This article lists information of animated
and was made by Hans Christian Andersen original
characters from Disney's The Little Mermaid
franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel
TV series, its direct-to-video sequel and
prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation.
== The Little Mermaid ==
=== 
Ariel ===
Ariel is the title character of the franchise,
save the second film in which she is a secondary
character.
Ariel is voiced by Jodi Benson and designed
by Glen Keane.
Ariel is the seventh-born and the youngest
daughter of king Triton and queen Athena of
the merfolk, and over the course of the original
film becomes human and marries Eric, a human
prince.
She is the only Disney Princess to reach parenthood
in Disney's animated film canon.
=== Eric ===
Eric is based on the "prince" character of
Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Little
Mermaid" but adapted by the writer-directors
Ron Clements and John Musker for the film
adaptation.
According to the film's official novelization,
Eric had just turned 18 in the film, which
would make him two years older than Ariel.
Eric is voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes
in the original film and Kingdom Hearts II,
by Jeff Bennett in the prequel television
series, and by Rob Paulsen in the direct-to-video
sequel.
For the original film, Joshua Finkel acted
opposite Sherri Stoner as Ariel in providing
live-action references for the animators.
Prince Eric is the only prince in the "Disney
Princess" franchise that does not sing in
the original movie.
Eric is a human prince who is rescued by Ariel
when he almost drowns in a storm at sea.
Ariel drags him to shore and sings to him,
but before he can fully regain consciousness,
Max and his servant Grimsby arrive, forcing
Ariel to dive underwater.
Eric is haunted by Ariel's voice, and searches
the kingdom for her to no avail.
When he crosses paths with Ariel again, she
has traded her voice for legs, and though
he initially finds her familiar, her lack
of a voice makes him think that she cannot
be the girl who rescued him.
However, he brings her back to his palace
and they spend time together.
Eric develops feelings for Ariel, but before
he can approach her about them, Ursula, disguised
as a human girl named Vanessa, arrives and
magically hypnotizes Eric into forgetting
about Ariel and believing that she Vanessa
is the one who saved his life.
Eric almost marries Vanessa, but Ariel and
her friends intervene, breaking Ursula's spell
and restoring Ariel's voice to her.
Eric realizes that Ariel is the girl he has
been looking for, but before they can kiss,
the sun sets and Ursula claims Ariel.
Eric goes after them, diving into the sea
to help Ariel.
In the battle that follows, Eric climbs on
to a ship and charges it towards Ursula, plunging
the splintered prow into her belly.
Eric manages to reach the shore, and when
he wakes, he sees Ariel, transformed back
into a human, and the two embrace.
The film ends with their wedding.
Eric makes cameo appearances in three episodes
of the prequel television series: Thingamajigger
(a non-speaking appearance) Scuttle and Ariel's
Treasures.
In the 2000 direct-to-video sequel, Eric is
a supporting character.
Although he and Ariel are happily married
and they become king and queen of his land,
they are threatened by the sea witch Morgana,
who wishes to avenge her dead sister, Ursula.
He and Ariel decide to raise their daughter
Melody away from the sea, and keep her merfolk
heritage secret.
In the 2007 Broadway musical, the role of
Eric was originated by Sean Palmer.
It is explained through dialogue that Eric's
father has died, and it is Grimsby's duty
to help Eric find a bride so he can return
to the throne properly, despite Eric's affinity
for exploring the seas.
Eric contributes singing vocals to the opening
song "Fathoms Below", and performs two solo
songs: "Her Voice", a song about Eric's obsession
with Ariel's voice that had been written for
the original film but discarded, and "One
Step Closer", a new song where Eric helps
Ariel express herself through dance.
Eric also provides vocals in the quartet "If
Only", where he expresses confusion over his
attraction to Ariel, and his fear that if
he finds the girl with the right voice, he
might lose Ariel.
A new subplot in the stage musical is a singing
competition where the eligible princesses
in all the land are invited to sing for Eric.
The princesses perform in the song "The Contest",
which is set to the tune of Ariel's song "Part
of Your World".
At the end of the performance, Ariel dances
for Eric, and he chooses her.
The role was also performed by Drew Seeley.
Prince Eric appears in season three of the
ABC series Once Upon A Time, where is played
by actor Gil McKinney.
He first appears in the episode "Ariel" in
which he was rescued by Ariel from drowning,
and Ariel has used her once-in-a-year ability
to gain legs to see him at his ball.
Eric is enchanted by Ariel at the ball, commenting
that she appears familiar to him.
Eric invites Ariel to join him on an expedition
around the world which is leaving the following
morning.
He waits for her as long as he is able, but
she doesn't come to him due to events beyond
her control.
It is later revealed that Eric was transported
to the town of Storybrooke after The Evil
Queen/Regina Mills cast a curse over his land.
Ariel, who now has the ability to become human
whenever she wants, later finds Eric working
as a fisherman in Storybrooke and the two
of them reunite.
=== Sebastian ===
Sebastian is a red Jamaican crab and a servant
of king Triton, and also his main musical
composer.
His main song is "Under The Sea".
He is voiced by Samuel E. Wright.
=== Flounder ===
Flounder is a bright yellow and blue colored
tropical fish (despite the name, he is not
a flounder) and Ariel's best friend, voiced
by Jason Marin in the 1989 film, who also
provided vocals in-character for the tie-in
music album Sebastian From The Little Mermaid.
Flounder scares easily, and is prone to panicking
under stressful situations like a single shark
breaching the sunken ship, but when Ariel
is in 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.
Flounder appears in all the episodes of the
prequel television series, sharing constant
adventures with Ariel and in the episode "The
Evil Manta", shown how he first met Ariel
when they were children.
