Summary
- The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid supports a theory that Vanessa is Ursula's true form, adding credibility to the decades-long speculation.
- The film reveals that Ursula and Triton are siblings, but their different appearances suggest Ursula's banishment may have involved punishment to look different from mermaids.
- An Ursula spinoff could potentially confirm whether Vanessa is Ursula's true mermaid form, as it would explore her relationship with Triton.
Like with many other Disney classics, there are a variety of theories about The Little Mermaid, and one in particular makes way more sense after the movie’s live-action remake. Disney’s animated version of The Little Mermaid is very different from the fairy tale it’s based on, which makes it difficult to find an answer to a couple of mysteries left by the movie. However, there have been a number of theories that offer possible answers to these questions or expand on certain moments of the story, and one theory is now more likely to be real thanks to The Little Mermaid’s live-action remake.
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid's live-action version takes the premise of the animated movie but with a couple of changes to adapt it to a modern audience. The Little Mermaid follows Ariel (Halle Bailey), a mermaid fascinated with the human world who is attracted to human prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). This leads Ariel to make a dangerous deal with sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), who gives her human legs in exchange for her voice. Among the changes and additions The Little Mermaid made was Ursula’s link to Ariel, and thanks to this, a decades-long theory now makes a lot more sense.
Old Little Mermaid Theory Claims Vanessa Is Ursula's Real Form
Ursula is a powerful sea witch who wants to take advantage of Ariel’s ambitions and desires to mess with King Triton and take the throne. Ursula tricks Ariel into accepting a deal in which the mermaid will become a human but will give up her voice, and in order to remain human permanently, she has to earn a kiss from Eric by the end of the third day. Ursula thinks she has won, but when Ariel proves to be a lot more charming than she expected, the sea witch decides to sabotage her and transforms herself into a beautiful young woman named Vanessa, who immediately bewitches Eric.
While there seems to be nothing suspicious in Ursula transforming herself into a beautiful human woman given that she’s a witch, a theory suggests that Vanessa is Ursula’s real form. Ursula isn’t a mermaid, and instead, she’s half-human and half-octopus, so the theory explains that Ursula was a mermaid-like any other, and a very beautiful one, but when she was banished, she was turned into an octopus-like creature as punishment for her crimes (whatever these were). However, this raises the question of why Ursula can’t turn back into her mermaid form but can use her original looks as a human, but it might be that magic allows her to do so as it’s all temporary.
Ursula & Triton Being Siblings Makes Little Mermaid's Theory More Likely
The animated version of The Little Mermaid never mentions why Ursula was banished, but given her desire to take the throne away from Triton, it might have had something to do with that. Extended media, though not exactly canon, expanded on this, such as the Broadway musical, in which Ursula was revealed to be King Triton’s sister. When their father died, the siblings were given equal share of the sea and two magic items: Triton got the trident, and Ursula the magic Nautilus shell. The siblings were meant to rule together, but Ursula’s greed and use of magic to usurp Triton led to her banishment.
The Little Mermaid live-action remake took this concept and revealed Triton and Ursula are siblings, and she also wants to take the throne – however, and just like in the animated version, the exact reasons for her banishment are unknown. Now, Triton and Ursula are siblings but they don’t look alike, and that’s where the theory comes in. As part of her banishment, Triton might have punished her with a non-mermaid-like appearance, fully setting her apart from the mermaids and mermen community. Ursula as Vanessa certainly looks more like part of Triton and Ariel’s family, but not even her magic can help her regain her original form.
Disney's Teased Ursula Spinoff Can Finally Confirm Vanessa Is Her True Form
A sequel to The Little Mermaid hasn’t been announced, but it has already gotten extended media with a series of books and a CGI-animated series announced for Disney Junior. Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem pitched an idea for an Ursula spinoff, and if it happens, it’s the best chance to confirm the above theory. An Ursula spinoff would obviously have to be a prequel, in which her relationship with her brother can be explored, thus confirming if Vanessa is her true mermaid form or not. The Little Mermaid’s future is uncertain, but at least it expanded on some elements from the animated movie and made one old theory a lot more believable.
