Live-action Disney villain prequels have become a trend recently and after The Little Mermaid, it's inevitable that the next one will be about Ursula. 2023's The Little Mermaid has been a huge hit, once again revitalizing the Disney animated classic and renewing interest in the future of the franchise. Due to the film's success, Disney is most likely looking for ways to expand on The Little Mermaid live-action remake. Luckily, the film's fantastic use of Ursula means that a live-action The Little Mermaid prequel focusing on the Sea Witch is the perfect choice for Disney's next big villain prequel.
The Little Mermaid is only the most recent entry in Disney's long line of live-action remakes of animated classics with, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and more getting the same treatment. 2023's The Little Mermaid is arguably the most accurate to the source material, as the remake actually changes very little compared to other Disney remakes like Mulan and Pinocchio. However, like many other Disney remakes, The Little Mermaid's critical reception has been pretty poor, meaning that Disney will have to get creative if it wants to capitalize on the film's financial success. Luckily, an Ursula prequel is the perfect way to do this.
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The performances in 2023's The Little Mermaid remake are a mixed bag, with viewers giving mixed reactions to the work of Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, and some of the other cast members. However, it is almost universally agreed that Melissa McCarthy's Ursula is the best part of the movie. The actress completely steals the show, with Ursula always being the center of attention whenever she is on-screen. Ursula is one of the only characters that didn't have her role significantly expanded in the live-action remake, which is a shame, as she was easily the highlight of 2023's The Little Mermaid.
One of the reasons that Melissa McCarthy's performance as Ursula was so good was how close it stuck to the original. 2023's The Little Mermaid significantly changed some characters, giving different takes on Scuttle and Sebastian. However, Ursula was basically ripped straight from the animated film, with Melissa McCarthy capturing the same fun and flamboyance that Pat Carroll put into her original performance in the 1989 version. Melissa McCarthy's Ursula is one of the best villain portrayals in any of the Disney live-action remakes so far, and because of that, she is key to expanding the franchise of The Little Mermaid.
Disney has made a ton of live-action remakes of their animated classics, but they also have a history of making live-action villain prequel movies. Maleficent is the earliest example of this, with Disney using Angelina Jolie to tell the story of Sleeping Beauty with a twist rather than doing a straight adaptation. The film was successful enough to garner a sequel, 2019's Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, proving that Disney has grand ambitions for these villain prequels. Disney also gave One Hundred and One Dalmatians the same treatment in 2021, with Emma Stone starring in Cruella as a young version of the villainous Cruella de Vil.
On top of making live-action villain prequel movies, Disney also has established a trend of expanding on the live-action remakes beyond the initial film. For example, due to the success of 2019's The Lion King, a Mufasa prequel movie is currently in the works, with it telling an original story. Similarly, Cruella 2, The Jungle Book 2, and Aladdin 2 are all in development, as well as a Tink spin-off focusing on Tinker Bell. Disney is clearly eager to expand on the world of these live-action remakes, and with more remakes in development, this isn't stopping anytime soon. Because of this, Ursula is the perfect candidate for a villain prequel.
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Although Ursula's The Little Mermaid story is complete after the events of the 2023 remake, the film leaves tons of mysteries open that an Ursula prequel movie could solve. For example, the film could explore Ursula's origin story, explaining how she came to master forms of witchcraft that aren't used by anyone else in King Triton's kingdom. The prequel could also explain why Ursula is half-squid unlike everyone else who is a mermaid, as well as the start of her friendship with Flotsam and Jetsam. The Ursula prequel could even show her early deals with poor unfortunate souls, giving greater context to her character in The Little Mermaid live-action remake.
While these are all avenues that could be explored in the prequel, the live-action remake sets up a bigger story that the film could tell. In the film, Ursula reveals that she and King Triton are siblings, with her having been kicked out of the palace years ago. The film doesn't reveal what she did to get kicked out of the palace, and that's where a live-action Ursula prequel could fill in the gaps. The film could explore the fallout of Ursula's relationship with King Triton, as well as her banishment from the kingdom. The prequel could turn Ursula into a tragic character, following the formula of Maleficent and Cruella​​​​​​.
On top of filling in the gaps of Ursula's past, a live-action Ursula prequel could also set up The Little Mermaid 2. Not much is known about The Little Mermaid 2, but it seems likely due to several cast members expressing their interest in a sequel. However, if it does happen, an Ursula prequel could set it up in several big ways. The prequel could explore the breakdown of the relationship between humans and sea creatures, which could play into a sequel focusing on the two groups mending their relationships. It could also give greater context to things like the Coral Moon, which could play a role in the sequel.
Another way that Ursula's prequel could set up The Little Mermaid 2 is if it pulls from the original sequel. 2000's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is a direct-to-DVD sequel of the 1989 The Little Mermaid, with it focusing on Ariel's daughter. However, the film also reveals the existence of Morgana, another Sea Witch that is actually the younger sister of Ursula. While the live-action remake didn't feature Morgana, a prequel about Ursula's past is the perfect way to introduce her, setting her up for the sequel to the live-action The Little Mermaid remake.