According to the television series, Flounder's
real name is "Guppy Number 35".
In the series, he is voiced by Edan Gross
and Bradley Pierce.
Flounder also appears in Jim Henson's Little
Mermaid's Island where he has a twin sister
named Sandy and is voiced by Veronica Taylor.
Flounder has a small role in The Little Mermaid
II: Return to the Sea, where he is reunited
with a grown-up Ariel and takes part in the
search for Ariel and Eric's daughter Melody.
He grew up and became a father himself, with
five children of his own and he first meets
Melody in Morgana's lair.
In this film, he is voiced by Cam Clarke.
He has a larger role in The Little Mermaid:
Ariel's Beginning, which shows an alternate
version of how he first meets Ariel and later
unknowingly leads her to the Catfish Club.
His characterization is notably different
in this movie; he does not scare as easily
and is much more carefree and high-spirited.
He performs beatboxing that kicks off a reprise
of "Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora)" when
he, Ariel, Sebastian and the Catfish Club
Band are on the run from Atlantica.
In this film, he is voiced by Parker Goris.
Flounder appears in the Kingdom Hearts series,
where his role as Ariel's friend remains.
His biggest role in the series is in Kingdom
Hearts: Chain of Memories, where Ursula kidnapped
him to force Ariel to give her the trident.
He also sings his part in the song called
"A New Day is Dawning".
He also appears in Disney Princess: Enchanted
Journey as Ariel's sidekick and is voiced
by Anthony Skillman.
He is also a remote-controlled playable character
in the same game seen holding a big conch
shell on his head with your help to catch
the voice orbs.
At the Disney theme parks, Flounder makes
cameo appearances in the Mickey's Philharmagic
3D show and in the Hong Kong Disneyland version
of "It's a Small World".
He has also appeared in the parks as a walk-around
character, but mostly in parades, shows and
special events such as "Mickey's Pirate & Princess
Party".
Flounder appears in the stage adaptation of
The Little Mermaid.
His supporting role is similar as in the film,
but he does not give Ariel the statue of Eric,
and does not help Ariel reach Eric's wedding
barge, as the Vanessa subplot has been removed.
However, Flounder performs a new song titled
"She's in Love", which he sings with Ariel's
sisters when they notice that Ariel has been
acting "fishy lately".
The stage role was originated by Cody Hanford
and J.J. Singleton, but the two actors had
to leave the show when their height overshot
that of Sierra Boggess, who originated Ariel.
The role was taken over by Trevor Braun and
Brian D'Addario.
On the Original Broadway Cast Recording, Brian
D'Addario performs as Flounder.
=== Scuttle ===
Scuttle (scully) is a seagull and friend of
Ariel, voiced by Buddy Hackett in the 1989
film and 2000 sequel.
He appears as an expert on human objects with
whom Ariel consults about items she salvages
after she and Flounder get chased by Glut,
though his identifications consist of nonsense.
He wrongly names a fork a "dinglehopper" and
says that it is used as a comb, and a smoking
pipe a "snarfblatt" while claiming it works
like a trumpet.
Despite his erroneous information on human
things, Scuttle provides 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 with help from
other marine creatures so to allow Ariel to
arrive and confront Eric (as well as smashing
Ursula's shell that held Ariel's voice, thus
restoring it and freeing Eric from Ursula's
spell).
Scuttle appears in a small role in The Little
Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, where he helps
Ariel find her daughter Melody, who has run
away.
Scuttle appears in two episodes of the third
season of the prequel television series in
which he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
The episodes he appears in are "Scuttle",
where Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian meet him
for the first time (in which he claims his
name was originally "Scuttlebutt" but he changed
it "for obvious reasons"), and "Island of
Fear".
In these episodes, Scuttle's explanation of
human things is a mixture of correct and erroneous.
Scuttle also made a cameo appearance in an
episode of Quack Pack.
In The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea,
Scuttle performs a song called "The Scuttle
Strut" on track 3.
Scuttle appears in the stage adaptation 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.
The role is originated by Eddie Korbich.
In the stage musical, Scuttle has a group
of seagull friends, and together they perform
a tap dance during the "Positoovity" number.
Scuttle has a non-speaking cameo in The Little
Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, appearing when
Marina is on a rock at the surface (animated
the same way with Ariel when she sings a reprise
for "Part of Your World") and is splashed
by a wave.
Scuttle will appear in the upcoming live-action
adaptation of The Little Mermaid.
This version will be potrayed as a diving
bird, in order for the character to be featured
in underwater scenes.
=== Ursula ===
Ursula appears in the 1989 film.
She is voiced by Pat Carroll, who also provides
her vocals for all the canonical animated
media.
Ursula is based on the "sea witch/sorceress"
character in Hans Christian Andersen's story
"The Little Mermaid".
=== Triton ===
Triton is the king of Atlantica and the father
of Ariel and her sisters.
In the Hans Christian Andersen version, the
sea king is unnamed and is not prejudiced
towards humans.
In the first two films, the TV series and
the Kingdom Hearts games, he was voiced by
Kenneth Mars; in the prequel film, he is voiced
by Jim Cummings.
According to the film's directors Ron Clements
and John Musker, the clashes of personality
between him and Ariel is because they are
both strong-willed and independent, and it
is revealed in the television series that
Triton and Ariel are stubborn.
Triton wields a powerful trident, which is
the source of his supposedly unlimited power.
The character is inspired by the son of the
Greek sea god Poseidon, although the actual
Triton is from Greek mythology and has two
finned feet.
In The Little Mermaid, Triton is prejudiced
towards humans, believing them to be nothing
but savage fish eaters, and Ariel's fascination
with humans has caused their relationship
to become very strained.
