The little Mermaid is undoubtedly one of Disney’s most popular princess movies, and the one that turned millions of kids around the world into mermaid fans. This production is written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the creative duo who also created hits like Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, and Vaiana. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The little Mermaid follows Ariel, a young mermaid who is obsessed with the human world and life from the sea. In the end, she decides to disobey her father and makes a pact with Ursula, the sea witch, to become human for three days in order to see Eric, a man she fell in love with again. However, this deal is much more dangerous than Ariel expected, and the consequences for her life and the kingdom of Atlantica could be devastating.
This 1989 film became a box office hit and was critically acclaimed. It earned, among many other accolades, two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song and a nomination for Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globe Awards. The overwhelming popularity of this production launched a franchise and led to the release of two sequels, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginnings. In recent years, this popular Disney character has made headlines once again, when the company announced that a live-action adaptation of the movie, starring Halle Bailey, is slated for release in May.
An unexplored theme in the original film is the story of Queen Athena, Ariel’s mother. While she’s mentioned a few times in the production, it’s not entirely clear what happened to her. The truth is that this queen’s tragic story was a turning point in Atlantica and influenced the way King Triton raised their daughters. This is what happened to Queen Athena.
Who was Ariel’s mother?
At the beginning of The little Mermaid, the audience is introduced to Ariel, the protagonist of the story, and a brief overview of her life and family. This young mermaid is the seventh and youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena. Her older sisters are Andrina, Arista, Aquata, Adella, Alana and Attina. And while most of these characters appear in the film, one is clearly absent: Athena. The public only gets to see her The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginnings, a production that explores a little more of Ariel’s life and her parents’ story. Queen Athena is depicted as a loving mermaid who is cherished by her family and everyone around her. She loves music and has a beautiful voice. She is very similar to Ariel: they are both gorgeous, with bright red hair, a purple shell bra, and their mermaid tails in shades of greenish, although Athena has green eyes and wears gold jewelry. From the few scenes in which she appears, you can see that Athena and her husband King Triton have a beautiful relationship.
A murder that rocked the kingdom
Queen Athena’s absence from Atlantica is covered through flashbacks in the 2008 film The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginnings. The production takes us back to Ariel’s childhood, featuring a much younger King Triton along with Queen Athena as they enjoy their life together as they run a kingdom filled with music and laughter. On their wedding anniversary, the couple and all their daughters go to a cove to celebrate. While there, Triton presents his wife with a gold figure music box of theirs, which when opened plays their favorite song.
Suddenly, a pirate ship approaches them, causing the family to retreat. Attina gets stuck between two rocks, prompting her mother to help her. In the end, she manages to escape, giving Queen Athena enough time to join her. However, the Queen sees her music box in the distance, and since she refuses to leave it behind, she tries to get closer to the rock and get it back. Unfortunately, Athens is crushed by the pirate ship as it hits the rocks, leaving her family utterly devastated.
As a result of this terrible loss, Kind Triton bans music from the kingdom and all contact with the human world, causing the fun and laughter-filled kingdom it once was to fade into oblivion. At the same time, driven by the fear of losing another member of his family, he becomes a very strict father figure in raising his daughters, especially Ariel. It is likely that his younger daughter’s rebellious, curious and adventurous attitude strongly reminds him of Athena, which is why Triton is particularly hard on her, desperately trying to keep her away from the surface and thwarting any attempt to learn about humans.
Will Queen Athena be featured in the live-action movie?
The live action adaptation of The little Mermaid has fans very excited and attentive to every news item that comes out. In this upcoming movie from Rob Marshall, Bailey will play the role of Ariel alongside Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina, among others. While it hasn’t been officially announced, this 2023 movie is rumored to feature Queen Athena, allowing audiences to look a little more into her relationship with Ariel. At first, fans thought she would be played by Noma Dumezweni, who was cast in an undisclosed role. However, it was eventually announced that the actress will play the role of Queen Selina, a new character in the story. While rumors are still circulating about Queen Athena’s appearance, it has not been confirmed to date whether or not she will appear in the film.