Have you ever wondered about the king of the sea?
King Triton is a character from the Disney movie “The Little Mermaid.” He is Ariel’s father and rules over his undersea kingdom and all merfolk. He has an arch enemy, a special trident, and a lot of daughters!
If you’re looking for more information on this interesting character, you are in the right place! You’ll find everything you need to know about King Triton, including his backstory and how he got his powers. You can even read some fun facts that only true fans will know!
Lets jump in!
King Triton in Disney’s The Little Mermaid
King Triton’s first Disney appearance was in the 1989 Disney animated feature, The Little Mermaid. He is the ruler over Atlantica and king over all merfolk; he has power over water, including its temperature and clarity.
King Triton is voiced by Kenneth Mars in the first two movies and Jim Cummings in the third movie.
He has seven daughters and his main enemy is Ursula the sea witch, who wishes to take his throne and always makes trouble for him. He is the husband of the late Queen Athena, who died due to contact with humans.
King Tritons daughters are: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Adrina, and Ariel.
King Triton in Greek Mythology
Much of King Triton’s story comes from greek mythology where King Trition is the demigod of the sea. In Disney’s films and cartoon series, King Triton is the ruler of all the ocean waters; he can control water in any way that is imaginable.
In Greek mythology Triton became king when his father King Poseidon had to leave because of a fight with him and his brother Neptune (who looks almost identical to King Triton).
We see that Triton can have an explosive temper and destroys the artifacts with his trident. We do not see King Triton make many aggressive actions in the original movie besides destroying Ariel’s treasures.
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
King Triton’s Personality
King Triton is a powerful ruler who rules over all merfolk, but at some times, he has gone too far. When Triton is angry, he can lose control of his temper and destroy everything near him with his trident.
For example, we see that Triton’s temper when he finds Ariel’s cave of her collection of things on land. King Triton gets angry and destroys artifacts with his trident.
Beyond this instance we do not see King Triton make many aggressive actions in the original movie.
One of King Triton’s most prominent characteristics is that he can be rather overprotective of Ariel and keeps her away from the “outside world”, which is why he does not approve of her fascination with it.
King Triton has a strong hatred towards humans because he thinks they will hurt Ariel. Because of this, he forbade Ariel to visit the human world, but that didn’t stop her from doing so.
He seems to be strict, which he became after the death of his wife, but it is because he wants what’s best for his daughter.
King Triton’s Appearance
He is a muscular, tall merman. King Triton’s lower body is an aqua tail and long white hair. He has thick, grey eyebrows and a long white beard and white mustache.
He has blue eyes and wears a gold crown on his head. King Triton’s crown looks like a sea star with 5 prongs and he also carries a golden trident. He wears gold arm bands on both arms. The crown, arm bands, and trident are all signs of royalty.
King Triton had red hair as a child – just like Ariel!
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
King Triton’s Weapon and Powers
King Triton does not have magical powers in and of himself, however, his gold trident is magical. The Trident of Poseidon (or the “Trident of Atlantica” in some appearances) was given to him by his father, Poseidon.
The trident is controlled by the will of the one who is using it. We usually think of the trident being able to shoot energy bolts, however, it can do more than that!
The trident is able to:
- Shoot energy bolts
- Make rainbows
- Increase or decrease the size of the user
- Shapeshifting
- Force others to do what the user wants
- Control water and weather (for example, make thunderstorms)
The trident’s power is limited in that it only has effects on merpeople and not humans. Additionally, as we see in The Little Mermaid, anyone who is in control of the trident can use it for their own will. Because of that, characters such as Ursula can use the trident for evil purposes.
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
King Triton’s Relationship with Ursula
Ursula was once a senior member of the court of King Triton and Triton’s trusted adviser. For a long time she tried to figure out a way to get back at King Triton for sending her away from the kingdom.
Eventually, as we all know from the events of the original film, she betrayed him and stole the Trident of Poseidon after Ursula transforms Triton into a worm. Her use of the trident allowed her to rule over the seas.
Of course, this is only temporary! Prince Eric destroys Ursula and in the end, King Triton rules again.
King Triton’s Relationship with Ariel
Ariel and Triton are father and daughter. Ariel was born before King Triton became king and Ariel’s mother died a few years later.
King Triton has a soft spot for his Ariel as she is his youngest daughter and he wants to protect her from humans. You can see Tritons loving relationship with Ariel rule over his desire to keep her as a mermaid at the end of the film when he turns her into a human. He truly is a loving father who wants the best for his daughters.
King Triton’s Relationship with Sebastian
Sebastian is King Triton’s right hand crab. In most appearances, Sebastian works as an adviser to King Triton, although he does not always agree with King Triton’s ideas.
King Triton enlists Sebastians help to find out about Ariel’s fascination with the human world. Sebastian tries to get Flounder to help him keep track of Ariel.
Where to Find King Triton In Walt Disney World
While you can’t meet King Triton in Disney World, you can ride Under The Sea – Journey Of The Little Mermaid located in Fantasyland in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. This is a fun ride for all ages that takes you through the story of the original movie!
There is a statue of King Triton on the other side of the path as you exit the ride.
Finally, you can see a statue of King Triton, as well as all the other Little Mermaid characters, at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
King Triton FAQ
Yes, King Triton has seven daughters.
King Triton is played by Javier Bardem.
King Triton and Ursula are not siblings in the Disney movie. However, in the Broadway Musical (2012) Ursula and Triton’s backstories were changed, making them siblings.
In Greek mythology Poseidon is the god of the sea and his son is Triton. Triton is the demigod of the sea.
Want more Disney character fun? Check out everyone’s favorite Disney Villains here!