A Disney Character Study: The Significance of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid

When we think of the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid, most often people will think of Ariel’s look, Ursula’s big musical number, or even Ariel and Eric’s happy ending. The main characters are typically the focal point, but this film is full of supporting characters that drive the plot forward. Flounder, Sebastian and Skuttle provide comic relief, support Ariel and save the story in the end. One of these characters in particular is a pivotal part of the story, its soundtrack and the overall development of the movie. The illustrious and headstrong Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian is a significant part of Disney’s retelling of The Little Mermaid. He was not a part of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, but was created to supplement the Disney story in multiple ways.

Sebastian the crab. Image from: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0097757/mediaviewer/rm778051328/

Sebastian drives the plot forward

We first meet the little crab at the very beginning of the film, as he’s the second main character introduced after King Triton. He was put in charge of conducting a concert comprised of Triton’s daughters, to celebrate Ariel’s 16th birthday. He already shows distaste toward Ariel, since she rarely attended his rehearsals. This gives the audience their first glimpse into Ariel’s personality. It also shows them that though Sebastian is little, he is confident in his craft and takes music and his job very seriously.

“She has the most beautiful voice... if only she’d show up for rehearsals once in a while.”

— Sebastian

Once Ariel makes it back to the kingdom after she realizes she missed the concert, her father King Triton and Sebastian both talk to her very sternly. Sebastian acts as a second parental figure, which likely oversteps his bounds with Triton. However, Triton looks to Sebastian as a confidant, which is why he makes him Ariel’s personal supervisor. Almost immediately, Sebastian catches Ariel and Flounder going down into her grotto where she collects things from the surface. When Ariel and Flounder find out Sebastian has followed them, he shows them sternness, but also gives Ariel some grace.

After the shipwreck scene when Ariel saves Eric, Sebastian is also a witness to this. He vows not to tell her father as long as no one else does, but his guilt and nervousness drive him to accidentally tell Triton. This begins the climax of the story, where Triton and Ariel’s relationship is extra turbulent, forcing her to go and make a deal with Ursula. Flounder and Sebastian are the ones that help Ariel up to the surface as she tries to swim with her new legs. If Sebastian hadn’t relayed the information, the story wouldn’t have continued forward the way it does.

“Ariel, please! Will you get your head out of the clouds and back into the water where it belongs?”

— Sebastian

Another part of the film that Sebastian helps move forward is when the gang is trying to get Eric to kiss Ariel. Outside of the well-known “Kiss the Girl” number, Sebastian is also the one that informs Eric of Ariel’s name.

Ariel and Prince Eric in “Kiss the Girl”. Image from: https://www.geeksandgamers.com/a-decade-of-disney-the-little-mermaid-1989/

character arc and development

Disney’s retelling of The Little Mermaid comes with various character perspectives: the obvious protagonist versus antagonist, but there’s also King Triton’s perspective, which could be considered both. Triton and Sebastian are a united front in the beginning, while Flounder and Skuttle stick by Ariel’s side the entire time. Sebastian is the only character we see throughout the film, flip from being against Ariel, to rooting for her.

King Triton and Sebastian. Image from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRjp9XDAXGU

Sebastian first appears quite self-focused, proud of his craft as a composer, ready to show Triton all of the work he had done to put the concert together for him. He is constantly seeking approval from the king, which drives him to reluctantly becoming Ariel’s personal supervisor. When Sebastian is wracked with guilt over Ariel falling in love with a human, he is mostly concerned for his own well-being, and how the king would react and punish him for letting it happen. For the first quarter of the movie, he’s on team Triton, not team Ariel.

As the movie progresses and he witnesses Ariel signing her life away to Ursula, his focus shifts to caring for Ariel and trying to help her navigate this contract so she can have the life she desires. Unfortunately for Sebastian, this means he has to live through the traumatic number “Les Poissons”, where he sees crabs like him getting cooked up for dinner. This is yet another example of how Sebastian has sacrificed his life under the sea to help Ariel. He acts as a father figure to her while she’s on land, not under the orders of Triton, but because he wants to now. In the end, he is also the one to lead Triton to Ariel and saves her from Ursula.

“I hope that you appreciate what I go through for you, young lady.”

— Sebastian

the little mermaid soundtrack

Sebastian sings two award-winning songs in the soundtrack, “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”. Both were written and composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. This was the first Disney film the duo had worked on together. “Under the Sea” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1990. Also in 1990, “Under the Sea” won Best Original Song - Motion Picture Golden Globe. In 1991, Menken and Ashman won Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television at the Grammys. “Kiss the Girl” was nominated for all of the above awards.

If it wasn’t for our little singing crab, the music in the movie may have sounded a lot different too. When his character began development, he was going to be an uptight British crab named Clarence. He would’ve been even more of a follower of Triton, and his relationship with Ariel would’ve remained rockier throughout the story. Late lyricist Howard Ashman brought up the idea of making Sebastian Jamaican instead, bringing a different feeling to the music by incorporating calypso and reggae sounds to the soundtrack. This change in the background of the character is what ultimately inspired “Under the Sea”.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken celebrating the successes of The Little Mermaid soundtrack. Photo: Disney. Image from: https://www.dlptownsquare.com/howard-an-emotional-tribute-to-under-celebrated-disney-hero/

Samuel E. Wright took on the role of Sebastian, however he couldn’t capture the Jamaican accent quite right. Instead, he tried to use a Trinidadian accent instead, which Howard Ashman was a huge fan of. The song was also sped up at Wright’s request, to make it more of an exciting and fun spectacle. Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest” has been compared to this high energy original number.

Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian. Image from: https://twitter.com/Disney/status/1397568213760757763

sebastian from the little mermaid and sebastian: party gras!

With the success of the soundtrack and children dancing all around the world to Sebastian’s “Under the Sea”, Disney decided to release three additional albums performed by Samuel E. Wright and Jodi Benson. The first album released in 1990, “Sebastian From The Little Mermaid”, features covers of popular calypso and reggae songs. Reggae group The Third World contributed the rhythm soundtracks and background vocals for the album during the recording process, and it was all done in Jamaica. Songs like Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Harry Belafonte’s “Jamaica Farewell” are on the album.

The second album was “Sebastian: Party Gras!” and was released in 1991, still riding off of the conversations surrounding The Little Mermaid. It followed the same formula as the first album, covering classic calypso and reggae songs by Samuel E. Wright. It featured twelve songs like “Give a Little Love” and “What a Wonderful World”.

The final album in 1992 was a little bit different, it was a concept album titled “The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea”, with songs that took you through a day in the life of Ariel. These were original pop and ballad songs written just for the album. Beginning with “Sea Kingdom” and ending with “Where Mermaids Dwell”, the cast came together once again to record this album, telling the story through song.

Something Samuel E. Wright wanted through his work on Sebastian was to leave a legacy, a lasting entity that would provide happiness and joy to children for a very long time. That is exactly what Sebastian has done for over 30 years now, and the crab will shine again on the big screens in 2023 with the release of the live action version of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.