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- āI should be writing symphonies. Not tagging along after some headstrong teenager!ā
- ―Sebastian
Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian Crab is a red jamaican crab and the tritagonist in Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, its 2008 prequel film, its 1992-94 television series and its 2000 sequel in the saga.
He was originally voiced by Samuel E. Wright.
Background
Sebastian is a sidekick for the Little Mermaid's protagonist Ariel. He is a character developed solely for the film, and is not derived from the original Hans Christian Andersen story.
Sebastian was conceived as a musical character for The Little Mermaid, and performs two songs ("Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl") that went on to become hits for Disney and were nominated for "Best Original Song" at the 1990 Academy Awards. Voice actor Wright's singing style and the compositions by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for the Sebastian character lean heavily to calypso and reggae influences.
Personality
- āThis is a catastrophe! What would her father say? I'll tell you what her father'd say, he'd say he's gonna kill himself a crab, that's what her father'd say! I'm gonna march meself straight home right now and tell him just like I shoulda done de minute... and don't you shake your head at me, young lady. Maybe there's still time. If we could get that witch to give you back your voice, you could go home with all the normal fish, and just be... just be... just be miserable for the rest of your life. All right, all right. I'll try to help you find that prince.ā
- ―Sebastian's many traits from anxious, to short tempered, to compassionate, during his nervous breakdown in the film.
Sebastian is the king's royal court composer and holds a rather passionate love for music. While usually carefree, Sebastian is often seen to be very grumpy and worrisome. This is mostly due to Ariel's stubbornness, who he is found with regularly. He is also prone to having panic attacks and fearing King Triton will murder him if he slips up on a task. Like the other sea inhabitants, Sebastian holds a great fear of the sea king, King Triton. Despite the fear, he still shows great respect and they are obviously on good terms, friendship wise. However Sebastian is not a blind servant to Triton and does not always agree with him. He was clearly horrified when Triton destroyed Ariel's collection of human objects and heartbroken over how sad it made her. He was also shown to have a rebellious side in the prequel film, Ariel's Beginning, where he served as the lead performer in an underground music club, despite the fact that music (at the time) was banned from Atlantica, by order of Triton, himself.
When scared, Sebastian's voice tends to become humorously higher in pitch.
He can be sensitive at times about his size and the fact that his tiny arms prevents him from swimming as fast as Ariel and Flounder. This makes it difficult to tag along on adventures which is why he'll just grab onto Flounder's tail fin.
Despite his size, the enemies of the kingdom, notably Ursula, still find Sebastian to be a big enough threat to foil their plans. Being part of the royal family, Sebastian is fairly intelligent and knows mostly all secrets of the sea, even more so than King Triton. Sebastian is also willing to put his own life on the line, such as willingly swimming to Ursula's lair despite being terrified to save Ariel and later to save Melody, Ariel's daughter.
Appearances
The Little Mermaid
Sebastian singing "Under the Sea".
When the film opens, Sebastian is announced as being the "royal court composer," and conducts a concert that King Triton's seven daughters are supposed to perform in. Ariel, the youngest daughter, fails to show up for the concert, and later Sebastian joins King Triton in scolding her, blaming her for his humiliation. King Triton, worried about Ariel, tasks Sebastian with following her and keeping her out of trouble.
Sebastian tries to do the job given to him, and is horrified when Ariel saves the life of and falls in love with Prince Eric. Sebastian accidentally lets this information slip to King Triton, who confronts Ariel and furiously destroys her grotto filled with her personal treasures. Feeling guilty for having betrayed Ariel, as well as being appalled with Triton's actions, Sebastian willingly follows Ariel when she visits Ursula the sea witch for help, and later becomes an adviser in her quest to win Prince Eric's affections.
In the film, Sebastian starts out in a parental, supervisory role over Ariel, and over time becomes her close friend.
The Little Mermaid television series
Sebastian in The Little Mermaid series.
Sebastian appears in every episode of the prequel television series, which follows the adventures of Ariel when she is still a mermaid. In the series, Sebastian's occupation is King Triton's assistant, adviser and confidante, just as he was during Ariel's Beginning. Sebastian is shown as being a good friend of Ariel and Flounder, as well as Urchin, a new character unique to the television series. He is sometimes strict and often critical of Ariel's adventurous ways, but often ends up going on her adventures with her.
In one adventure, in the episode "Island of Fear," he accompanies Ariel as she tries to find the source of a pollutant that is sickening the fish. He befriends a human boy named Daniel, and helps the boy to escape from the evil scientist the boy is forced to work for. This makes it one of the few times in the series that a character directly interacts with a human.
