A closer look
Disney animators famously based the physical appearance, theatrical mannerisms, and dramatic facial expressions of the sea witch Ursula from the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid on the legendary, boundary-pushing drag queen Divine. The studio wanted a villain who was excessively glamorous and undeniably larger than life, so they leaned heavily into the underground queer camp aesthetic of John Waters movies. It is incredibly ironic and endlessly entertaining that one of the most famously conservative, family-friendly media conglomerates on the planet unknowingly built their most iconic animated villain by directly copying a notorious counterculture drag performer. Corporate executives clearly had absolutely no idea what they were signing off on when they approved the character designs, blessing us with a subversive masterpiece hiding in plain sight
