''Ariel'', also known as ''Disney Jr.'s Ariel'', is an American animated television series produced by Wild Canary Animation for Disney Jr. that premiered on June 27, 2024. The series is inspired by "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

" by

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

, the 1989 animated film by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

, and the 2023 live-action remake. The series was renewed for a second season in June 2025.

Premise

Ariel is growing up with her friends in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. As she attends magic camp taught by her "tauntie Ursula", Ariel goes on a number of adventures, learning about her Caribbean-inspired surroundings and inspiring others with her voice.

Characters

Main

* Ariel (voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris) is an 8-year-old mermaid princess of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. * King Triton (voiced by Taye Diggs as an adult, Jeremiah Felder as a child) is Ariel's father, Ursula's brother and the king of Atlantica. As a kid, he had the nickname Tri-Tri. * Ursula (voiced by Amber Riley), a sea witch, Triton's younger sister and Ariel's paternal aunt. Unlike the films, Ursula is not antagonistic and has been nicknamed "Tauntie" by Ariel. **Ebb and Flo, Ursula's pet moray eels *Lucia (voiced by Elizabeth Phoenix Caro) is Ariel's friend. *Fernie (voiced by Cruz Flateau) is Ariel's friend. *

Flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...

(voiced by Gracen Newton) is a fish who is Ariel's friend.

Recurring

* Sebastian (voiced by

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

) is a crab, who is the royal composer and one of Ariel's friends. Richardson reprises his role from the ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...

'' video games. *Ravi (voiced by Parvesh Cheena) *Ayanna (voiced by Dana Heath) is Alanna's twin sister and Ariel's older sister. *Alanna (voiced by Jessica Mikayla) is Ayanna's twin sister and Ariel's older sister. *Hermes (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) *Jewels (voiced by Amari McCoy) *Cristina Cuttles (voiced by Alanna Ubach) *Clamila (voiced by Somali Rose) *Delfino (voiced by

Ron Funches Ronald Kyle Funches (born March 12, 1983) is an American comedian and actor. Born in California, Funches spent his early life in Chicago before relocating to Salem, Oregon, as a teenager. He began his comedy career in Portland, Oregon, at age 23. ...

) *Navi (voiced by Melissa Villaseñor) *Bembe (voiced by Madelyn Skyler Tee) *Tantie Chantale (voiced by Danni Washington) *Ronaldo (voiced by Ayush Rajmachikar) *Sea Bunnies (voiced by Steve Moore) *Aquatica (voiced by Yvette Nicole Brown)

Guest

*Squid (voiced by Parvesh Cheena) *Duke of Clownfish (voiced by

Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor. He voiced the titular character of ''Johnny Bravo'', Dexter and Dee Dee's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', List of The Powerpuff Girls characters#Ace, Ace, List of The Powerpuff Gi ...

) *Revi (voiced by

Rizwan Manji Rizwan Manji (born October 17, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known best for his portrayals of Ray Butani on ''Schitt's Creek'', Tick Pickwick on '' The Magicians'', Rajiv Gidwani in the NBC sitcom '' Outsourced'', and Jamil in the DC Extended ...

) *Wahoo Fish (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) *Remy (voiced by Ryan Lopez) *Sanka (voiced by

Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor. His voice acting roles include the original voice of Spyro from '' Spyro the Dragon'', the Taco Bell chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercials, Rocko on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', D ...

) *Kite Monster (voiced by

) *Gabi Guppy (voiced by Abril Bellido) *Mer-Mom (voiced by

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

) *Gigi Guppy (voiced by Emma Rodriguez) *Marla (voiced by Alanna Ubach) * Santa Mer-Claus (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) *Atlanticans (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams & Grey DeLisle) *Abuelita Alma (voiced by Grey DeLisle) *Park Attendant (voiced by Jeff Bennett) *Montez (voiced by

)

Episodes

''Mermaid Tales''

Production

During the 2023

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

Disney Branded Television Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development, production and acquisition of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney XD. ...

president Ayo Davis announced the development of an animated television series inspired by "

." The series is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior. Lynne Southerland serves as executive producer, while Keith Wagner and Norma P. Sepulveda act as story editors. Ezra Edmond is credited as producer, with Kuni Tomita Bowen as supervising director and Chrystin Garland as art director. To ensure cultural authenticity, the production team consulted Dr. Patricia Saunders for cultural supervision and Sean Skeete for guidance on Caribbean music, aiming to accurately represent Caribbean heritage. The songwriting team consists of Tone Jones, Sofia Quinn, and Olivia "Livvi" Waithe. The main cast was announced in August 2023, which included Mykal-Michelle Harris as Ariel, Taye Diggs as King Triton, and Amber Riley as Ursula, among others. The series was renewed for a second season in June 2025.

Music

All credits adapted from

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

and

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Singles

Studio albums

Release

The first trailer for ''Ariel'' was released on International Mermaid Day, confirming that Ursula is portrayed as Ariel's aunt and former instructor at a magic camp. The series premiered on Disney Jr. and later aired on

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

on June 27, 2024. The series was subsequently made available for streaming on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. Furthermore, both ''Ariel'' and ''Ariel: Mermaid Tales'' were released on Disney Now.

Reception

Critical response

Caleb Gottry of '' Plugged In'' complimented how ''Ariel'' depicts mixed and same-gender friendships, and asserted that children learn lessons about forgiveness, patience, and responsibility through the show. Ashley Moulton of ''

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

'' gave ''Ariel'' a score of five stars out of five and noted the depiction of positive messages and role models, stating the character of Ariel is kind and caring. She acknowledged the educational value of the series, saying ''Ariel'' teaches social-emotional lessons, and wrote, "Fresh take on beloved mermaid will delight littlest viewers."

Accolades

''Ariel'' was nominated for Best Animated Television/Media Production for Preschool Children at the 52nd Annie Awards. It also received a nomination for Outstanding Animated Series at the 56th NAACP Image Awards.

In other media

* Disney Jr.'s Ariel made her debut at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

during the Disney Jr. "Let’s Play! Parade," which took place on D23 Day at

Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...

. *In August 2024,

Disney Publishing Worldwide Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Edition ...

released a picture book titled ''Disney Junior Ariel: A Magical Mess''.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Disney Princess 2020s American animated television series 2020s American black cartoons 2020s American children's television series 2020s preschool education television series 2024 American television series debuts 2024 animated television series debuts American computer-animated television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American children's animated musical television series American prequel television series American preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series Animated television shows based on films Animated television series about children Animated television series about fish Animated television series about arthropods American English-language television shows Fictional American people Disney Jr. original programming The Little Mermaid (franchise) Television series based on Disney films Television series based on adaptations Television series by Disney Animated television series about princesses Television shows about mermaids Television series about witchcraft Television shows based on The Little Mermaid Disney controversies Children's television series about talking animals