If you’ve ever re-watched Disney’s The Little Mermaid as an adult, you’ve probably had that feeling that the movie’s villain, Ursula The Sea Witch, reminds you of someone. As it turns out, that’s not a coincidence. Ursula is inspired, in both appearance and demeanor, by drag legend and John Waters muse Divine.
Sadly, Divine, real name Glenn Milstead, didn’t actually get to bring Ursula to life. He died shortly after the release of Hairspray in 1988. That said, everyone who knew him said he would have loved the character.
They did it in the Hairspray remake and that’s considered a family movie. Disney could totally do the same thing. They already made some big casting departures and I think this would be another step towards inclusion and diversity. And do we really need to see Melissa McCarthy in something else?