List of The Little Mermaid characters

This article lists information of fictional characters from Disney's The Little Mermaid franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel series, its sequel and the stage musical adaptation.

This article does not include four main characters that have their individual articles: Ariel, Prince Eric, Ursula and Sebastian.

Triton

Template:DisneyChar King Triton is the sea king and Ariel's father. He is voiced by Kenneth Mars in his animated incarnations. His name is derived from the mythological Greek character "Triton", whom was the son of the Greek sea god Poseidon. King Triton displays characteristics similar to the mythological Poseidon, most notable being the possession of a magic trident.

Triton is the king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. He is a merman and the father of seven daughters: Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana and Ariel.

Triton is very protective of his daughters, which often turns into a conflict with Ariel. When the film begins, Triton is xenophobic about humans, and Ariel's fascination with humans cast a strain on their relationship. The reason for his constant clashes with Ariel, as told by Ron Clements and John Musker (directors), is that he is very strong willed and independent, like his daughter. She is also his favorite of his offspring because as a child, he also had red hair and sees himself most in Ariel. By the end of the film, Triton softened his attitude towards humans, and allowed Ariel to marry her love, Eric.

His arch-enemy in the film is Ursula, a sea-witch who was once lived in Atlantica's royal palace. According to deleted material available in the Platinum DVD release, Ursula was intended to be Triton's relative, but whether this information is considered canon to the film remains subjective.

King Triton also appears in the prequel television series and in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games. In the prequel series, his is explicitly called the son of Poseidon, and the grandson of Neptune. The series also reveals that his childhood nickname was "Red", for his red hair.

In the stage musical version, Triton is explicitly stated to be Ursula's elder brother, and reveals that a reason he is overprotective of Ariel is because she reminds him a great deal of her late mother. Although he doesn't sing in the film, he sings new songs written for the musical, these songs being "That World Above (reprise)" where he takes out his anger on Ariel after learning that she's fallen in love with a human, "If Only/Her Voice (quartet)" where he expresses his fear of losing her, and "If Only (reprise)" where he realizes that he has to let her go. The stage role is originated by Norm Lewis.

Flounder

Template:DisneyChar Flounder is a Ariel's best friend, a yellow and blue fish. Despite the name, he is not a flounder, but is more similar in appearance to a Regal Tang or similar fish.

Flounder scares easily, and is prone to panicking under stressful situations, but when Ariel is trouble, he comes through for her without hesitation. In the film he is the only character to give unconditional support for Ariel's fascination with human things, and at one point gives Ariel a statue of Eric as a gift. In the film, he is voiced by Jason Marin.

Flounder is in all the episode of the prequel television series, sharing constant adventures with Ariel. According to the prequel television series, Flounder's real name is Guppy Number 35. He is voiced by Edan Gross in the series.

Flounder appears in the Kingdom Hearts series, where his role as Ariel's friend remains. His biggest role was in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, where Ursula sent him to the surface to force Ariel to give her the trident. In Kingdom Hearts, he is voiced by Eli Russell Linnetz, and in Kingdom Hearts III he is voiced by Parker Goris.

Flounder has a small role in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, where he is reunited with a grown-up Ariel. Flounder is shown as having become a father himself, with a number of children of his own. He is voiced in the sequel by Cam Clarke.

Scuttle

Template:DisneyChar Scuttle is a seagull and friend of Ariel. He appears in the original film as an "expert" on human things with whom Ariel consults about things she salvages, though his identifications are often wrong. He wrongly named a fork a dinglehopper and said it was used as a comb and a smoking pipe a snarfblatt while claiming it worked like a trumpet. We later hear Ariel invoke other contrived terms in her song "Part of Your World", where she refers to her collected relics from the human world as "whatsits", "whozits", "gadgets", "gizmos", and "thing-a-mabobs."

Scuttle provides further support and "advice" when he learns that Ariel has to win Eric's heart in three days. On the third day, Scuttle is the one who discovers that Vanessa, the woman Eric has decided to marry instead, is actually Ursula. He immediately tells Ariel this information, and helps stall the wedding so to allow Ariel to arrive and confront Eric.

Scuttle appears in a small role in the sequel, where he helps Ariel find her daughter Melody, who has run away. Scuttle's voice in the original film and the direct-to-video sequel is provided by Buddy Hackett.

Scuttle appears in a few of the final season episode of the television series, where he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche. LaMarche also provides Scuttle's voice when he appears in House of Mouse.

