Disney has announced the release date for the upcoming Disney Junior animated series, “Ariel”, which is inspired by the classic story, “The Little Mermaid”.

The new series is 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).  It was also announced that Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches have joined the series as recurring cast members.

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.

The new series will premiere on the Disney Junior channel in the United States on Thursday 27th June 2024 at 9 am EDT/PTD.  It will also be shown on the Disney Channel later in the day.  Disney has also announced that the first batch of eight episodes will be released on Disney+ the following day on Friday 28th June 2024.   No international Disney+ release information has been confirmed yet, but expect it to arrive soon afterwards.

To get fans ready for this new series, it has been announced that a new series of shorts titled “Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales” will be featured across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. on Wednesday, 5th June 2024. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantica.

Music plays an integral role in the series, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music. The acclaimed songwriting teams are comprised of Anthony M. Jones (Tone), Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan. Emmy Award winner Christopher Willis serves as composer. Sean Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance division at Berklee College of Music, is the Caribbean music consultant.

The theme song to the series has also been released:

Walt Disney Records will release a digital soundtrack on Friday, 28th June 2024, 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 Jr.

While we wait for the new “Ariel” series to arrive on Disney+, you can also find the original animated movie, along with the live-action movie, on Disney+ now.

Roger’s POV:   Following on from the success of the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”, this new series aimed at preschool kids will no doubt keep younger audiences, who have connected with the latest version, entertained.   Plus hopefully parents enjoy it too!

Are you looking forward to watching “Ariel”?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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