Throughout the series Sebastian's character is further developed via dialogue and entire episodes dedicated to him. In the series, Sebastian is said to have come from a large Jamaican family. In "King Crab" his parents visit him, and it is revealed that he had lied and told them he was the King of Atlantica. In the episode "Tail of Two Crabs", Sebastian has a rivalry with another crab named Zeus, and they both try to one-up the other. According to dialogue in this episode, Sebastian was born in Jamaica and went to Music Academy in Trinidad prior to joining King Triton's staff as his assistant. "T'ank You for Dat, Ariel" reveals that he is somewhat insecure regarding his size.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Sebastian in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
Sebastian is tasked by King Triton to watch over Ariel's daughter, Princess Melody, repeating his role from the original film. Sebastian disapproves of Melody's obsession over the sea, knowing the dangers that lie within them (namely the witch Morgana, who seeks to unleash her wrath upon Melody and her family), but the headstrong princess fails to listen, finding herself completely captivited by the world of the ocean.
One evening, during a ball, Sebastian accidentally finds himself in the ballroom, amongst the crowd of royals, and more importantly, the physcotic Chef Louis, who tries to murder the crab out of spite. Sebastian manages to escape, but unintentionally embarrasses Melody in the process, reinforcing her fear of being an outcast amongst her fellow royals. Later that night, Sebastian tries to cheer up the child, but it results in her leaving into the sea. Sebastian quickly informs Ariel and Eric, and a search breaks through. King Triton is informed of this and, after turning Ariel back into a mermaaid, the team takes the search into the waters. Eventually, the family finds themselves battling Morgana at the sea witch's lair. She soon meets her defeat at the hands of Melody, and with her out of the way, peace can be restored between land and sea.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
Sebastian in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
In the 2008 prequel, Sebastian is King Triton's attache, and is initially shown as being a strict enforcer of the sea king's rules. All music has been banned from Atlantica, but it is later revealed that Sebastian has been secretly performing music as the leader of The Catfish Club Band, which performs in an underground club. Technically this makes Sebastian the first character in The Little Mermaid universe to break a major law of Triton's.
When the underground club is revealed to Triton, Sebastian is placed in jail with the rest of his band. Thanks to Ariel, they manage to escape. As part of a premeditated plan, Sebastian leads them far away from Atlantica to a specific spot where Ariel finds her mother's discarded music box. Sebastian wants music to return to Atlantica, and he returns with Ariel to convince Triton to change his mind. When the film ends, music is restored to Atlantica, and Sebastian becomes the "royal court composer", setting up his role in the opening of the original film.
According to this film, Sebastian is the oldest of Ariel's friends, having been present since she was a small child all the way to her own parenthood in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. There is also evidence in the second film, by the time Melody is 12 years old, Sebastian has already become an elderly crab in terms of age.
Raw Toonage and Marsupilami
Sebastian was one of several guest stars in Raw Toonage. He would later star in his own series of shorts in the spin-off series Marsupilami, set after the wedding of Ariel and Eric. One particular Sebastian short on Marsupilami was made from his host segments of a Raw Toonage episode.
House of Mouse
Sebastian in House of Mouse
Sebastian was featured as a recurring guest in House of Mouse. He is usually seen with Ariel.
In the beginning of the episode "Big Bad Wolf Daddy", Sebastian was served alive as Ariel's dinner. This was the only time in the series where Sebastian was treated this way, unlike Flounder, whom was frequently treated this way in the series.
One of his most notable appearances is in the episode "The Mouse Who Came to Dinner" where Mortimer Mouse acts as if he's the critic (when the real critic was Lumiere) and demands Goofy to make him shellfish for dinner. Goofy claims they're all out and uses Sebastian as a substitute. Sebastian and Goofy end up in a comical chase (similar to the Chef Louis vs. Sebastian chase in the Little Mermaid films) for the rest of the episode until Mortimer's charade was exposed.
In "Max's Embarrassing Date" Sebastian begins to perform "Kiss the Girl" for Max and Roxanne (like he did to Ariel and Eric in The Little Mermaid), but is stopped when Max loses his temper, because he didn't want all this attention. He only wanted privacy.
In the beginning of the episode "House of Magic," Mickey Mouse told a joke about him having trouble coming into the club, humiliating the crab.
Cameos in other productions
Sebastian's cameo in Aladdin.
He also made a brief appearance in Aladdin. When the Genie, whilst trying to find the right 'recipe' for turning Aladdin into a prince, is looking at the Royal Recipes book, he pulls out Sebastian (clamped to his finger) and flicks him off. For a few seconds during his appearance, "Under the Sea" can be heard.
Sebastian briefly appeared in the movie version of "Dalmatian Vacation", the series finale to 101 Dalmatians: The Series, in which he pinches a puppy's tail. However, the song sequence containing this cameo was often cut from televised broadcasts of the episode.
Sebastian makes a cameo in the Darkwing Duck comic book. He can be seen on the last page of issue #7, hiding from the revived Paddywhack.
