Most know King Triton from the 1989 animated Disney film, The Little Mermaid. But did you know that the character of King Triton in the film was inspired by a demigod of the same name in Greek mythology?
In this article, we will tell you all about the powerful King Triton, including his history, appearance, relationship with his daughter and other characters in the movie, his personality, and his legacy in Disney history.
The History of Disney’s King Triton
The first known appearance of King Triton was in Greek mythology. According to a Greek myth popularized by Greek poet Hesiod, Triton was a merman whose parents were Greek god Poseidon and his mortal wife, Amphitrite.
King Triton in Greek Mythology
Triton lived in a golden palace with his parents deep in the sea – a palace that is also depicted in the animated film. In some versions of the myth, Triton is not a name but a title given to the many sons of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
Being a merman, Triton was depicted in ancient Greek art as human from the waist up with the tail of a fish. His most distinguishing feature was the twisted seashell – likely a conch shell – with which he could either calm or raise the waves by blowing into it.
King Triton’s Chariot
In many versions of the myth, Triton is depicted riding a chariot pulled by horses across the sea. In the Disney film, these horses are swapped for dolphins. In the movie, Triton wields a trident instead of the shell, likening him to Poseidon.
How Did He Become King?
According to Greek mythology, King Poseidon left Triton and his brother Neptune due to a fight they had. Both Triton and Neptune became kings of the sea with their own respective realms of ruling. However, they do share a sibling rivalry.
In the Disney films, it is never mentioned how Triton became king. Even in flashbacks, he is always depicted as a king. He also never has any siblings shown, unlike in the Greek myths. This is likely due to the fact that the Disney film’s characters are more based on the Hans Christian Andersen story than the Greek myths.
King Triton’s Appearance in the Disney Animated Movies
Throughout the 3 Disney films he appears in, Triton’s appearance remains the same. He has a navy blue tail and light blue fins, as well as long flowing white hair and a beard. He wears a spiked yellow crown on his head and golden gauntlets on his arms.
King Triton is a particularly strong merman, with noticeably broad shoulders and a muscular body. Although his beard covers much of his torso and back, you can still see that he has a six pack.
Although King Triton is often seen sporting a frown, he can be seen smiling on occasion, usually whenever he is thinking about his daughters. He has bushy, long gray eyebrows and is quite expressive.
King Triton’s Trident
King Triton wields a trident, which he uses to protect his kingdom of Atlantica from danger – especially humans. Whenever he uses the trident, it glows with a golden hue.
The king’s trident is capable of several powers, including the ability to turn merpeople into humans. Its power is comparable to lighting, evidenced by the beam of electric light it shoots in several scenes of the movie.
The trident is also capable of massive destruction, which we see when King Triton destroys the statue of Eric to punish Ariel. We also see this when Ursula uses the trident, which causes a deadly hurricane.
We see this happen again in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, when Ursula’s sister Morgana uses the trident to try to take over the ocean. The trident is a powerful tool that is capable of both good and evil.
King Triton’s crown
In all 3 of the films, King Triton is seen sporting a yellow crown with spikes. The crown has 7 spikes, perhaps representing the 7 seas. The only time he is ever seen without the crown is when Ursula transforms him into a polyp as she takes over the kingdom.
The only other person to ever wear King Triton’s crown is Ursula at the end of the The Little Mermaid. Although in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Morgana does take the trident, she never is seen wearing the crown.
The crown is a key part of Triton’s appearance. Even in flashbacks of him when he was young in The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, he can be seen wearing it when he is spending time with his wife Athena and their 7 children.
King Triton’s Personality in The Little Mermaid
In original The Little Mermaid, Triton’s character is mostly shown as a grumpy and overprotective father. His family and his kingdom are the things he cares about most. Although he cares deeply about his kids, he is also part of the reason that Ariel tries to become a human.
Triton displays outbursts of anger when Ariel does not show up to the concert at the palace that she was supposed to star in. He shows this again when he discovers Ariel has been interacting with humans against his orders, which leads him to destroy the statue of Prince Eric.
However, the softer side of Triton is shown later on. He sacrifices himself in an effort to save Ariel from Ursula. Eventually, he decides to set Ariel free so she can be with Eric. He is even seen attending her wedding.
King Triton’s Personality In Other Disney Films
Over the years, Triton’s character has remained a protective and loving father towards Ariel. He helps Ariel go back to her mermaid form in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea so she can save her daughter from Morgana.
Even in flashbacks, Triton is shown as a loving father. He saves his kids from an oncoming boat filled with humans, which ultimately kills his wife. His resentment towards humans comes from this event. However, after Ariel marries Eric, his disdain towards humans appears to have lessened.
What Powers Does King Triton Have?
As a mermaid, King Triton is capable of breathing underwater. He is also physically strong and capable of resisting cold temperatures, which we see when he goes to help Ariel search for her daughter. His trident also grants him certain abilities.
Other Powers
- Superhuman strength
- Durability
- Superhuman speed
- Ability to control water
- Ability to control the weather
King Triton’s Relationship with Ariel the Little Mermaid
King Triton is the widowed father of 7 daughters, which represent the 7 seas. All of his daughters are named after a different sea, except for The Little Mermaid’s protagonist, Ariel.
