Ariel's Grotto is a meet-and-greet area at several

Disney parks Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apr ...

, as well as a former restaurant in

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Park ...

based on Disney's 1989 animated film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

''.

Disneyland

This was formerly a colorful grotto in which

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

, in mermaid form, was available for autographs and photo opportunities. The meet-and-greet area was decorated with starfish, coral, and waterfalls. King Triton's Fountain leading to the grotto featured a soft-surface "sandy beach" play zone dotted with jumping fountains. On August 17, 2008, the area officially closed. It has now been re-themed to

Pixie Hollow Pixie Hollow is a character meet and greet attraction at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, offering guests the opportunity to meet Tinker Bell and her friends from the Disney Fairies franchise, including: Vidia, Terrence, Fawn, Rosetta, Silver ...

, a

Disney Fairies ''Disney Fairies'' is a Disney franchise created in 2005. The franchise is built around the character of Tinker Bell from Disney's 1953 animated film ''Peter Pan'', subsequently adopted as a mascot for the company. In addition to the fictional fai ...

meet-and-greet attraction amid oversized 'plants' which gives guests the sense of being the size of a fairy. The

King Triton This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's '' The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...

statue that once spouted water into the ponds was moved to the rooftop of Ariel's Undersea Adventure in Disney's California Adventure and is a part of the decor.

Magic Kingdom

In April 2010, the Ariel's Grotto attraction at

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

was closed. It reopened as part of the New Fantasyland expansion along with the ride '' Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid''. The similar meet-and-greet sits beside the attraction Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid. It is in a cave, next to Prince Eric's Castle, surrounded by waterfalls and large rock formations.

Disney California Adventure

Ariel's Grotto was an "under the sea" themed restaurant that offered Character Dining. This gave guests an opportunity to dine with

and other Disney Princesses. The restaurant was located on Paradise Pier, and featured American, Healthy Selections, and Vegetarian cuisine. On January 8, 2018, Ariel's Grotto closed to make way for the Lamplight Lounge, a restaurant that opened with

Pixar Pier Pixar Pier is a themed land at Disney California Adventure, based on that of Victorian boardwalks that were once found along the coast of California. Despite its name and the presence of a nearby man-made lake, Pixar Pier is not actually a pier, ...

on June 23, 2018.

Tokyo DisneySea

Ariel's Greeting Grotto was a character meet-and-greet attraction. Originally scheduled to close on March 31, 2020, it was early closed on January 31, 2020, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. However, on September 29, 2020, it was "reopened" inside Mermaid Lagoon Theater as a socially distanced greeting with Ariel in her mermaid form.

References

External links

Magic Kingdom site
{{Disney rides Disney California Adventure Magic Kingdom Tokyo DisneySea Fantasyland Paradise Pier Mermaid Lagoon (Tokyo DisneySea) Amusement park attractions introduced in 1996 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2005 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2020 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2008 Works based on The Little Mermaid Amusement park attractions that closed in 2010 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2012 Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions The Little Mermaid (franchise) in amusement parks 1996 establishments in California 2018 disestablishments in California 2008 disestablishments in California 2001 establishments in California 2005 establishments in Japan 2012 establishments in Florida