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‘Poor, Unfortunate Souls’: Fan Perception of Ursula the Sea Witch from Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989)

Janelle Vermaak-Griessel (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa)

Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century Fairy Tale Narratives

ISBN: 978-1-80117-565-4, eISBN: 978-1-80117-564-7

Publication date: 11 February 2022

Abstract

The mere sight of Disney villains have struck fear into the hearts of many a child. From the Evil Queen, to Maleficent, to Ursula. From the black flowing capes to the ashen skin and pointy horns, the aesthetic of these villains alone is often enough to evoke a sense of dread in the audience. Ursula from The Little Mermaid (1989) may not be officially a queen in the Disney universe, but she is a notorious villain amongst fans. Although The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, the film, and thus Ursula, have a fanbase that has evolved and grown up to now, despite the film not being remade into a live-action version as yet. This chapter will analyse the comments of three fan-made YouTube videos regarding Ursula, and will examine the fan comments, with specific focus on the comments regarding Ursula's physicality or any positive comments about her. This will show fan positivity towards a villainous character, despite what may be depicted as a negative body image. Ursula, an octopus, looks quite different from other villains. The primary research methodology will include participatory culture and discourse analysis in order to understand why fans adore her, and how they do not necessarily accept her as a villain, but that there is an outpouring of positivity towards her body image.

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Citation

Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2022), "‘Poor, Unfortunate Souls’: Fan Perception of Ursula the Sea Witch from Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989)", Le Clue, N. and Vermaak-Griessel, J. (Ed.) Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century Fairy Tale Narratives (Emerald Studies in Popular Culture and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 191-204. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-564-720221014

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022 Janelle Vermaak-Griessel. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited