The musical crab in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is Sebastian. He serves King Triton as a court composer and acts as Ariel’s reluctant guardian, often trying to keep her safe and persuade her to remain under the sea.
Sebastian is especially memorable for leading the songs “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.” “Under the Sea” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song after the film’s 1989 release, helping make the character one of Disney’s most recognizable musical sidekicks. He was voiced in the original animated film by Samuel E. Wright.
A common mix-up is confusing Sebastian with Flounder, Ariel’s blue-and-yellow fish friend, or Scuttle, the seagull who collects human objects. Sebastian is the crustacean: Disney’s official description identifies him as a Caribbean crab. The character was created specifically for Disney’s film and does not appear in Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale. In the 2023 live-action adaptation, Sebastian was voiced by Daveed Diggs.