REACTING to *The Little Mermaid* URSULA IS INCREDIBLE!! (First Time Watching) Animator Reacts

Who is your favorite Disney villain??

Keep in mind that for all intents and purposes, THIS was the movie that saved Disney!

I have to say that Eric is the best classic Disney Prince. He will put himself at risk to protect his dog, He's friendly to a strange mute girl he just met and recognizes she is interested in the the world around her. He's awkward and shy and not egotistical. He bows respect to King Triton. He was also put under a spell to marry Ursula. You can see it by the glow in his eyes and the stuff manner of his body in the wedding and how he didn't react to Ursula kicking his dog. People who are triggered by this movie are way out of line and don't WANT to see the nuance in the Disney animation.

This was the last Disney movie created using traditional hand-painted cels. Everything after that is digitally inked and painted.

Another fun fact: Apparently they had to hand draw EVERY single individual bubble in the movie. Talk about dedication 🙌🏼🫧

In defense of Eric not knowing Ariel was the girl that saved him from the get go: 1. The guy was just waking up from being passed out after almost drowning when he saw her for the first time. 2. When she sang to him, Ariel's head was directly in front of the sun creating that cool halo effect around her head but also draping her face in shadows. All in all, pretty understandable he latched on to her voice as a means of identifying her.

I love that Ariel being in front of the sun when Eric wakes up is the crux for the main misunderstanding of the film. A detail as small as her hair appearing darker in front of sunlight ultimately makes it that much more believable that he thinks Vanessa (Human Ursula) was the girl he saw, since she has the voice and the brown hair he’d remember. Also, Jodi Benson - Ariel’s voice actress - was indeed the voice of Vanessa too and apparently had a blast in the studio since her voice was never previously accepted for villain roles

I'm glad that you immediately focused in on the father/daughter relationship in this movie. That's ultimately what this movie is about, and I think it's significant that the final line of the movie is "I love you, Daddy." A lot of people (particularly people who haven't watched this movie since childhood) kind of miss that and simplify the story into Ariel just going to the surface for a guy, forgetting completely that "Part of That World" is sung before she ever sees Eric. She has big dreams. It's just that the combination of crushing on Eric, and the huge blowup with her father served as a catalyst to kick her into high gear, on wanting to follow her dreams. She definitely acts like a 16-year-old with a big crush, but she also has the energy of a passionate cultural anthropologist. She has her flaws, but I adore her.

I'm really happy you guys understand Ariels decision to go to Ursula. A lot of people criticise her because "she's so dumb running away to be with someone she's never even met" but she doesn't, the thing that drives her away is her own father and Ursula preying on her while she's vulnerable.

Pat Carroll (Ursula) passed away today. RIP great lady.

Fun fact: Ariel's hair was original going to be curly but unfortunately at the time curly hair was almost impossible to animate.

I really like the way Ariel says “My father’s gonna kill me!” at 6:25. There’s just something about it that sounds so natural, and it’s pretty fitting considering how worked up Triton can get.

I’ve been talking to my teen son about the concepts of “pet the dog” vs “kick the dog,” how if they want you to like a character, they have them pet a dog, and if they want you to hate the character, they have them kick a dog. And I just realized that literally happens in this movie, where Eric pets the dog, and Ursula kicks the dog while walking down the aisle.

The original script had Ursala as Triton's sister... that gives a little more credence to Ariel running away to her disgraced aunt when she gets in a fight with her dad.

I always loved Ariel from the little mermaid movie, and the fact that Ursula actually lives inside a great dead sea creature, that is really scary. And when Ursula said that life is full of tough choices, she was actually right about that.

The line Ursula says about how she's "been reduced to practically nothing" makes a lot more sense when you see her in her true form LOL

To answer your question: Yes, Jodie Benson, who voiced Ariel, also voiced Vanessa (Ursula's human disguise). Jodie also did the cackle during the transformation.

Fun Fact:Ursula was based off of a Drag Queen Divine

The script for this movie is so clever, like you don’t realise till you’re old enough to really appreciate it. The finale is so well written - you don’t, genuinely, have a clue how the hell Ursula is going to be defeated, she’s at the height of her power, the seas are going crazy, then the ship that was wrecked in the initial meeting between Ariel and Eric that you completely forget about for the rest of the film is what saves the day. Genius.

I remember Eric being the first Disney prince that I actually liked because, compared to the ones in Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, he has an actual developed personality. He is genuinely charming and a nice person, fun as well as funny with hobbies and goals.