According to Triton, it is illegal to make
contact between humans and merpeople; and
he orders his servant, Sebastian, to look
after Ariel.
When Triton discovers that Ariel saved the
life of and has fallen in love with a human,
he loses his temper and destroys most of her
grotto filled with her collection of human
artifacts despite his daughter's objections;
this action of his ultimately damages their
relationship.
Devastated by his recent actions, Triton orders
a search for Ariel to apologize, not knowing
that she has accepted Ursula's deal and become
a human.
Triton is distraught over his daughter's disappearance,
and when Sebastian arrives with news of Ursula's
scheme, Triton goes to Ursula, offering to
take his daughter's place.
He is transformed into a polyp, but when Ursula
is killed by Eric, he is restored to his original
form along with the merpeople and regains
his crown and trident.
Realizing that Ariel truly loves Eric and
that all his beliefs about all humans in general
being bad were completely wrong, Triton willingly
transforms his daughter back into a human.
Triton is a regular character in the prequel
television series, in which he is explicitly
called the son of Poseidon.
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; for example,
in the episode Charmed, when Ariel gets a
human charm bracelet locked around her wrist,
she could not return because Triton would
lose his temper again after he destroyed a
magnifying glass she discovered earlier.
However, after Ariel gets lost, Triton eventually
finds her and uses the key to unlock the bracelet
and feels apologetic for his actions.
In the episode "Red", Triton regresses 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.
Coincidentally, as a boy, Triton himself is
fascinated with humans and human objects,
in contrast to his prejudice towards humans
as an adult.
He sometimes agrees with Ariel in some episodes,
such as "Land of the Dinosaurs", in which
he understands that the dinosaurs are good
after they have been thawed.
Triton appears in the sequel The Little Mermaid
II: Return To The Sea, in which he has learned
to trust humans and interact with them.
His weakness is his love for his granddaughter
Melody, which is exploited by Morgana.
However, when Triton regains his trident,
he traps Morgana in a massive ice cube.
In the 2008 direct-to-DVD prequel The Little
Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, the prologue shows
Triton with his wife Athena.
Athena is accidentally crushed to death by
a pirate ship, and a distraught Triton bans
music from Atlantica and forces everyone to
follow a strict daily schedule.
Ariel's free-spirited personality causes a
strain on their relationship.
He eventually comes to realize his mistakes,
pardons Sebastian, lifts the ban on music
and appoints Sebastian as his court composer.
Jim Cummings replaces Kenneth Mars as the
voice of King Triton, due to Mars's pancreatic
cancer diagnosis.
In the stage musical, Triton is Ursula's older
brother, 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
exiled her, though he did not take away her
Nautilus shell.
The musical contains new songs that were written
for his character; "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.
In the Kingdom Hearts series of video games,
Triton still plays the role of over-protective
father and king of Atlantica.
In the first game, 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, having somehow heard of the
negative part of the Keyblade legend, but
eventually respects Sora when Ursula is defeated
and locks the world's keyhole.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Triton's relationship
with Ariel is strained, this time thanks to
Ariel's fascination with the human world.
He asks Sora, Donald and Goofy to take part
in the music concert with Ariel, but Sora
ignores Triton's request and helps Ariel become
human to find and fall in love with Eric.
He is also part of the song called "A New
Day is Dawning".
After Ursula is defeated once again, he respectfully
bids a final farewell to Sora.
He also appears in The Princess and the Frog
as a parade float.
=== Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista
and Andrina ===
Ariel has six older sisters named Attina,
Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina.
They are the maternal aunts of Melody and
the sisters-in-law of Eric.
In the 1989 film, they are voiced by Kimmy
Robertson and Caroline Vasicek, and perform
the song "Daughters of Triton".
Later on in the film, Attina, Andrina, Adella
and Aquata make a brief appearance together
with Ariel in what appears to be the palace
dressing room intended for all the sisters.
In that scene, Ariel emerges from behind a
curtain of seaweed swimming dreamily and humming
a few lines from "Part of Your World".
The sisters notice the change in Ariel's conduct
and conclude in front of their father that
Ariel is in love.
All six sisters appear again in the end of
the film together with Triton, smiling and
waving to Ariel after she gets married to
Eric.
In the second film, the sisters play a minor
role with only Attina, Andrina, Aquata and
Adella having dialogue.
The age order of the sisters is debatable.
In the original film, they sing "Daughter
of Triton" and announce themselves in this
order; Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella
and Alana.
This had led many to believe that was the
proper birth order.
Various official Disney media that was released
from 1989 onward alsoseemed to use this as
their birth order.
The comic "Serpent Teen" stated that Aquata
is the eldest and the future ruler, but the
comic "Underwater Wedding," clearly stated
that Attina was the eldest.
The 2008 film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's
Beginning also made it clear that Attina is
the oldest.
Also, the DVD's Vanity Game feature states
that the age order is Attina - 21, Alana - 20,
Adella - 19, Aquata - 18, Arista - 17, Andrina
- 16 and Ariel - 15.
However, in the same film, Adella states that
she is two years older than Ariel, meaning
she would only be 17.
Attina has an orange tail and a matching seashell
bra.
She has green eyes and wears her light brown
hair in an up-do with a thorny orange crown.
In the prequel film, Attina is the first-born
and oldest sister.
She's a bookworm and the most clever of her
sisters.
She's the voice of the conscience and gives
advice to her sisters, especially Ariel.
Attina has the motherly role of the family
and blames herself for her mother's death
because her tail fins were stuck in a rock
when the pirate ship bore down on the kingdom,
and her mother swam out into the open to free
her, causing Athena to be crushed by the bow
of the ship.
