairytale - the Sea Witch and the girl whom the prince mistook for his rescuer - who were morally neutral, as it wasn't a hero-versus-villain story (the Sea Witch merely made bargains with the mermaid and had no intention of cheating her or taking over the ocean, and the girl did not deliberately usurp the mermaid's place in the prince's affections).
• Big Bad: As usual, as she intends to overthrow her old brother Triton and become queen of the seas, by using Ariel and exploiting her interests of human culture.
• Cain and Abel: She is the Cain to Triton's Abel as she gets her pet eels to electrocute Triton to death after he surrenders his trident to her in exchange for Ariel's safety.
• Cleavage Window: She has one.
• Cognizant Limbs: Based upon their actions when Ursula is looking for the potion that turns her into a human, her tentacles can think for themselves as they help out in finding the potion. Truth in Television - octopus tentacles can indeed think for themselves.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As with her cartoon counterpart, in spite of her notorious nature, Ursula genuinely adores her eels. She even feels extremely shattered upon learning that she has killed both her eels with the trident by accident, all thanks to Ariel making her miss her aim at Eric.
• Evil Aunt: She is King Triton’s sister in this film, as was planned in the original film. She is also Triton’s sister in material based on the original film, though.
• The Evil Princess: Wants to overthrow her older brother Triton.
• Evil Is Hammy: Both in her octopus and human disguise, Ursula chews every bit of scenery with unparalleled delight.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: Like in the animated film, Ursula speaks and sings with a rasp and is the villain of the film.
• Fat Bastard: She is evil and has a voluptous body, courtesy of Melissa Mccarthy.
• Graceful Ladies Like Purple: While disguised as Vanessa, she adopts an affinity for a light purple motif, adding to her facade of regality, refinement and kindness.
• Jackass Genie: In the original film, Ursula was honest about the conditions of her transformation spell and simply assumed that the obstacles facing Ariel, such as her lack of voice, would be insurmountable on their own. Here in this film, Ursula not only took away Ariel's voice, but even erased Ariel's memory of what she had to do in order to ensure her legs would be permanent, leaving Sebastian and Scuttle with a greater challenge to help Ariel win Eric's heart as she doesn't even know what she has to do to beat the deadline.
• Mama Bear: For a villain who wants nothing more than control power of the seas, Ursula genuinely cares for her pet eels as she treats them like they were her own children. And upon realizing that she killed them by accident thanks to Ariel, she did not take this very well, and was almost brought to tears before turning her rage towards Ariel and Eric.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Upon gaining Ariel's voice, Ursula laughs maniacally as she casts her spell to transform Ariel into a human while still underwater. It would appear that Ursula seemingly would watch Ariel drown, but instead, she allows Ariel to swim away from her lair to the surface for air, all part of her true plan to take down Triton.
• Wicked Witch: They weren't kidding when they called her one.

Flounder

Flounder

"We aren't supposed to be this far from the palace, Ariel."

Voiced By: Jacob Tremblay

"You know, you can't back down. You've got to show them who's in charge."

A yellow tropical fish and Ariel's best friend.

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• Adaptation Species Change: In the original version, Flounder is a young sergeant major. In this version, he is a teenage yellow and blue fish.
• Tagalong Kid: He follows Ariel as she explores sunken wrecks.

Sebastian

Sebastian

"You won't tell him. I won't tell him. And I will stay in one piece. You got it?"

Voiced By: Daveed Diggs

♫ Under the sea, under the sea
Darlin', it's better down where it's wettеr
Take it from me! ♫

— "Under the Sea"

A crab, serving under King Triton by protecting Ariel.

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• Adaptational Job Change: His role as the royal composer is removed, leaving him as Triton's advisor and majordomo.
• Beleaguered Assistant: Triton tasks him with keeping an eye on Ariel, which he tries to do, keyword being "tries."
• Composite Character: With the seahorse herald who used to be Triton's majordomo. As mentioned above, Sebastian has his job changed and is now a majordomo, with the seahorse being Adapted Out instead, so this incarnation of Sebastian is a Composite Character with the seahorse.

Scuttle

Scuttle

Voiced By: Awkwafina

♫ You'll be like, "What?!"
When I drop the scuttlebutt!
Okay, now huddle up, buttercup
From the women who wash all the clothes
To the hunter who arrows the bows
The chatter all over the palace
Is that your Prince Eric is gonna propose. ♫

— "The Scuttlebutt"

A diving bird that provides information about the human world to Ariel... even if it isn't completely accurate.

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• Adaptation Species Change: Mixed with Gender Flip, Scuttle was a male seagull in the original film, and is a female Northern gannet in this version.
• Artistic License – Biology: Gannets have been observed to hold their breath for up to 30 seconds underwater. Scuttle manages to stay submerged for over a minute to have a conversation with Ariel.
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Ariel goes to Scuttle for insight into the human world. Scuttle is woefully misinformed, to say the least.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Flotsam and Jetsam

A pair of eels who do Ursula's bidding.

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• Adaptational Superpower Change: In the original film, they tell Ariel that Ursula can help her, setting the plot in motion. Here, they create a bubble that allows Ursula to speak to Ariel directly. They also generate electricity, which they use to kill Triton.
• Red Right Hand: As with the original, they each have one gold eye and one white eye.
• The Voiceless: Unlike the original, they don't speak in this version.

