Sebastian from The Little Mermaid is a red Jamaican Crab found throughout the Caribbean. Sebastian is a servant of King Triton.
The success of the 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid led to a straight-to-video sequel, a prequel film, a spin-off series, a musical, theme park attractions, and other merchandise.
It paved the way for what would later become the Disney Renaissance, with the original title becoming the first film of that era.
The franchise introduced various goofy and fun animated original characters who quickly marked their way through viewers’ hearts. No doubt the series is famous from kids to adults.
Ariel, Prince Eric, Flounder, Scuttle, Ursula, Glut, Max, and Chef Louis are among the popular characters of the franchise. Not to mention, Sebastian is also one of the most beloved characters.
He is the main musical composer of the king and is notable for his song “Under the Sea.” The character was developed only for the Disney film and is not taken from the original Hans Christian Andersen story.
What Is Sebastian From The Little Mermaid?
Sebastian from The Little Mermaid is a red Jamaican crab. He is King Triton’s advisor and distinguished court composer.
Despite his esteemed position, he is often tasked with watching over the king’s youngest daughter, Princess Ariel, the title character of the franchise designed by Glen Keane.
Early on in the writing and development of the movie, Sebastian was originally an English-butler lobster named Clarence.
American songwriter and stage director Howard Ashman then proposed changing Clarence to a Jamaican crab and shifting the musical approach throughout the film to reflect this.
Duncan Markoribanks served as the character’s supervising animator.
Samuel E. Wright auditioned for the role for a stage musical. As he could not do a Trinidadian accent, he did a Jamaican accent in his audition, which Howard decided to keep.
In addition, co-director Ron Clements was impressed by his physicality. Hence, he videotaped a repeat performance to inspire the animators.
Is Sebastian from The Little Mermaid a crab or a lobster?
Disney confirmed that Sebastian from The Little Mermaid is a crab, yet there are facts convincing fans to believe it is a lobster instead.
The debate concerning whether Sebastian is a crab or a lobster has been endless since the film landed on our screens.
Many viewers say that the character looks more like a lobster. They are long and have their heads distinct from their bodies.
But crabs don’t. They have tiny eyes sticking out from their shells. And Sebastian’s head is certainly distinct from his body. Moreover, crabs are round-bodied but Sebastian is long-bodied and agile.
There are also facts proving Ariel’s BFF is a crab. Consider he does not have a lobster tail and a lobster antenna. Also, lobsters only turn red when they are cooked.
More convincing facts include other lobsters featured in The Little Mermaid that look different from this little guy.
The topic has sparked discussion on various social platforms, such as Facebook. In 2016, BBC Three wrote, “Is Sebastian from The Little Mermaid a crab or a lobster?” on their FB account.
The comment section was soon filled with mixed reviews and thoughts.
One individual wrote, “He’s a crab, you only have to watch the movie to have that answered.” ‘We know…it’s just he kind of looks like a lobster? Sort of?” replied BBC Three.
Another pinned, “Has BBC Three not heard of a little thing called Google?” The author replied, “We know he’s meant to be a crab…but he LOOKS like a lobster. *scratches head*”
What Kind Of Crab Is Sebastian From The Little Mermaid?
Sebastian from The Little Mermaid is a red Jamaican crab. In The Series, he is said to have come from a large Jamaican family.
According to the dialogue in Tail of Two Crabs, he was born off the coast of Jamaica to Claud and Claudia Crab.
These Jamaican crabs are found throughout the Caribbean and as far east as Barbados. They prefer warmer waters and have been spotted in Nicaragua and Florida, United States.
These crabs are terrestrial -they live primarily on land. However, they still visit the sea occasionally.
Growing around one inch per year when they’re young, Jamaican crabs reach maturity at about five years and have a life expectancy of another five years.
The crabs lay their young in the sea. The larvae live as plankton as they grow and are quite small at first, sometimes coming to land. This leads to a phenomenon known to turn roads red.
Jamaican crabs are also similar to ghost crabs, sometimes called sand crabs. They are semiterrestrial and are common shore crabs in both tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
They are tiny red or yellowish in color. They got their name from their nocturnality as they easily disappear in the deep sand burrows they dig on the beaches (like tiny ghosts).
They live both on land and on water, but they can’t survive in the water for a long time. The only thing that is different from the film character is that sand crabs have stalked eyes.
Who Plays Sebastian In New Little Mermaid?
Daveen Diggs gave his voice to Sebastian the crab in The Little Mermaid live-action remake (2023).
The 2023 musical fantasy will bring Princess Ariel’s sea creature friends to life, meaning new actors lend their voices to animated characters like Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian.
The little crab is the most loved character of the original animated film and provides the lead vocals for the hit Under the Sea musical number.
Thus, Disney had a tough task finding such talent to replace the late actor Samuel E. Wright, the actor behind the song Under the Sea, which received the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Disney’s changes to The Little Mermaid for the live-action remake are condemned for backlash from longtime fans.
Characters like Flounder and Sebastian receive criticism for their hyperrealistic design since they are far less lovable than compared to their animated counterparts.
Thankfully, when it comes to the vocals of these beloved characters, there is little to criticize.
In fact, it’s clear the new actor, Daveen, for the Jamaican crab, took significant inspiration from Wright’s vocal work in the original title.
From nailing the crab’s Trinidadian accent, the actor and rapper had proved himself worthy of the role with his notable awards, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.
As a musical artist, he is the vocalist of the celebrated experimental hip-hop group Clipping. He has also performed with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail’s rap group, Freestyle Love Supreme.