WMG / The Little Mermaid (2023)

Ursula's Family-Unfriendly Death will be changed

• If there's any scene in the movie that would change the rating of this movie from G to PG or even R, that would be Ursula's death (impaled, electrocuted and blown up in the span of 20 seconds). It's highly probable the movie will follow the original script, in which Eric kills Ursula by impaling her with the trident (a similar, non-graphic scene plays out in Kingdom Hearts II).
  • Mostly Jossed. Ursula is still impaled on the ship, albeit without any gore. The only difference is that Ariel is the one who turns it on her instead of Eric.

Ursula's new "sleeved" outfit

• Instead of it being a sign of Adaptational Modesty or them following a Tamer and Chaster approach to costuming, Ursula's new look with sleeves might be a nod to the theatrical Broadway version, since Ursula's actor/singer does wear them on stage.

This movie will follow the original ending, at least, partly

• In this movie, Ariel will lose her life, and will become a daughter of the air. Yet somehow she will be able to reincarnate into a real girl.
• Jossed. Triton, seeing how hurt and despondent she is, turns her into a girl. (However, she's still referred to as a mermaid in human form.)

King Triton will likely get a Disney Death

• Triton will likely allow Ursula to take him in his daughter's place like the original film, before the climax. But unlike the animated version where Triton became the latest polyp, Ursula will likely kill him before taking the crown. However, once she dies, her spell will be broken, thus reviving Triton.
• Confirmed. A dead Ursula drops the trident, which revives Triton.

Flotsam and Jetsam will turn on Ursula

• Flotsam and Jetsam will once again be in the film and serve as her pets and henchmen. However, it is likely Ursula will eventually show her true mask by abusing her own pets like Medusa to Brutus and Nero in The Rescuers. Once she dies, the eels will likely feast on her remains.
• Jossed. Flotsam and Jetsam remained loyal to her until their deaths, thanks to Ariel making Ursula missing her aim with the trident at Eric; even Ursula feels extremely distraught after realizing that she killed both eels by accident.

The Race Lift on Triton's daughters

• Overreaching a bit, but... Triton's daughters were recast with actresses from many ethnicities/nationalities to reinforce the idea that the girls represent the seven seas, whose king is their father Triton.
  • Overreaching? Isn't that explicitly the case?
    • Well, there isn't explicit reference in any preview material that relates the mermaids to the seven seas, or any Word of God that justifies the Race Lift by stating something like this.
    • The synopsis of The Guide to Merfolk, one of the tie-in books, indicates they represent the seven seas: https://books.disney.com/book/the-little-mermaid-guide-to-merfolk/ . Also, their names have been changed and now include India and Caspia. And the synopsis for the tie-in novel Against the Tide says that it's been a while since they've all been in the same place, which fits with them having their own seas: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61198172-the-little-mermaid
    • ...Wow. I usually don't follow print tie-ins from any major movie release, so this is new to me.
  • According to Javier Bardem, the sisters are different races because they were conceived in different oceans and during the act of reproduction the essence of each sea was embodied within them. This concept was invented by Rob Marshall. It’s also consistent with the tie-in material which states the merfolk look different because of their different locations and environments.

Ursula killed Eric's parents.

• While Word of God confirms that Ursula and Triton are siblings in the 2023 film, Ursula has a slightly altered backstory, which is expanded upon in the tie-in material: Ursula once lived in the palace and 15 years ago, she shapeshifted into Ariel's mother (the Sea Queen) to attack sailors upon a ship. When they captured her, The Sea Queen helped Ursula escape but was killed in the fallout and Ursula was banished as a result. Since Eric is not the biological son of the human Queen but an orphan rescued from a shipwreck, it seems to imply the event that killed his family was none other than the encounter with Ursula. In the tie-in book "Guide To Merfolk", the people of Eric's kingdom write about a mermaid encounter in the area with a beautiful mermaid who then tricks them and capsizes their ship. While at first it seems they are describing the Sea Queen (the mermaid is wearing a crown, the area is where Triton's kingdom is based, etc), the wording heavily implies the mermaid they saw was none other than Ursula herself since the mermaid is described as appearing like a serpent/anaconda.

The movie's release date

• The movie was released in May, as in, to coincide with the Mer-May art meme.

Pat Carroll's cameo role.

• Before her death, it's likely the original voice of Ursula, Pat Carroll, was going to get a cameo in the film just like Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel. It's possible she was going to provide the voice of Ursula's henchman, Flotsam and Jetsam. After her death, rather than recast the role, they likely decided to keep them as non-speaking roles in her honor. According to comedian Matt Rogers, when he expressed interest in voicing the characters, his team was told by Disney that they were not set to appear in the film. This could have been to conceal the cameo. Carroll died two months after Rogers announced this.

Why King Triton's tail is green.

• King Triton is given a green/gold tail because Eric will be transformed into a merman in the sequel and will likely have a blue tail. While other merMEN appear in the background of the film, none of them have blue tails. If Eric becomes a merman, he would be the only one with a blue tail just as Ariel is the only one with an iridescent green/purple tail.

The sequel will be a new take on The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

• It would include Melody and focus at least partly on her desire to be a mermaid rather then a human, but would otherwise be a whole new completely original story, perhaps even involving Eric getting the chance to be a merman for a bit, heck it might even keep the title.
• Also if you pay attention no mermaid in the film has a bright red tail like Melody has in the animated movie, leaving that color free to be used by Melody who as a main character probably should have a unique tail color.

The Little Mermaid (2023) occurs in the same universe as Pirates of the Caribbean

• I mean, think about it: POTC happens in the mid-18th century in the Caribbean in the Jamaican port town of Port Royal. It is not too difficult to think that, almost a century later, a Caribbean kingdom springs up. Also, we have the sea mythology: POTC has Calypso, the Sea Nymph, Davy Jones and the Dead Man's Chest; TLM has, obviously, Triton, the mermaids, Atlantica, and Ursula, the Sea Witch.

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