Scuttle appears in the 2007 stage musical version of the original film, where he sings two songs: "Human Stuff" where he explains the human things Ariel has brought to him, and "Positoovity", where he encourages a now-human Ariel to be positive in achieving her goal of winning Eric. Other seagulls appear with Scuttle in this version, and in "Positoovity", they perform a tap-dance. The stage role is originated by Eddie Korbich.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Template:DisneyChar Flotsam and Jetsam are eel minions of the sea witch Ursula, and appears in the original film The Little Mermaid' and the prequel television series, where they were voiced by the late Paddi Edwards. In the Kingdom Hearts video game series they were voiced by Corey Burton.

A duo of moray eels, they frequently speak in unison, finish each other's sentences, and entwine their bodies, as if they were the same entity divided into two separate individuals - indeed, they even have the same voice and identical physical appearances. The concept of their linkage is further heightened when their eyes combine to form a single crystal ball, a portal through which Ursula can view the outside world.

Often used as spies, the pair (like evil twins), each had a glowing eye (one for right-sided, the other for left-sided), that they used to allow Ursula to see anything in their vicinity. Ursula would remain in her lair, working from behind the scenes, and watching everything from her crystal ball. Flotsam and Jetsam are the first to notice Ariel's infatuation with the world above. Upon witnessing the girl fall in love with a human male, Prince Eric, Ursula sent Flotsam and Jetsam to propose a deal to Ariel that she simply couldn't refuse.

Tempting Ariel into making a deal with Ursula with promises that Eric would fall in love with her, and they'd spend the rest of their lives together was a simple mission for Flotsam and Jetsam. They brought the mermaid to Ursula's lair, where Ursula was able to convince Ariel to give up her voice. After Ariel turned into a human, the eels botched her attempt to kiss Eric by tipping their canoe over.

Flotsam and Jetsam laid low while Ursula posed as the human Vanessa, until her plan succeeded, and she gained control over the oceans. However, as Eric fought back, the eels tried to constrain him. Ursula, mad with power, then tried to zap Eric with the Trident, but Ariel yanked her hair so that the trident killed Flotsam and Jetsam instead. Ursula quickly mourned her "poopsies," then proceeded to battle Ariel and Eric.

Though the eels did not appear in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, they appeared in a few episodes of The Little Mermaid television series, whenever Ursula appeared.

Flotsam and Jetsam are notable for their efficiency, a rarity for Disney lackeys. Until they were killed, they succeeded at every task Ursula gave them. Unlike most Disney lackeys, such as Fidgit the bat from The Great Mouse Detective, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed from The Lion King, Iago the Parrot from Aladdin, Pain and Panic from Hercules, or Horace and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians, they have no humorous scenes or conflict with either their boss and/or each other. This may have been due to the fact Ursula seemed to genuinely love them, rather than simply keep them around to avoid doing the work herself, and treated them like pets rather than servants. This is especially evident in the way she refers to them as "darlings" or "poopsies" as well as her horror when they were killed.

Kingdom Hearts

In the video game Kingdom Hearts, for the Playstation 2, Flotsam and Jetsam appear in a role very similar to the film. They taunt and manipulate Ariel into going to Ursula in order to see different worlds, Ariel's dream. Trading the ability to visit other worlds for the trident, Ursula betrays Ariel and searches for the "keyhole," which Flotsam and Jetsam could not find. Sora eventually confronted Ursula, battling both her and the eels simultaneously. The eels eventually curl up and turn into ink, dying. Ursula flees to battle the heroes after she has recuperated.

They return in Kingdom Hearts II briefly, during "Ursula's Revenge." They try to attack Sora once more, but are eventually destroyed by Sora's Keyblade. They were both voiced by Corey Burton in the first game, but were silent in the 2nd game.

Stage musical

Flotsam and Jetsam appear in the upcoming 2007 Broadway musical of The Little Mermaid. They have a singing role in Ursula's "Wasting Away" number, and also have their own song, "Sweet Child." Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin have been cast as Flotsam and Jetsam, respectively.

Max

Template:DisneyChar Max is an Old English Sheepdog and Prince Eric's pet, first appearing in The Little Mermaid. Unlike all the other animals in the film, Max is minimally anthropomorphic and does not speak. His barking in the film is provided by Frank Welker.