She is responsible and loves her sisters and
cares for them as their mother.
Aside from Ariel herself, she appears to be
the sister who was closest to Athena; she
even keeps a picture of her mother and father
on her vanity and writes in her diary that
she wants to be just like her mother when
she becomes queen.
She is a minor character in the first and
second film and the TV series and is a main
character in the prequel.
She's voiced by Caroline Vasicek in the first
film, Kath Soucie in the TV series, and Kari
Wahlgren in the prequel.
Alana has a pink tail and a purple seashell
bra.
She has violet eyes and wears her black hair
with a small pink crown.
In the prequel film she's the second-born
sister and is also the glamorous one who makes
her own beauty products.
She's a minor character in the first film
and TV series and is a main character in the
prequel.
She's voiced by Kimmy Robertson in the first
film and TV series, and by Jennifer Hale in
the prequel.
Adella has a yellow tail and a chartreuse
green seashell bra.
Apart from Ariel, she's the only sister whose
tail doesn't match her shell bra.
She has teal eyes and wears her dark brown
hair in a ponytail with golden pearl decorations.
She is chubby in the TV series, but in the
third and original films, she has the same
elegant, slim figure as her sisters.
In the third film's extra content, she's the
third-born sister and is 19; however, she
states in the film that she is two years older
than Ariel-making her 17 and presumably the
fifth-born sister.
In this film, she is boy crazy who loves to
kiss boys and flirts with them.
She is a minor character in the first and
second film and the TV series and is a main
character in the prequel.
She's voiced by Kimmy Robertson in the first
film, Sherry Lynn in the TV series, and Tara
Strong in the prequel.
Aquata has a blue tail and a matching seashell
bra.
She has brown eyes and wears her brown hair
in a ponytail with white pearl decorations.
In the prequel film she's the fourth-born
sister.
She has a little pink seahorse doll named
Mr. Fuzzyfinkle; she argues with Arista because
she steals her things and is hysterical and
a very bad dancer.
She is a minor character in the first and
second film and the TV series and is a main
character in the prequel.
She is voiced by Caroline Vasicek in the first
film, Mona Marshall in the TV series, and
Grey DeLisle in the prequel.
Arista has a red tail and a matching seashell
bra.
She has ice blue eyes and wears her pale blonde
hair in a ponytail with dark pink decorations.
In the prequel film she's the fifth-born sister
and is a ditzy, sweet-natured kleptomaniac
who borrows Aquata's personal belongings without
permission and argues with her every time.
She also has a love of music and quickly masters
the trombone when she and her sisters watch
Sabastian and his band perform.
She is a minor character in the first film
and is also a minor character in the TV series
and is a main character in the prequel.
She's voiced by Kimmy Robertson in the first
film, Mary Kay Bergman in the TV series, and
Grey DeLisle in the prequel.
Andrina has a purple tail and a magenta seashell
bra.
She has hazel eyes and wears her blonde hair
in a bun topped with a pink shell decoration.
In the prequel film she's the sixth-born sister
and is a humorous genius who likes jokes and
sarcasm.
She is a minor character in the first and
second film and the TV series and is a main
character in the prequel.
She's voiced by Kimmy Robertson in the first
film, Cathy Cavadini in the TV series, and
Tara Strong in the prequel.The sisters appear
in the Broadway stage musical version, in
which they perform the song "She's in Love"
with Flounder to describe Ariel's new behavior
after saving Eric.
The sisters also make in-character appearances
on the music albums "Songs from the Sea".
=== Glut ===
Glut is a great white shark and a minor antagonist
of the film.
He appears at the beginning of the film where
Ariel and Flounder are exploring the Sunken
Ship and he pursues them trying to eat them
but gets stuck in an anchor and was not seen
for the rest of the film.
He makes minor appearances in the television
series and also appears as a boss in the Kingdom
Hearts where the player at first can escape
fighting him, but he must be defeated later
to enter Ursula's lair.
=== Flotsam and Jetsam ===
Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula's green moray
eel minions, voiced by Paddi Edwards in the
1989 film.
They do Ursula's bidding and act as her spies,
keeping their eye on the events unfolding
in and around Atlantica.
They are tasked with following Ariel and reporting
her actions back to Ursula.
They eventually manipulate Ariel into visiting
Ursula in order to gain human legs.
They are ultimately killed in the film's climax
when Ursula accidentally destroys them with
King Triton's trident after Ariel sabotages
Ursula's attempt to kill Eric.
Out of remorse for killing her minions, Ursula
mourns for them before turning her rage towards
Ariel and Eric.
Flotsam and Jetsam appear in the prequel television
series alongside Ursula.
They also appear in the Broadway stage musical,
where the roles were originated by Tyler Maynard
and Derrick Baskin.
=== Grimsby ===
Grimsby is Eric's manservant and confidant.
He is voiced by Ben Wright in the original
film.
In the opening scene, Grimsby is shown as
not having the stomach for the sea, and dismisses
the sailors' stories about merpeople living
under the sea.
Through dialogue, Grimsby reveals that he
worries for Eric, and has been hoping that
the prince will settle down with the right
girl.
For Eric's birthday, Grimsby presents a statue
he had commissioned of Eric in a dramatic
pose.
Though Eric and Max disapprove of the statue,
Grimsby is proud of it.
Later, when Ariel has become human, Grimsby
grows fond of her and encourages Eric to give
up his dream girl for one "of flesh and blood".
Grimsby appears briefly in the sequel, in
which he is voiced by Kay E. Kuter.
In the 2007 stage musical adaptation, Grimsby
says that the reason he wants Eric to marry
is because he (Grimsby) had made a promise
to Eric's late father to ensure it.
Though Grimsby is reluctant to believe Eric's
story of being saved from drowning by a girl,
he comes up with the idea of holding a contest
in which the princesses of the land are to
sing for Eric, in the hopes that one of them
will be the right girl.
In the stage musical, the role is originated
by Jonathan Freeman.
=== Max ===
Max is an Old English Sheepdog and Eric's
pet.
Unlike all the other animals in the film,
Max is minimally anthropomorphic and does
not speak in the human language.
Max's barking and growling is provided by
Frank Welker throughout his animated incarnations.
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.
Seeing this, Eric dives out of his lifeboat
and climbs back on board, grabbing Max and
tossing him to safety.
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 who is hidden
off-shore behind rocks, but Eric does not
understand his barking.
After Ariel has made her deal with Ursula
and is brought to shore as a human, Max leads
Eric to her, recognizing her as the same person,
though Eric cannot.
Eventually, Ursula herself appears in the
guise of a human girl named Vanessa to distract
Eric from kissing Ariel before the third day
is up, but Max is the only character in the
human world who can fully see Vanessa for
who she really is and is seen growling furiously
at her, and during her and Eric's wedding,
she kicks him directly in the face.
When Scuttle and the sea animals try to stop
the wedding, Max assists and gets his revenge
by biting her in her rear end, giving Scuttle
the leverage to break the conch shell containing
Ariel's voice.
At Eric and Ariel's wedding, Max gives affection
licks on their faces.
Max makes a few brief appearances in the prequel
television series and the direct-to-video
sequel, and is the only named character of
the original film (other than Vanessa) who
does not appear in the 2007 stage musical.
=== Louis ===
Louis is the chef in Eric's castle, voiced
by René Auberjonois.
His accent implies that he is French, and
he performs the song "Les Poissons" in which
he happily cooks seafood in the castle kitchen.
According to dialogue by Carlotta the house
maid, Louis' specialty is stuffed crab.
This puts him at odds with Sebastian, who
accidentally ends up in his kitchen and frantically
tries to get away from him.
This rivalry is extended to the wedding in
the finale, where the chef again chases Sebastian
in an attempt to cut him up.
Sebastian defeats him by knocking him out
with a wooden plank shattering his teeth.
The rivalry is shown again in the sequel The
Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, with
no change between the two.
He also stars in one of the episodes of Disney's
Marsupilami and Raw Toonage as a noise hating
hotel guest with his victim, Sebastian as
the hotel manager.
Louis also makes an appearance in the episode
"Ariel's Treasures" where he accidentally
steps on a whisk called a "whirly twirly"
by Ariel and it slips into the water when
he is making recipes.
In the 2007 stage musical, Louis is head of
a group of chefs that work in Eric's castle.
He performs the song "Les Poissons".
A reprise is performed by Louis and all the
other chefs as they present their fish masterpieces
to Ariel, Eric and Grimsby.
=== Carlotta ===
Carlotta works in Eric's castle in a role
suggested to be similar to a housekeeper,
though it is not stated outright.
She reappears in the sequel, apparently continuing
her role after Eric and Ariel are married
and have a daughter of their own.
She is voiced by Edie McClurg.
In the 2007 stage musical, Carlotta develops
an affectionate maternal relationship with
Ariel, whom she grows fond of.
Carlotta sings in the musical number "Beyond
My Wildest Dreams", where Carlotta berates
the other servants who gossip about Ariel.
Near the end of the musical there is a contest
where the princesses of the land are to sing
for Eric, in the hope that one of them will
have the voice of the girl who saved his life.
Carlotta is the one who encourages Ariel to
step forward and dance for him in order to
show her love for him.
== Television series ==
=== 
Urchin ===
Urchin is an orphaned merboy with an olive-green
tail and is one of the main characters of
the prequel television series, in which he
is a close friend of Ariel, Sebastian and
Flounder, and often goes on adventures with
them.
He is voiced by Danny Cooksey.
Urchin first appears in the fourth episode
of the series, "Urchin".
In it, Urchin is seen to be an orphan who
lives by himself and wants badly to have friends.
He is approached by small-time villains Lobster
Mobster and Da Shrimp, who bring him into
their gang and use him to steal food for them.
Urchin manages to steal food from the palace,
but in doing so is confronted by Ariel.
Ariel tries to befriend Urchin, who at first
rebuffs her.
Urchin shows his true colors when he helps
Ariel escape after she is kidnapped by Lobster
Mobster and Da Shrimp.
He even stops Crab Louie from stealing from
the royal treasury.
This earns him a kiss from Ariel.
A friendship is forged when Urchin follows
Ariel's advice and apologises to King Triton
for his behavior.
In the episode "Trident True", Urchin plays
pranks on Ariel's sisters Arista, Attina,
Andrina and Adella and buys a Father's Day
present for King Triton, implying his closeness
with the royal family, and Ariel's sisters
admit that they look on him as their own little
brother.
=== Gabriella ===
Gabriella is one of Ariel's friends.
She is a deaf mermaid with a pink tail and
matching shells who communicates with sign
language.
She appears in two episodes: "Wish Upon A
Starfish" and "Ariel's Treasures".
In her first appearance, before she meets
Ariel, she sees her singing the first part
of a song called "Daring To Dance" and sees
her twirling about a music box with a figure
of a ballerina on top of it.
Ariel stops abruptly upon seeing her, but
Gabriella encourages her to continue.
She wishes to be able to sing as beautifully
as Ariel, and she identifies with Ariel's
desire to dance.
She decides to journey with Ariel to visit
the Magical Wishing Starfish, passing through
many dangers along the way.
