In The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s father and ruler of Atlantica is King Triton.
Triton is the powerful ruler of the merfolk and the father of Ariel, the young mermaid who dreams of life on the human surface. He opposes her interest in humans, especially after she rescues Prince Eric, but his relationship with Ariel changes as the story develops.
The character is loosely connected to Triton from Greek mythology, where Triton is a sea god and son of Poseidon. Disney’s version is a fictional king with a magical trident and a large underwater kingdom. He is not the same character as Poseidon or Neptune, names drawn from other mythological traditions.
The 1989 animated film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. Its success helped begin the period often called the Disney Renaissance.