The Little Mermaid
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Flotsam and Jetsam are the secondary antagonists of Walt Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid. They are two vicious green eels that work for Ursula.

Background[]

Flotsam and Jetsam serve as Ursula's minions and spies, often sneaking around Atlantica, spotting out Ursula's next potential victim. When their white eyes combine, it forms a single crystal ball—a portal through which Ursula can view the outside world from her lair.

The pair are extremely efficient in their undertakings, making them a dangerous threat to those who oppose their mistress. Despite her amorality, the eels are deeply loved by Ursula, who refers to them as her "babies" or "poopsies". She is also extremely protective of them, being driven to murderous rage when they were accidentally killed during the climax of The Little Mermaid

Personality[]

Flotsam and Jetsam speak in unison, finish each other's sentences, and entwine their bodies.

Unlike most other Disney villains' henchmen who are portrayed as rather comical and bubbly, Flotsam and Jetsam are portrayed as dark and mysterious lackeys who are competent in their work, thus matching well with Ursula's wickedness. In the TV series that preceded the film chronologically, however, the eels are portrayed as relatively incompetent and meek creatures.

Physical Appearance[]

Flotsam and Jetsam are two green moray eels that have yellow sharp teeth and one pink and yellow eye.

Appearances[]

The Little Mermaid[]

They are first seen spying on Ariel as she hurries home after remembering the concert. They next appear after King Triton has destroyed Ariel's grotto. Flotsam and Jetsam pretend to feel bad for Ariel, in an attempt trick Ariel into following them. But Ariel knows that Ursula is evil and forces the eels to skedaddle. Flotsam tells her that it was only a suggestion and he knocks a statue piece of Eric with his tail. Ariel looks at the statue's face and tells the eels to not leave.

Sebastian sees Ariel following them and asks Ariel where is she going and she tells him she's going to see Ursula. Sebastian tries to stop her, but Ariel is still angry at the panicking crab, because he told Triton. At Ursula's cave, Flotsam and Jetsam tell Ariel to follow them and strange looking kelp creatures grab her, because they don't want her to do it. Later, as Ursula sings Poor Unfortunate Souls, Sebastian tries to tell Ariel not to do it, but the eels wrap Flounder and Sebastian in their slimy bodies and gag them.

They next appear at the end of Kiss the Girl, where they knock the boat over so Ariel and Eric can't kiss.

In the climax, Flotsam and Jetsam are killed by the trident when Ariel grabs Ursula's hair just as the sea witch fires a killing shot intended for Eric.

The Little Mermaid (TV series)[]

Flotsam and Jetsam appear in the prequel television series of the film. Like the original film, the two are Ursula's pets and familiars, often seen accompanying her in her latest quest for conquest.

Interesting enough, the eels are rather different from their film counterparts, along with their overall relationship with Ursula. In the series, they are shown many times to be meek and incompetent, whereas in the film they are shown to be deadly and intelligent. Furthermore, Ursula is far more hostile and brutal towards her pets, constantly shown berating them and so forth. Examples of these facts can be seen in episodes like "Against the Tide", especially during the scene in which Flotsam and Jetsam openly take notice of Ursula's recent misfortune, and during the climax where King Triton retracts Ursula's poison ink storm to hit Flotsam and Jetsam instead. When they passed out due to the poisoning, Ursula didn't seem to care.

In the same episode, Flotsam and Jetsam also went through a few transformations, via Ursula magic stolen from King Triton's trident. However, this would not become a recurring ability in any form of media after the episode.

Stage Musical[]

Flotsam and Jetsam appear in the 2007 stage musical adaptation of The Little Mermaid, but unlike the film, they are electric eels instead of moray eels. Their eyes are not magically used for Ursula's spying of others, as this role has been taken over by Ursula's magic Nautilus shell. Their interaction with Ursula was increased for the musical, where they become backup singers to Ursula in the song, "I Want the Good Times Back". They are the ones who suggest using Ariel as a way to exploit Triton's weakness, and are the ones who guide Ariel to Ursula's lair with their own song, "Sweet Child".

Later on, in the show, they are commanded by Ursula to block Eric and Ariel's kiss by shocking the boat they are on. When they accomplish this task, they mock Ariel's attempts at love with a reprise of their former song.

Their final appearance in the show is when Ursula had defeated Triton, and victory was in her grasp until Ariel managed to steal her shell. The two swam away, leaving their fates uncertain.

Video Games[]

The Little Mermaid (NES game)[]

Flotsam and Jetsam are the bosses of Stage 2 - the Sunken Ship. Several times their size in the film (and the video game's cover art) they peek out menacingly and occasionally swim between holes in the ship's hull. Ariel must embubble crabs crawling on the floor and fling tht each one.

Disney Theme Parks[]

Disneyland Resort[]

In the Disneyland version of Fantasmic!, Flotsam and Jetsam were added to the show in 2009, where they join Ursula in her mission to destroy Mickey Mouse, slithering along the Rivers of America.

They were portrayed using large puppets on jet-skis designed by Michael Curry, who has worked on numerous projects with Disney. A 34-foot long aluminum pontoon frame holds up the water-resistant fabric covering and is capable of pivoting similarly to a toy wooden snake to give it a slithering motion. They are frequently referred to as "Flotsam and Jet-ski" by Disney alumni. The duo eventually disappeared for some time, and in the 2017 revamp of the show, they were omitted completely.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The eels are named after two different types of shipwrecks. Flotsam is a sunken vessel with its cargo floating at the surface of the sea, while Jetsam is any cargo that has been intentionally thrown into the sea.
  • In the official Disney game, Twisted Wonderland, the characters Jade and Floyd Leech are based off of Flotsam and Jetsam
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