Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula: Drama swirls around ‘The Little Mermaid’

Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid arrived in theaters on May 26, 2023, with Melissa McCarthy stepping into the role of Ursula. The casting announcement had already stirred strong reactions online, and the finished film gave audiences a chance to judge the performance for themselves rather than speculate about it. McCarthy’s take on the sea witch mixed the cartoon’s camp energy with a larger physical presence, and the movie’s release brought fresh attention to how that choice played out on screen.

Dive into the Casting Controversy: A Sea of Backlash and Backlashes

Early criticism centered on whether McCarthy matched the original character’s visual silhouette and vocal style. Some fans argued her body type shifted the visual balance, while others questioned if her comedic background would suit a villain built on theatrical menace. Once the film opened, reviews noted that McCarthy leaned into the character’s playful menace and delivered a strong version of Poor Unfortunate Souls. Critics who had worried about tone found the performance carried enough sly humor to fit the updated script’s lighter approach. Makeup artists who had spoken out during pre-production also addressed the debate after release, pointing out that screen transformations rely on design choices rather than exact replication of an animated model.

Behind the Scenes with Ursula’s Makeup: A Transformation Fit for the Deep Sea

Makeup designer Peter King used MAC palettes and standard cosmetics instead of heavy theatrical paint. The team chose bright green eyeshadow paired with red lips to create contrast against the character’s pale skin and white wig with darker roots. Prosthetics formed the tentacles that extended from the costume, allowing McCarthy mobility while keeping the silhouette recognizable. King later addressed online criticism in interviews, noting that the goal was to honor the cartoon’s color scheme and exaggerated features without turning the look into a literal copy of the animation. The finished design kept the drag-influenced theatricality that had defined Ursula since her debut.

Reception and Legacy of McCarthy’s Ursula

Reviewers highlighted McCarthy’s camp delivery and vocal work as standout elements in an otherwise mixed film. Several outlets mentioned the energy she brought to scenes with Ariel and the ease with which she moved through the musical number. Audience scores on major platforms landed in the mixed-to-positive range, with many viewers citing the Ursula sequences as highlights even when other aspects of the production divided opinions. The performance has since been referenced in discussions of live-action Disney villains who balance menace with humor.

Ursula’s Design Influences and Inspirations

McCarthy confirmed she drew directly from drag performance traditions when preparing for the role. The original animated character had already incorporated those roots, and the live-action team aimed to preserve that lineage while updating the look for a new cast. Concept work referenced the cartoon’s bold shapes and the exaggerated makeup associated with drag stages. King and his department kept the silhouette and color palette intact while adjusting proportions for a human performer, resulting in a version that felt both familiar and scaled for real-world movement.

The Little Mermaid Franchise Expansions

In June 2024, Disney Junior premiered an animated series titled Ariel that draws visual and tonal cues from the 2023 film. The series features updated character designs that echo the live-action film’s approach to color and scale. McCarthy’s portrayal of Ursula has been referenced in promotional material for the show, extending the character’s presence beyond the original movie’s runtime. The expansion keeps the story in active rotation for younger viewers while maintaining continuity with the recent theatrical release.

Box Office and Commercial Performance

The film earned $569.6 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $240.2 million. Domestic numbers were solid but below some earlier Disney live-action titles, while international markets contributed the larger share of the total. Streaming numbers on Disney+ after the July 2023 premiere added further reach, though exact figures remain private. The financial outcome placed the project in the profitable column without matching the highest-grossing entries in the studio’s recent live-action slate.

McCarthy’s Ursula now sits alongside other recent Disney villain performances that sparked conversation before release and received more measured responses once audiences could watch the finished work. The combination of the film’s box office return, the makeup team’s documented process, and the franchise’s continued expansion shows how one casting decision can ripple through multiple stages of a project’s life cycle. Viewers who followed the pre-release debate had the chance to compare those early predictions against the actual screen results, and the conversation around the character has shifted from speculation to assessment of what made it to theaters and beyond.