
Little Mermaid fans’ heads up, the franchise is expanding with a new animated musical series Disney Junior’s Ariel, the studio has announced. The series is aimed at preschoolers and takes its inspiration from the world of The Little Mermaid. The studio also unveiled an adorable trailer showcasing this bright beautiful world under the sea, to mark the announcement. The trailer shows us a very young Ariel, who is the life of the Atlantica, has a shimmery tail and is as curious as the Ariel we know. We also see her aunt Ursula, who has a magic camp, and it is all things glittery and shiny. In the upcoming series, Ariel will be surrounded by her friends Sebastian and Flounder but also make new ones while taking us all on a new adventure.
What’s ‘Disney Junior’s Ariel’ About?
The upcoming animated musical is set in the fantastical Caribbean-inspired underwater kingdom of Atlantica. We follow young mermaid princess Ariel, who embarks on fun-filled, action-packed mermaid adventures with her friends. The multicultural diversity of the Caribbean is at the center of this series through elements like fashion, music, food, festivals, language, and folklore. Keeping in line with the themes of the franchise, the series will see Ariel coming into her own while learning to discover and appreciate the world around her and using her voice to inspire others.
Fan favorite characters will be seen in Disney Junior’s Ariel including Ariel’s father, King Triton, and Ursula. Along with Sebastian Flounder, Ariel has two new best friends, mer-children Lucia and Fernie, along with lots of other adorable sea creatures. The series’ voice cast stars Mykal-Michelle Harris as Ariel, along with Taye Diggs and Amber Riley as King Triton and Ursula, respectively. The series is executive produced by Happily Ever After’s Lynne Southerland.
The animated series seems to be the continuation of Disney reviving its classic fairytales for a new generation of audiences. Last year’s Rob Marshall directed The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey was much loved by the fans for a similar approach and went on to become the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2023 as well as the seventh-highest-grossing amongst Disney‘s live-action adaptations.
Currently, Disney Junior’s Ariel has no release date but is expected to premiere this Summer. 2023’s The Little Mermaid is also streaming now on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates and check out the new trailer below:
via Collider