Triton harbors a grudge towards humans, due to the fact that humans killed his late wife Athena in The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning. Ariel’s boundless curiosity about the human world strains the father-daughter relationship, and explains why Triton is more protective over Ariel than he is over his other daughters.
His Relationship with Ursula
King Triton and the sea witch Ursula have some history, evidenced by the revelation that she used to be a resident in King Triton’s palace. However, she was eventually banished and exiled by order of King Triton because of her use of dark magic. She has vowed to get revenge on King Triton ever since.
However, despite King Triton’s disdain towards Ursula, when he realizes that Ariel is being used by Ursula, he agrees to hand over his powers, trident, and crown to Ursula if it meant freeing his daughter. In the end, the power of his love proves to be stronger than the power of her hate.
King Triton’s Relationship with Sebastian
Sebastian is the kingdom advisor and perhaps the only person close to Triton outside of his family. He is also the court composer and conductor, and Triton enjoys watching him lead performances in the palace.
Sebastian follows Triton’s orders to a fault, making him an extremely loyal advisor. They share a similar distrust of humans, as well as a concern for Ariel’s wellbeing. Triton will seek advice from Sebastian when he struggles to understand what Ariel is going through.
Sebastian is often caught between his royal duties and his own conscience, which he tries to avoid showing to Triton, especially when he agrees to help Ariel to get Prince Eric to fall in love with her.
However, it is due to Sebastian’s help with Ariel’s endeavors for love that Triton eventually grants her wish to spend the rest of her life in human form. In the end, Sebastian is ultimately someone Triton trusts completely.
King Triton’s Relationship with Flounder
Flounder is Ariel’s playmate and closest friend. Triton knows very little about Flounder, but he does partially blame Flounder for Ariel’s curiosity towards humans.
Flounder cowers before Triton. However, Flounder has a very loving friendship with Ariel, and Triton seems to appreciate that his daughter has such a caring friend.
King Triton Appearances in the Little Mermaid Movies and TV
He has been a consistent character throughout various films, television, and even video games. Let’s take a look…
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Triton first appears in the Disney original film The Little Mermaid. He is the caring but stern father of 7 kids. He struggles to deal with his daughter Ariel and her interest in humans. Later in the film, his love for his daughter overrides his hate for humans and he lets her go back to her human form. He is last seen attending her wedding.
The Little Mermaid Television Series (1992 – 1994)
He appears again in the Disney cartoon television series, also called The Little Mermaid. The series aired for 2 years until CBS decided to cancel buying more episodes of the series. Disney Channel did multiple reruns of the series, which has since become a fan favorite.
The Little Mermaid II (2000)
A few years after the series ended, Triton reappeared in the Disney film sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. He is an active part of Ariel’s life and is seen spending time with her family. However, when Morgana announces her desire to take back Triton’s powers as vengeance for her sister’s death, Triton and Ariel decide to separate the mermaid and human world to keep Melody safe.
Although he is much more of a minor character than he was in the original film, Triton still has an important role to play. He is seen showing great support to Ariel and even helps her turn back into a mermaid to rescue her daughter.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008)
This film takes place many years before the original movie. Here, we see a younger and happier Triton spending time with his kids and wife. When his wife Athena is killed by a human ship because she tried to go back for her music box, he begins to hate the human world.
After these events, he no longer allows his kids to play music, because it reminds him of Athena. However, Ariel and the other kids decide to play music in secret. They also play their mother’s music box against Triton’s wishes. Eventually, Triton comes to understand his kids and they all learn to move on.
Actors Who Played the Disney King Triton
In the 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid, King Triton is played by actor Kenneth Mars. He continued to play King Triton in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), as well as in several video games, including the Kingdom Hearts series.
However, he did not come back to voice the character for the third Disney film, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008). After his passing, the character went on to be voiced by others in video games and film.
The role of King Triton was passed down to Jim Cummings, but he only played the role once. However, he is a long time Disney alumni when it comes to voice acting.
For other Disney adaptations, Kenneth Mars’ original archive footage of Triton was reused for The Little Mermaid Live! in 2019. However, for the upcoming Disney live action remake of The Little Mermaid, Triton will star Javier Bardem.
The New Live Action Little Mermaid Movie
Originally set to be released in 2021, the Disney live action remake has been delayed due to the limitations of the pandemic. The film is set for an early summer release in 2023. As mentioned above Javier Bardem has been cast as King Triton.
King Triton at Walt Disney World
Although he is not available to sign autographs or at dinner events in Walt Disney World, he can be found on rides and was also part of some interactive games content throughout the park.
Interactive Content
Fans could search for his spell card in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, which was an interactive app in the park where fans could try to fill their collection of cards that have character images on them. Sadly this fun game that my son used to love is no longer available in Magic Kingdom.
Rides and Parades
You will still find him during the Voyage of the Little Mermaid ride at Magic Kingdom, there is audio in which Triton comments on humans to Ariel, voiced by Corey Burton. He later appears in the ride speaking to Sebastian.
At the Disney Art of Animation Resort, fans can search for a statue of King Triton in the Little Mermaid courtyard.
Related Posts:
- The Little Mermaid Ride at Disney World
- Where to Find Ariel at Disney World
- Meet Ariel at the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast
More Disney Movie Fun
I hope you have enjoyed learning about King Triton from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Why not also check out our Ultimate Guide to Disney Witch Movies too.
You can also find some more Disney Fun below:
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