Disney Junior is getting ready to release an animated series called ‘Ariel’ in the summer of 2024. However, they are taking the story of ‘The Little Mermaid’ we all know and flipping it on its tail!
According to the recently released trailer, ‘Ariel’ is not the grown-up Ariel we’ve seen before. This time, she’s an 8-year-old mermaid. She and her friends will be be exploring a kingdom called Atlantica.
Ursula is a sea witch we’ve always thought of as the villain. However, she is getting a major makeover in this series. Ursula is shown as a kind of cool aunt to Ariel, even organizing a ‘magic camp’ for her. Yep, you heard that right — Ursula is playing the sweet auntie this time!
Mykal-Michelle Harris voices Ariel, Taye Diggs is voicing King Triton, and Amber Riley is the new, friendlier Ursula. The show also brings some new faces, like Ariel’s best friends Lucia and Fernie.
Disney Blocked Comments On YouTube
‘Ariel’ is directly inspired by the live-action movie of ‘The Little Mermaid’ that came out last year. Halle Bailey played Ariel in that movie.
Disney Junior is aiming this show at preschoolers, and they are pretty excited about this. They’ve been talking about how they wanted to make a show that feels magical and full of wonder. As per Variety, here is what Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis said in 2023:
“For more than 30 years, the story of ‘The Little Mermaid’ has been beloved by audiences all over the world. It brings me so much joy to be able to introduce our new Disney Junior version of Ariel to preschoolers everywhere.”
Disney Junior’s Alyssa Sapire also added,
“As we were developing Disney Junior’s Ariel, we knew that we wanted to create an atmosphere that was vibrant and magical and showcased our young Ariel’s imagination, which, like our preschool audience watching at home, is as big as the sea.”
Oh, and if you tried to leave a comment on the show’s trailer on YouTube, you might have noticed you can’t. They’ve turned off the comments section for now.
