Disney purists frequently turn their noses up at the studio’s live-action remakes of its animated classics, with many feeling that the new versions fall far short of the originals in terms of imagination and artistic merit. To give the remakes their due, however, in some cases they’re able to smooth over some storytelling oversights from the old movies. Like how 2017’s Beauty and the Beast finally makes sense of the various plot holes caused by the Enchantresses’ spell in the 1991 film.
What’s more, the incoming reimagining of The Little Mermaid can go one further by finally restoring a fascinating connection between Ariel and her enemy, the sea witch Ursula, that was sadly cut from the 1989 original. While not confirmed at this point, rumors are pointing to Melissa McCarthy’s villain being outed as the aunt of Halle Bailey’s lovesick siren. This is only compounded by Bailey telling Entertainment Tonight that Ariel and Ursula will have a more “maternal” bond in the remake.
If this concept does become canon in the film, it won’t be a brand-new idea but one that very nearly made it into the animation. As revealed in a storyboarded deleted scene showcased on DVD releases, ’89’s Little Mermaid was supposed to open with a longer version of the song “Fathoms Below” that explicitly stated Ursula was King Triton’s “witch of a sister.” Due to pacing needs, though, this extra exposition was dumped and no mention of Ursula’s familial connection to Ariel made it into the finished production.
Of course, Disney ended up resurrecting the idea of the villain being the sibling of the protagonist’s father just a couple of years later in 1994’s The Lion King, but it’s still a shame that Ursula’s backstory was wiped out like this as it would have only increased both her intrigue as a character and her evil, considering she was being so cruel to her own niece. Thankfully, it sounds like the remake is going to restore the depth of the corrupted relationship between Ariel and Ursula once more.
Obviously, these days we’re drowning in movies featuring villains with familial links to the hero who covet the crown, e.g. Marvel’s Loki and Killmonger and Prince Orm in DC’s Aquaman, so it’s a pretty safe decision to restore this junked origins story for Ursula as it’s a familiar dynamic that audiences enjoy seeing. Still, The Little Mermaid has the potential to give the concept a fresh spin by dint of the feminine twist it’ll offer on this typically masculine trope.
The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26.