Who is King Triton

Although Ariel is King Triton's favorite daughter, there is a lot of conflict between them. Ariel is fascinated by the human world, and Triton wants her to have nothing to do with humans.

The directors of The Little Mermaid, Ron Clements and John Musker, explain that the reason there is so much tension between Triton and Ariel is because they are so much alike. Ariel is strong-willed and an individualist, much like her father. As a young man, Triton even had red hair like Ariel's.

Although King Triton was stern in The Little Mermaid and had a temper, he has a sense of humor. He has moments where he loosens up. It's also clear that he loves his daughters, especially Ariel. So it's rather strange that Disney made the decision to portray Triton the way they do in the 2008 prequel, Ariel's Beginning.

At the start of Ariel's Beginning, the lives of King Triton, Queen Athena, and their seven little daughters are filled with music and happiness. All that comes to an end when Triton's beautiful wife (who looks almost exactly like Ariel) is crushed to death by a pirate ship while trying to save the music box her husband gave her. In despair, King Triton banishes music from Antlantica and spends the next ten years in a miserable fog. He doesn't even let his own daughters have fun.

On the one hand, it's nice to imagine that King Triton was deeply in love with his queen. Her death certainly explains his aversion to humans. Even so, it's difficult to accept that Triton remained a miserable and disconnected music-hater for ten years, especially if we are to assume that he cares about his daughters.