Ursula’s human alter ego in Disney’s 1989 The Little Mermaid is named Vanessa.
After taking Ariel’s voice, Ursula transforms herself into a young human woman called Vanessa. She uses this disguise to approach Prince Eric and tries to make him marry her before Ariel can break the terms of the bargain. The disguise is a crucial part of Ursula’s plan because it lets her appear as the mysterious woman whose voice Eric remembers.
The name Vanessa is easy to miss because the character appears only during the film’s final act. It is also sometimes confused with Ariel’s name, Eric’s name, or Ursula’s own name, but Vanessa is specifically the identity Ursula adopts through magic.
The sequence shows how Ursula’s contract is more than a simple exchange: she exploits Ariel’s silence, Eric’s memory, and the three-day deadline. The disguise creates the story’s final romantic and dramatic obstacle before the confrontation at sea.