With how much of a cash cow The Little Mermaid franchise is for Disney, it was only a matter of time before something more would be done with it. Coming June 27 is a Disney Junior series simply titled “Ariel”, which takes inspiration from the live action Little Mermaid movie that came out in 2023. Here’s what we know so far:
“Disney Branded Television announced today the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series Disney Jr.’s Ariel. Inspired by The Little Mermaid, the series will debut on Thursday, June 27, on Disney Junior (9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT) and air on Disney Channel later that day, with an initial batch of eight episodes available on Disney+ the following day, Friday, June 28. It was also announced that a new series of shorts, titled Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales, will be featured across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Junior beginning Wednesday, June 5. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantica.”
Synopsis: Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater adventures with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mer-friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).
Additional recurring cast members were unshelled, including Yvette Nicole Brown (Community, Frog and Toad) as Aquatica, Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live, Rock Paper Scissors) as Navi,. Ron Funches (Loot, Trolls franchise) as Delfino, Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danni Washington as Tantie Chantale, Alanna Ubach as Cristina Cuttles and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla as Ariel’s twin sisters Ayanna and Alanna, respectively.
Each episode highlights themes of self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrates the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through food, fashion, language and folklore. Dr. Patricia Saunders, professor of English and hemispheric Caribbean studies and director of graduate studies at the University of Miami, serves as cultural consultant on the series.
Walt Disney Records will release a digital soundtrack on Friday, June 28, and an array of dolls, playsets, role-play, costumes, apparel, books and more from Disney Consumer Products will be available this summer. Disney Jr.’s Ariel is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior.”