Ariel's Sisters

Mala, Karina, Indira, Perla, Tamika, Caspia

Portrayed By: Karolina Conchet (Mala), Kajsa Mohammar (Karina), Simone Ashley (Indira), Lorena Andrea (Perla), Sienna King (Tamika), and Nathalie Sorrell (Caspia)

Ariel's older sisters and six of the seven rulers of the seven seas.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: In the original version, the mermaid tails of Ariel's sisters had the same design as Ariel's but each had a different color. In this version, Ariel and her sisters each have distinctive mermaid tails from each other. The tie-in material explains that merfolk look different from each other because of their different locations and environments.
• Adaptation Name Change: In the original, the daughters of Triton are named "Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina". Here they have been renamed Mala, Karina, Perla, Indira, Caspia, and Tameka.
• Adapted Out: The sisters' song: "Daughters of Triton" is removed. In this version, they are introduced when Triton meets his daughters for a report on the condition of the seas.
• Adaptational Personality Change: Ariel's sisters act more mature and serious in this version and share their father's vendetta against humans, by virtue of their mother dying at their hands (which Ariel is indicated to be too young to remember).
• Adaptational Job Change: Ariel's sisters are singers in the original. In this version, they are rulers of six of the seven seas. As a result of their positions, Ariel's sisters live in different kingdoms, but they all get together during the Coral Moon Festival.
• Race Lift: Ariel's sisters were all white in the original, but are now played by a cast of diverse actresses, representing the seas off of Scandinavia, Africa, India, and East Asia. According to Javier Bardem, the sisters are different races because they were conceived in different oceans and during the act of reproduction the essence of each sea was embodied within them (a concept that was invented by Rob Marshall).
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: In this version, Ariel and her sisters are each rulers and guardian protectors of different parts of the sea.

Humans

Prince Eric

Prince Eric

Portrayed By: Jonah Hauer-King

♫ All I ever wanted
Was the open sea and sky
Freedom from the life I always knew
Now all I am is haunted
As days and hours roll by
All I ever think about is you. ♫

— "Wild Uncharted Waters"

An adopted prince who yearns to explore more of the outside world.

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• Adaptational Expansion: Eric's character is expanded upon, given a mother similar to Triton, an "I Want" Song and is adopted into royalty instead of born into it.
• Adopted into Royalty: Part of his backstory is that he was adopted by Queen Selina after being found as an orphaned baby in a shipwreck.
• Birds of a Feather: He has many similar attributes to Ariel, including having an opposite-gender parent who is suffocatingly overprotective due to the death of his same-sex parent. He enjoys exploring and collecting things from his adventures, holding them in a study that's very similar to Ariel's grotto.
• Clothing Damage: Both times he ends up on shore, his shirt just so happens to be conveniently ripped open and exposing his bare chest. The first time was when Ariel rescued him from drowning and the second time when he washes up on shore after the battle with Ursula.
• Happily Adopted: While he feels stifled by her overprotectiveness, Eric and his mother still love each other dearly.
• "I Want" Song: Eric gains his own song, titled "Wild Uncharted Waters", where he sings about finding this mysterious savior aka Ariel.
• Mr. Fanservice: Damaged clothing and wet shirts are abound with this one, showing off his well-built physique.
• One Head Taller: Noticeably much taller than Ariel, his love interest (Jonah Hauer-King is 6'1" while Halle Bailey is 5'2").
• Race Lift: Non-Colour Blind Casting related, but in the original story, the Prince is described in a way that has been interpreted as him being Middle Eastern. Much like the animated film, and most adaptations in general, Eric is pretty damn Western European in appearance.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Eric is a dashing adventurer who is over 6 feet tall with dark hair.

Queen Selina

Queen Selina

Portrayed By: Noma Dumezweni

Eric’s adoptive mother who does not approve of him going on voyages.

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• All There in the Manual: Her name is only shown in source media.
• Canon Foreigner: She doesn't appear in the original film.
• Fantastic Racism: After Ariel resumes her mermaid form, Selina looks at the girl with a look of shock and horror and utters: "Oh, my God... a sea creature...". Soon after, when Eric is running after her, the queen tries to dissuade him by saying "their whole world [of Ariel and her kingdom] is evil".
• The High Queen: She is Eric’s loving but very protective mother as well as the ruler of a Caribbean Island kingdom.
• I Warned You: She said this word for word to Eric after Ursula reveals herself and drags Ariel with her back in the ocean. She tells this to Eric, only for him to run away and rescue Ariel.
  Selina: Eric? No, this is the work of the sea gods. I warned you. Their whole world is evil. Eric, wait! Eric!
• Mirror Character: She is presented as an exact racial and gender inversion of King Triton. Both lost their spouse to the other's world, which left them with hostile toward the other's race and overprotective of their children.

Sir Grimsby

Sir Grimsby

Portrayed By: Art Malik

Eric's loyal confidant who acts as a father figure to him.

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• Adaptational Job Change: He was a butler in the original film, but is now the prime minister of Eric's kingdom.
• The Good Chancellor: He is the head of government for Queen Selina, and gives Eric some good fatherly advice for his romance with Ariel.
• Like a Son to Me: He's the closest thing to a father Eric has since the lad's birth father was killed in a shipwreck, and is shown to have a very paternal attitude towards Eric, such as gently giving him advice that he should give up looking for a girl who might not even exist when there's one in the form of Ariel right in front of him he's beginning to love.
• Race Lift: White in the animated film, but played by an British-Pakistani actor in this version.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: While he was unsure about Eric's attempt to search for the girl who saved his life, he agreed to go along with the request despite how strange it seemed.
• Shipper on Deck: When Eric began to show an interest in Ariel, Grimsby subtly expressed his approval of Eric spending the day with her rather than searching for his mystery girl (the two unaware at the time that Ariel was the girl in question), and is clearly shocked when Eric announced his engagement to "Vanessa".