She is saddened when the Magical Wishing Starfish
proves to be a fraud, but Ariel reassures
her that she can express her feelings just
as well through sign language.
She joins Ariel in the second part of "Daring
to Dance".
In her second appearance, she returns to Atlantica
for a visit.
She and Ariel gush over Ariel's new additions
to her collection of human objects, as well
as the music box that Ariel found when they
first met.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Ursula has
launched another scheme to take over Atlantica,
this time casting a spell that causes Ariel's
treasures to come to life and terrorize people.
She is confused and shocked when the treasures
come alive, but she works with Ariel to break
Ursula's spell.
=== Ollie ===
Ollie is a blue vocal octopus who appears
in two episodes: "Wish Upon A Starfish" and
"Ariel's Treasures".
He is the close friend and interpreter of
Gabriella, a mute mermaid.
He has spots on the sides of his head and
a patch on his left eye.
In his first appearance, he is shown with
Gabriella, watching Ariel sing.
After Ariel notices them, he explains Gabriella's
disability and introduces himself.
He is also the one to tell the tale of the
Magical Wishing Starfish, and he accompanies
them along the way.
In his second appearance, he is visiting Atlantica
with Gabriella and helps her stop Ursula's
plot to take over the kingdom.
He is voiced by Gabriel Damon.
=== Pearl ===
Pearl is a fun-loving mermaid with a blue
tail and matching shells who is familiar with
Ariel and Alana.
She is blonde, with a blue tail and blue,
ruffle-edged shells.
She makes her first appearance in episode
"Red" at a party held by Ariel, arriving with
a crowd of friends on "squid-cycles".
She is apparently very popular and seems friendly,
if a bit snobbish.
She comments that the party is a bit dull,
and Ariel requests that the live band play
louder, against her father's instructions.
She leaves with the other guests when Triton
puts a halt to the party.
In her second appearance in episode "Eel-ectric
City", she shows up at the palace to pick
up Alana, who has been invited to a party
at her house.
Ariel is shocked and impressed when Pearl
comments that her parents allow her to do
as she pleases, and is invited to join them.
As they are leaving, Pearl spies Triton's
new chariot and coerces Ariel into driving
the three mermaids in it while she gives directions.
After a few minutes, Alana notes that they
are not heading for Pearl's house; they are
instead going to Eel-ectric City, a party
town reminiscent of Las Vegas, where Pearl
is going to meet a few friends.
They arrive and are having a fairly good time
until a gang known as the "Orange Roughies"
shows up.
Pearl taunts them, then challenges them to
a chariot race.
Ariel and Alana try to reason with Pearl,
but she wants to see the race through to the
end.
They start the race, but quickly lose control
of the chariot in the rush of the current.
It is only Ariel's quick thinking and the
timely appearance of Triton that saves them.
Pearl is shocked that her parents bothered
coming, but happy that they cared about her.
Her mother states that she will be keeping
a closer eye on her daughter from now on.
She is voiced by Cree Summer.
=== Spot ===
Spot is a fun loving killer whale calf whose
name is based on a single white spot which
is birthmarked on his tail.
In the episode called "Whale Of A Tale", when
the human poachers get nearby, he frightenedly
swims away from his real family until Ariel
encounters him with a little love.
She cares for him until she lets him go to
be with his real family.
He returns in "Save The Whale" as a grown-up
whale and, as Sebastian announces him, he
excitedly begins to perform for the citizens
of Atlantica until he gets caught.
=== Simon ===
Simon is a sea dragon.
Imprisoned in cave and looking to be rescued.
Simon writes a message and puts it in a bottle
and with some luck, Ariel, Sebastian, and
Flounder find the letter, brave danger in
route to the cave, and then they face a giant
sea dragon.
The dragon turns out to be Simon himself,
the writer of the message, who's looking to
have a party with some new friends.
Bringing Simon home to King Triton poses another
challenge until Simon helps King Triton to
save Atlantica and its merpeople from an invasion
of evil sea anemones.
He is voiced by Brian Cummings.
=== Dudley ===
Dudley is an elderly sea turtle who also serves
somewhat of an assistant to King Triton besides
Sebastian.
Dudley mumbles when he speaks and does not
swim like other sea turtles in this show,
instead he walks slowly along the sea floor
like a land turtle and keeps important documents
within his shell when he retracts his head.
His conversation is always interrupted by
his employer as he understands what the former
is about to say.
He is voiced by Dave Coulier.
=== Archimedes ===
Archimedes is a merman scholar, explorer and
adventurer who is fascinated with humans,
particularly human objects, like Ariel, he
wants to know as much about the human world
as possible, because of his fascination with
humans, he is ostracized and disliked by his
own people, as his only friend is Ariel.
Because Archimedes goes to the surface very
often, his knowledge on human culture is far
more accurate than Ariel's; prior to the latter
becoming human herself and her marriage to
Eric.
Due to Archimedes being ostracized by the
merpeople, he lives in an abandoned sunken
ship, in the wilderness outside of Atlantica,
is also where he keeps his collection of human
objects, initially, unlike Ariel, he has directly
met humans, he has even interacted with them.
He is voiced by Rod McKuen.
=== Hans Christian Andersen ===
A character based on Hans Christian Andersen,
the author of the original Little Mermaid
fairy tale appears in the episode "Metal Fish".
He is voiced by Mark Hamill.
Based on rumors he hears from other sailors
about the existence of merfolk, he attempts
verify these claims by exploring the undersea
world with the invention of his primitive
submarine.
While exploring the undersea world, his sub
springs a leak and his steering controls are
affected causing his sub to lose control and
eventually sink to the bottom.
However, to his surprise he encounters Ariel,
to which his claims are verified.