Sebastian and Flounder currently star in commercial bumpers for the Disney Junior channel and the Disney Junior block on the Disney Channel. These short showcase Sebastian and Flounder engaging in activities, accompanied by a song from an off-screen singer.
Video game appearances
Kingdom Hearts series
Sebastian appears in the popular video game series alongside other major characters from the film in the world of Atlantica. Here, the crab is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
In the original Kingdom Hearts, Sebastian is tasked with keeping Ariel under tight supervision, as King Triton believes her fascination with the worlds outside Atlantica have gotten out of hand. After Ursula uses this dream to seize control over the ocean, Sebastian accompanies Ariel with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their mission to defeat Ursula, restoring peace once her death comes into fruition.
Sebastian would appear in the official sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, where Ariel becomes infatuated with the human world, prompting the king to have Sebastian join Ariel in his orchestra for an upcoming concert. Sebastion does so, but getting Ariel's mind off the surface proves to be difficult, resulting in the king finding out Sebastian's efforts to follow orders have failed, much to the crab's dismay. Like in the film, Ariel goes to Ursula for assistance, leading into her human transformation, her romance with Eric, and finally having her father realize the human world isn't as bad as it seems.
Sebastian also plays a minor role in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Other video games
Sebastian briefly appears in the Aladdin Sega Genesis video game as a prisoner in the level "Sultan's Dungeon".
In Disney TH!NK Fast, Sebastian appears as the guest questioneer in the Undersea Grotto. He asks a few questions about The Little Mermaid, and then leaves.
In Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Sebastian makes a non-speaking cameo during the Mickey's Soundsational Parade mini-game as apart of Ariel's float.
Disney Parks
Sebastian at Walt Disney World.
Sebastian appears in the Disney Parks as a meetable character and usually seen in parades and shows.
Sebastian makes meet and greet appearances at Christmastime in Disneyland Paris and took part in the Pirate and Princess Party.
Sebastian appears in the Disneyland Resort's World of Color at Disney California Adventure. Sebastian appears following Ariel's sequence singing Under the Sea. A larger than life puppet for Sebastian was also featured for the Carnival of Color; the World of Color pre-show.
In Fantasmic!, Sebastian makes a cameo appearance in the bubble sequence dancing to Under the Sea. In Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Sebastian appears in the opening sequence with Flounder and a band performing the song Under the Sea. Sebastian later reappears in the end celebrating Ariel and Eric's love for each other.
Sebastian in Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
For The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, an audio animatronic version of Sebastian joins the ride's cast of characters from the film. As plan since the original idea of the attraction in the 1990s, Sebastian appears in the attraction's colossal Under the Sea sequence conducting the dozens of sea creatures dancing to the music.
In Mickey's Soundsational Parade, Sebastian is seen riding his chariot of seahorses while waving to the park guest as he did in the opening of the original film.
Sebastian is also featured in the Walt Disney World interactive game, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Here, Sebastian is the first to learn that Ursula was restored from her death by Hades and plots to rule the seas and flood the Magic Kingdom. Sebastian guides the park guests on a quest to defeat her alongside Merlin the Wizard in Fantasyland.
Music
Sebastian has released two reggae albums for children under the Walt Disney Records label. Both of these were released on CD and audio cassette, and are well out of print, but at least one of the albums is available in the iTunes music store. The first was a self-titled release, featuring songs from The Little Mermaid, along with covers such as "Three Little Birds", and original tunes. Ariel herself appears in two tracks, along with the interstitials between tracks. The second, released in October 1991 is Sebastian: Party Gras! This album consists entirely of reggae covers of classic songs such as "Iko Iko", "Octopus's Garden", "Twist and Shout", and "What a Wonderful World", as well as a few original tunes.
Gallery
Trivia
- Sebastian's role is similar to that of Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. They were both appointed to watch over innocent cheerful, but sometimes (unintentional) troublesome protagonists, and worry about getting into trouble if anything happens to him/her.
- Sebastian was originally intended to be almost Grimsby-like: posh, British, and uptight. However, the crew chose to portray a more entertaining, fun-loving Sebastian after they got Samuel E. Wright to voice him. Iago from Aladdin underwent a similar character transformation upon Gilbert Gottfried taking the role.
- Sebastian is the first Disney character to have a Jamaican accent.
- Sebastian probably has the longest name out of any Disney character.
- In the Aladdin TV series, Genie transformers into a crab that resembles Sebastian in the episode "Elemental, My Dear Jasmine."
- Samuel E. Wright, the one who voiced Sebastian, also voiced Kron from Dinosaur, and was the original Mufasa in the Broadway version of The Lion King.
- Because he's tried to give/been sought-after for advise, (a few times throughout the films and the TV series), it's implied that he also serves as an court advisor.
External links
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