King Triton

King Triton
File:KingTriton.jpg
First appearance	The Little Mermaid (1989)
Created by	Hans Christian Andersen (original story) Roger Allers & Andreas Deja (adaptation)
Voiced by	Kenneth Mars (1989 film, TV series, sequel, Kingdom Hearts series) Jim Cummings (prequel film)
Alias	The Sea King, Red

King Triton (sometimes referred to as Triton) is a Disney character of Disney's The Little Mermaid franchise. He first appears in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid, and later re-appears in the film's prequel television series spin-off The Little Mermaid, direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and direct-to-DVD prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. He is voiced by Kenneth Mars in all the above animated material, with the exception of the prequel film, in which he is voiced by Jim Cummings.

Background

King Triton is an adaptation of the Sea King character in Hans Christian Andersen's story The Little Mermaid. In the original tale, the Sea King is a widower and loving father who allows all his daughters (execpt Ariel) to visit the surface as soon as they come of age. The Disney film has altered the character in order to generate conflict with his daughter, and does not include the character of the Sea King's mother, who exists in the original fairytale.

Fictional biography

Triton is the Sea King and Ariel's father. He is old but very muscular (possibly because he is constantly swimming). His name is derived from the mythological Greek character Triton, who was the son of the Greek sea god Poseidon (or Neptune). In the Disney franchise, Triton is the king of the underwater kingdom of Alantica. He is a merman and the father of seven daughters: Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, Alana, and Ariel. He is referred as "Daddy" or "Father" by them all. Triton is very protective of his daughters, which often turns into a conflict with Ariel.

Triton wields a powerful trident, which he can use to manipulate magic. He has used the trident to destroy objects, create underwater whirlpools, form rainbows, change merpeople to humans and vice versa. This trident is the source of Triton's power, and is craved by the sea witch Ursula as well as his other enemies. The trident can be used by anyone, but when it is placed on his holding place next to King Triton's throne, it cannot be removed unless he himself or his daughters or any one of his descendants remove it themselves.

Triton is often depicted as somewhat tyrannical and oppressive when it comes to certain laws he has placed especially early in the original and prequel film when regarding humans and music, respectively.

The Little Mermaid

When the original film begins, Triton is xenophobic toward humans, and Ariel's fascination with humans casts a strain on their relationship. The reason for his constant clashes with Ariel, according to the film's directors Ron Clements and John Musker, is that both he and Ariel are strong-willed and independent. According to Triton, contact between the human world and the merworld is strictly forbidden. After an initial argument over Ariel over her latest trip to the surface, Triton orders his loyal servant, Sebastian, to keep an eye on her. When Triton learns that Ariel has saved the life of -and fallen in love with- a human being, he loses his temper and, determined to turn Ariel over to his views of humans, destroys her collection of human things, completely ignoring his daughter's pleas to stop. In the aftermath, Triton, instantly regretting this action, leaves a tearful Ariel alone in her grotto. Later on, after Ariel runs away from home in search of the sea witch Ursula, Triton orders a search for her, unaware that she's accepted Ursula's deal and become a human. When Sebastian, who had been watching over Ariel, arrives from the surface and tells the king about Ursula's scheme, Triton quickly goes out with Sebastian to find her.

When Triton learns that Ariel has signed an agreement with Ursula, he willingly takes his daughter's place despite knowing the cost of his choice. Triton is temporarily transformed into a polyp, but when Ursula is killed, he is restored to his original form and regains both his crown and his trident.

By the end of the film, Triton has softened his attitude towards humans, and allows Ariel to marry her love, Prince Eric, thus accepting him as his son-in-law.

The Little Mermaid television series

Triton is a regular character in the prequel television series. In this series, his is explicitly called the son of Poseidon, and the grandson of Neptune. A number of episodes show him getting into conflict with Ariel, but it is always resolved in a positive manner, showing a close relationship between father and daughter. In the episode "Red", Triton is temporarily de-aged into a young merboy, reversing the role as Ariel has to worry and take care of him instead. As a young boy, his nickname is Red, for his red hair. He sometimes agrees with Ariel in some episodes like "Land Of The Dinosaurs"; he understands that the dinosaurs are good after she thaws them with his magical trident.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

Triton appears in the sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea. He seems to trust humans now. His weakness in the film is his love for his granddaughter Melody, and this is exploited by Morgana, Ursula's younger sister and his second rival. But when he has his trident back, he punishes Morgana by freezing her in a giant ice cube. In this film, Ariel is an overprotective parent, effectively taking over his role in the original film. However, Triton still retains all his powers and is plays very much the same role as he did before.

Triton's character in this film is less menacing and intimidating when compared to his other appearances in all other films and the TV series.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning

In the 2008 direct-to-DVD prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, an opening prologue shows King Triton's wife, Queen Athena. The pair had a loving relationship, but after Athena was killed (revealing that he is a widower), Triton was broken-hearted and banned music from Atlantica for ten years. He eventually lifts the ban on music at the end of the film.

Stage musical

In the stage musical, Triton is Ursula's older brother (similar to how Scar is Mufasa's brother in The Lion King), and reveals that a reason he is overprotective of Ariel is because she reminds him of her late mother. In this version, Triton and Ursula are equals, and when their father died, they were each given equal share of the sea and one magical item each: Triton received the trident and Ursula received a magic Nautilus shell. When Ursula began to abuse her power, Triton had her banished, though he did not take away her Nautilus shell.

Although King Triton doesn't sing in the original film, the musical contains new songs that were written for his character. These songs are "That World Above (reprise)" in which he confronts Ariel in her grotto and destroys it, "If Only (quartet)" in which he expresses regret over his behavior towards Ariel, and "If Only (reprise)" in which he lets Ariel go to be with Eric. The stage role is originated by Norm Lewis.

Other appearances

Kingdom Hearts

King Triton (トリトン王, Toriton Ō) appears in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games.

• In Kingdom Hearts, Triton still plays the role of overprotective father and King of Atlantica. His relationship with Ariel becomes strained due to his daughter's desire to see other worlds, and he initially distrusts Sora, Donald and Goofy when they first arrive in Atlantica, as he already knows about one of the Keyblade legends (the keybearer who wrought chaos upon the worlds). However, when Ursula tricks Ariel into giving her the trident, Triton is severely weakened by Ursula, and he comes to respect Sora, Donald and Goofy after they help Ariel defeat Ursula. Trusting them at last, Triton allows them to see the world's keyhole, which Sora promptly seals.
• In Kingdom Hearts II, Triton's relationship with Ariel is strained yet again, this time thanks to Ariel's fascination with the human world. Triton requests that Sora, Donald and Goofy take part in the upcoming music concert in order to get Ariel's mind off the human world, but the keyblade trio end up helping Ariel fulfill her wishes. Eventually, when Ursula threatens to turn Ariel into a polyp, Triton sacrifices himself for his daughter, enabling Ursula to take hold of the trident once again. She is defeated, however, by Sora, Donald and Goofy, and at the game's end, Triton realises just how much Ariel is in love with Eric, a human prince who helped Sora defeat Ursula, and he turns her into a human in order to make her happy.

King Triton is finally nude

After years of wearing his fins, King Triton is seen in another Little Mermaid movie. This time, King Triton finally takes off his fins (Sebastain the Crab and Flounder fish watch in awe) revealing his ahem private areas. Ariel almost sees her dad naked (Jesus!) and King Triton showers in the nude and he finds several spots to pee. WARNING: THIS IS DISGUSTING!

King Triton puts his fins on but he has a lot of difficulty, so Sebastian and Flounder try to help. He finally gets his fins on.