The character shares Divine’s trademark look, from her heavy eye make-up and jewellery to her physical mannerisms. When it comes to the design of Ursula, the subsea psychopath was inspired by Divine, the legendary drag queen best known for her controversial appearances in John Waters’ movies. Photograph: 'Pink Flamingos' (1972) ‘Pink Flamingos’ star Divine was a major inspiration for Ursula 4. She has six tentacles instead of eight,’ she noted in a later interview. However, to make the animation process cheaper and faster, her tentacles were reduced from eight to six.Ĭarroll argued that made Ursula a squid, not an octopus: ‘People call her an octopus and I’m so knowledgeable that I have to correct them and say: ‘‘No, she is not an octopus, she is a squid’’. Ursula’s original design was inspired by many different sea creatures, including scorpion fish and manta rays, before director Ron Clements decided to base the character on an octopus. A n extended reprise of the song was written specifically for the Broadway musical. The song has since been covered by the likes of the Jonas Brothers, Queen Latifah, Tituss Burgess and Rebel Wilson. I got more about that character from Howard singing that song than from anything else.’ ‘I got the whole attitude from him: his shoulders would twitch in a certain way, and his eyes would go a certain way. ‘He gave me that performance! Come on, I’m honest enough to say that,’ she said in ‘ Makin’ Toons’. While the song has become a musical theatre classic with over 60 million streams on Spotify alone, Carroll credited songwriter Ashman for inspiring her delivery, after he sent her a video of himself performing the track. ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ took on a life of its own Other actresses, including The Golden Girls’ Bea Arthur, were approached or auditioned, but none could match the energy of Carroll, especially when it comes to the character’s signature song, ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’. Disney got as far as approaching Collins herself, only to be turned down by her agent. Lyricist and producer Howard Ashman envisioned Ursula as akin to a Joan Collins-style character from one of the actress’s big US soaps. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Carroll voicing the charismatic villain, but Disney bosses initially approached several other Hollywood stars. Pat Carroll wasn’t the first – or second – choice for Ursula Here are five things to know about Carroll’s iconic turn as Ursula in The Little Mermaid : 1. She also voiced Ursula’s sister Morgana in the 2000 sequel, The Little mermaid II: Return to the Sea. She reprised the role of Ursula in spin-off TV series, video games and Disney theme park attractions. ‘So, I was theirs hook, line and sinker.’Ĭarroll frequently spoke about her joy of working with Disney. ‘It was a lifelong ambition of mine to do a Disney film,’ she told author Allan Neuwirth in ‘ Makin’ Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies’. Actress and comedian Pat Carroll has passed away aged 95. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran actress died at her home in Massachusetts at the weekend while recovering from a pneumonia-related illness.Ĭarroll was best known for her career-defining voice role as Ursula, the villainous sea witch in Disney’s 1989 animation, The Little Mermaid.
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