Max is present on Eric's ship at the beginning of the film. During Eric's birthday celebration, Max catches Ariel's scent and tracks her down, licking her on the cheek in an apparent show of affection. When the ship catches fire, the sailors escape safely, but Max is left behind on. Seeing this, Eric dives out of his lifeboat and climbs back on board, grabbing Max and tossing him to safety. This event causes Eric to be trapped on board when the ship explodes.

Later, when Eric is brought to shore safely by Ariel, Max smells out his master and rushes out to greet him. Max is also able to smell Ariel, hidden off-shore behind rocks, but Eric does not understand his barking. After Ariel has made her deal with Ursula and becomes human, Max smells her on shore and leads Eric across the beach towards her. Max recognizes Ariel immediately, but Eric does not, because she doesn't have the voice that he remembers.

Eventually Ursula herself appears in the guise of a human girl to distract Eric from kissing Ariel before the third day is up. Max can see Vanessa for what she really is, and during a sequence where animals try to stop the wedding, Max bites her in her rear end, causing her to release the shell containing Ariel's voice.

Max appears in the sequel, but only briefly, and does not contribute to the plot.

Max is the only named character of the original film who was not transferred to the stage musical version.

Melody

Template:DisneyChar Main Article: Melody (The Little Mermaid)

Melody is the protagonist of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. She is Ariel's and Eric's daughter and King Triton's granddaughter. She has long black hair styled in a ponytail and a red tail with pink fins when she's a mermaid. She is voiced by Tara Strong. Melody's personality is highly similar to Ariel's, in that she is adventurous, curious and has a strong rebellious streak. Her appearance is also somewhat, if not completely, similar to her mother's, with the exception of her father's black hair color.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea opens with a celebration for Melody's birth. The party is interrupted by Morgana, a sea witch who threatens to hurt Melody if Triton does not hand over the trident. Although this initial attempt is thwarted, Ariel decides that the sea is too dangerous for Melody, and vows to keep all knowledge of the sea from her, including her own family background.

Melody grows up banned from entering the sea, and ignorant of the reason why. This causes a fission of misunderstanding to exist between her and Ariel, who refuses to explain the truth of Melody's past. By the time Melody is 12, she has been regularly secretly sneaking out to swim in the sea in a manner similar to how Ariel in the original film used to sneak out to visit the surface. Melody and Ariel eventually come to blows in an argument, and Melody decides to run away from the royal palace.

Melody eventually encounters Morgana, who uses Melody's love of the sea against her. Morgana transforms Melody into a mermaid, promising her that the transformation will last forever if Melody will "retrieve" the trident from Triton, claiming that he stole it from Morgana. Melody agrees to retrieve the trident.

While searching for the trident, Melody befriends a penguin named Tip and a walrus named Dash and they join her in her search. The manage to sneak into the Atlantican royal palace and make off with the trident. Melody returns to Morgana at the same time that her mother Ariel, who's been turned back into a mermaid, arrives. Melody, angered at Ariel's decision to hide Melody's mermaid heritage, gives Morgana the trident. A battle ensues, which is eventually ended when Melody retrieves the trident from Morgana and throws it to Triton.

The film ends with Melody reunited with her family turning down Triton's offer of letting Melody become a mermaid permanently.

Morgana

Template:DisneyChar Morgana is the villain of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. She is the sister of the then-deceased Ursula, and is voiced by the same actress, Pat Caroll. Both Morgana and Ursula are cecaelians, have tentacles instead of a tail.

Morgana is driven by her jealousy of Ursula, claiming that their mother loved Ursula better. In the final films, it is unknown how Ursula and Morgana are related to Triton, if at all, but a story concept for the original film had Ursula being Triton's sister, which in turn would have made Morgana Triton's sister as well.

Morgana, like Ursula, wants to become the Queen of the Seas and needs the trident in order to achieve that goal. Unlike Ursula, who had a complicated plan to trick Ariel into signing a magical agreement, Morgana openly attacks Ariel's baby daughter Melody during her presentation ceremony to the merfolk at sea, using her as a hostage against Trident. Morgana is defeated at this point, but decides to bide her time.

Twelve years later, Morgana meets with Melody, who has rebelled against her mother Ariel's overprotective ways. Morgana lures Melody with the promise of becoming a mermaid, using the last of Ursula's magic potion to transform Melody temporarily into a mermaid. Morgana asks Melody to get the trident for her, claiming herself to be its rightful owner. Morgana succeeds in getting the trident thanks to Melody, but is eventually defeated when Melody, realising her error, returns the trident to King Triton. Morgana is encased in ice as punishment, and is left to sink to the bottom of the ocean.