Later on, Archimedes, Sebastian, Flounder,
The Crabscouts, and even King Triton appear
to assist Andersen's damaged vessel back to
the surface.
At the end of this episode, the character
is inspired by the encounter to "write" the
story of The Little Mermaid.
This encounter contradicts the idea that Ariel's
first face to face contact with humans is
with Prince Eric, and forces Ariel to confront
her father with the fact that she, Triton,
and all merfolk are half human when she appeals
to Triton for help in saving Andersen's life.
=== Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp ===
Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp are a lobster
and shrimp duo who are bumbling con-artists
and constantly antagonize Ariel and her friends
and are recurring antagonists from the television
series.
They are modeled after the stereotypes of
the gangsters from the 1920s.
Lobster Mobster is voiced by Joe Alaskey and
Da Shrimp is voiced by David Lander.
=== Manta ===
Manta is a recurring villain in the TV series.
Although his exact age is unknown, he appears
to be potentially ageless as an individual
is referenced in a legend as nearly destroying
Atlantica who was imprisoned in an undersea
volcano many years before the time of the
series.
As it so happens, the character is discovered
imprisoned within and freed from an undersea
volcano by a well-meaning Ariel, whom the
Manta dupes into releasing him.
He then begins spreading hatred and discord
amongst the population of Atlantica, nearly
causing the kingdom to self-destruct from
his actions.
During this initial appearance the Manta appeared
to have the power of mental hypnosis or else
some form of telepathy.
Ariel manages, with the help of Flounder and
their friends to defeat the Manta.
He then became a recurring character, intent
on taking control of Atlantica for himself.
He later has a son, "Little Evil", who ironically
enough, has no true evil or malevolent aspects
to his personality and becomes a friend of
Ariel's, which also results in his father's
redemption.
He is voiced by Tim Curry.
=== Howling Hairfish ===
Howling Hairfishes are monstrous fish and
the Atlantican equivalent of a werewolf that
when a normal fish gets bitten becomes cursed
in TV series.
The cure is that a school of silver fish will
turn a Howling Hairfish back into a normal
fish.
The only Howling Hairfish that speaks is Flounder
who turned into a Howling Hairfish.
== The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea
==
=== Melody ===
Melody is the daughter of Eric and Ariel,
the niece of Ariel's sisters and the granddaughter
of King Triton and Queen Athena.
The celebration of her birth opens the film,
during which her parents sail out to sea to
present her to King Triton and the merfolk.
The celebration is interrupted by Morgana,
who threatens to hurt Melody if Triton does
not hand over the trident.
Eric and Ariel manage to save Melody, but
because Morgana escapes, Ariel decides that
the sea is too dangerous for her daughter.
Until Morgana is found, Ariel vows to keep
all knowledge of the sea from her, including
her mermaid heritage.
A magical locket that King Triton had made
for Melody for the occasion is reluctantly
thrown into the sea.
Melody grows up banned from entering the sea
and is not told why, but by her 12th birthday
has been regularly sneaking out of the palace
to swim in secret.
On said birthday, Melody finds the locket
with her name, and questions Ariel about it.
Ariel and Melody argue, and before Ariel can
apologize and explain, Melody runs away from
the castle in a boat.
Melody is discovered by Undertow and convinced
to meet 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 retrieves the trident
from Triton, claiming that he stole it from
Morgana.
Wanting to be a mermaid forever, Melody agrees.
While searching for the trident, Melody befriends
a penguin named Tip and a walrus named Dash,
and they join her in her search.
Melody succeeds in stealing the trident, and
returns to Morgana at the same time that her
mother Ariel, who has been turned back into
a mermaid in order to find Melody, also arrives.
Melody is angered by Ariel's decision to lie
to her, and gives Morgana the trident.
Morgana reveals her true intentions to Melody,
and traps her in a cave by sealing the entrance
with a thick layer of ice.
Soon afterward, Morgana's spell on Melody
wears off, causing her to revert into a human
and nearly drowning.
Tip and Dash manage to free her and drag her
to the shore.
Morgana uses the trident to subjugate the
merfolk, but Melody, no longer a mermaid,
is unaffected and starts to climb the cliff.
She secretly sneaks up behind the witch and
takes back the trident, causing the others
to be freed from her spell.
Melody tells her to stay back but turns the
wrong end of the trident to her.
Morgana grabs Melody's foot and pulls her
to her in order to take the trident back,
but Melody stabs her in the tentacle with
it.
Melody then manages to toss the trident back
to Triton but gets pushed off the ice cliff
by Morgana: Dash saves her.
Triton turns the tables on Morgana and encases
her in ice.
In the aftermath, Melody apologizes to Eric
and Ariel for her actions, and Ariel apologizes
for not telling Melody the truth.
Triton offers Melody the option of becoming
a mermaid permanently but Melody declines.
Instead she uses the trident to disintegrate
the wall between the palace and the sea, thus
reuniting both sides of her family.
She is voiced by Tara Strong.
Melody performs one song in the film, "For
a Moment", in which Ariel, voiced by Jodi
Benson, also provides vocals.
The character "Melody" is also a playable
character in the PlayStation game, The Little
Mermaid 2, which is based on the two movies.
She becomes playable after Ariel's story arc
has finished and the player is prompted to
play as Melody in the chapter called "A New
Beginning".
=== Morgana ===
Morgana is the younger sister of the deceased
Ursula.
Like Ursula, Morgana is half octopus, having
tentacles instead of a tail, but unlike Ursula,
Morgana has 8 tentacles instead of 6, which,
in addition to her thin stature, make Morgana's
appearance more squid-like.
Also, her skin is greenish-gray, unlike Ursula,
who has light lavender skin.
Morgana has three minions; a tiger shark named
Undertow, and a pair of manta rays called
Cloak and Dagger.
Her voice is provided by Pat Carroll.
Morgana's prime motivation is to prove her
superiority over Ursula, who was the favored
child of their mother.
She also wanted to avenge Ursula's death.
However, she is not as powerful as Ursula
and lacks her subtlety and deviousness, though
she is highly cunning in her own right.
She openly attacks Melody's birthday party
and uses her as a hostage to gain Triton's
trident, a ploy that fails due to Ariel's
quick thinking.
Morgana escapes, and for twelve years eludes
Triton's efforts to find her.
Morgana eventually meets twelve-year-old Melody,
who has rebelled against her mother'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, and proclaims herself as the new
ruler of the seven seas.
She is eventually stopped by Melody, who steals
the trident back and gives it to King Triton.
Triton then encases Morgana in an iceberg,
and she is left to sink to the bottom of the
ocean and was never seen again.
=== Tip and Dash ===
Tip and Dash are supporting characters in
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and
friends of Melody.
Tip is an emperor penguin voiced by Max Casella,
and Dash is a walrus voiced by Stephen Furst.
Their names are derived from the convention
of Morse Code which uses dots (or "tips")
and dashes to communicate messages.
In the film, Tip and Dash are established
odd couple best friends whom Melody encounters
when she has been transformed into a mermaid.
She learns that the duo want to be "heroes"
but find it difficult to do so when Tip is
a braggart who exaggerates his accomplishments
and Dash is openly a coward.
With a big help to save the baby penguin for
her mother, Tip and Dash join the other penguins
to extend the form of a ladder just before
the red-eyed hammerhead shark scares them
all into a big pile.
Rejected by other penguins, Tip and Dash join
Melody on her journey to retrieve the trident
for Morgana.
In the final battle, both characters find
their inner courage and help to save the day.
The duo perform the song "Tip and Dash" with
Melody.
=== Undertow ===
Undertow, voiced by Clancy Brown, is a minion
of Morgana.
When the film opens, Undertow is a large purple
and black colored tiger shark, but during
the opening fight, he is zapped by the magic
of King Triton's trident and transformed into
a small, piranha-like fish so he can't eat
or harm Melody.
Undertow spends the next twelve years as a
piranha.
After Melody rebels against her mother, Undertow
convinces Melody to visit Morgana, who manipulates
her into fetching the trident.
When Melody retrieves the trident, Morgana
uses its magic to restore Undertow to his
original form.
During the final fight, Undertow battles Melody's
friends Tip and Dash, and crashes into a wall
of ice and all his teeth break and fall out.
He is not seen again afterwards but was most
likely killed upon impact with the ice wall.
=== Cloak and Dagger ===
Cloak and Dagger are dark blue manta rays
and Morgana's henchmen.
Unlike most of the animals in the film, they
don't speak, and perform mostly physical duties
for Morgana, either by pulling her or someone
of interest to her.
== The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning ==
=== 
Athena ===
Athena was Triton's wife, queen of Atlantica,
and the mother of Ariel, Aquata, Andrina,
Arista, Attina, Adella and Alana, Eric's mother-in-law
and Melody's maternal grandmother.
Her speaking voice is provided by Lorelei
Hill Butters, and her singing voice is provided
by Andrea Robinson.
She appears in the opening prologue of the
prequel, in which she is at first shown singing
her and Triton's special song (Athena's song)
to the girls before bedtime.
She is then seen relaxing in a cove on the
ocean surface with her husband, children and
other merfolk.
Triton gives her a music box that plays their
song as an anniversary present.
The fun ceases when a pirate ship appears
and attacks the merpeople, during which Athena
is crushed to death by the ship, whilst trying
to save the music box.
Triton responds to this tragedy by banning
music from Atlantica.
Prior to this film, Ariel's mother had been
mentioned before in the prequel television
series, but had then remained nameless.
It is never actually stated, but it is quite
likely that it was Athena's death, at the
hands of humans, that caused Triton's prejudice
towards them.
=== Marina Del Rey ===
Marina Del Rey, voiced by Sally Field, is
a mermaid and the governess of King Triton's
seven daughters, in charge of enforcing Triton's
distant and formal parenting style and is
the main antagonist.
She feels she has been stuck as the governess
for too long, and her primary motivation is
to take over Sebastian's job as the king's
attaché.
She temporarily succeeds after getting Sebastian,
Flounder, and their secret music band sent
to prison (as music was forbidden from Atlantica
at the time) but upon learning of the gang's
escape with Ariel, Marina resolves to kill
them all by sending her electric eels after
them.
Marina is eventually caught, and Triton sends
her to prison for her crimes.
=== Benjamin ===
Benjamin is a light green manatee and Marina's
sidekick.
Unlike Marina, Benjamin is a softy who loves
Ariel and her sisters, and wishes Marina would
be nice.
He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
=== Catfish Club Band ===
The Catfish Club Band are a quartet house
band in the Catfish Club, the underground
music club in Atlantica that exists in opposition
to King Triton's ban on music.
Their bandleader and vocalist is Sebastian,
who also plays maracas.
Other members are Ray-Ray, a sky-blue manta
ray who plays the bass, voiced by Kevin Michael
Richardson; Cheeks, a green blowfish who plays
the saxophone, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson;
Ink Spot, a violet octopus who plays the piano,
voiced by Rob Paulsen; Shelbow, a teal sea
turtle who plays the drums, voiced by Jim
Cummings.
== Others ==
=== Gertrude ===
Gertrude is mentioned by one of the maids
who are washing clothes
