Ursula (The Little Mermaid) she can ultimately replace the mermaid's father King Triton as ruler over Atlantica. Created by directors and screenwriters Ron Clements and John Musker, Ursula is based on the sea witch character who appears in the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. However, her minor role was greatly expanded into that of a much more prominent villain for the film. Disney had struggled to cast Ursula for a year, during which the role was well sought after by several coveted television actresses at the time. Clements and Musker disagreed with lyricist Howard Ashman about who should voice the
Ursula (The Little Mermaid) as "A total success" despite sharing some similarities with previous Disney villains. Janet Maslin of "The New York Times "described Ursula as "a fabulously campy creation embodying the film's well-developed sense of mischief." Describing the character as an "inventive high-camp villainess," the "New York Daily News"' Kathleen Carroll cited Ursula as a prime example of the film's "outstanding" animation. Hailing the character as "a visual feast," "Variety" considered Ursula to be among "the film’s more inspired inventions". William Thomas of "Empire" described Ursula as "truly quake-inducing", while "Time"'s Eliana Dockterman enjoyed the fact that, unlike previous Disney villains, "Ursula doesn’t