Disney Jr’s Ariel creatives discuss the incredible new preschool series. Here’s seven things you need to know about it.
Disney Jr.’s Ariel is a brand new animated musical series for preschoolers inspired by The Little Mermaid. It follows 8-year-old mermaid princess Ariel as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond.
During a special screening of Disney Jr.’s Ariel, the creative team revealed many details about the series that proves just how much love they put into this series.
Participating Talent:
- Lynne Southerland (Executive Producer)
- Chrysin Garland (Art Director)
- Kuni Tomita (Supervising Director)
- Keith Wagner (Story Editor)
- Olivia Waithe (Songwriter)
Atlantica Is Inspired By The Caribbean
Lynne Southerland explains that it was important to ground this series in the Caribbean and therefore mine all the possibilities that exist in an amazingly multicultural space that the Caribbean islands are. Disney Jr.’s Ariel is not specific to any one island, but rather they allow it to feel the richness of the place and use that as inspiration.
Remember, we’re in a fantasy world, but we’re taking that inspiration and, in a sense, pulling it under the sea. If we want to have fruit in our world, what does that look like? We can take colors from the Caribbean and Africa and India and everywhere because everybody lives in the Caribbean. So we get to do that, visually. We do it with our characters. To me, the sea creatures represent another aspect of that broader diversity. Our sea creatures talk, they aren’t just for the background. We’re embracing this really big world.
Lynne Southerland
The Music Is Incredible (& Caribbean Inspired As Well)
Olivia Waithe confesses that her whole experience working on Disney Jr.’s Ariel has been fulfilling and exciting. She grew up in Barbados and writing songs for this series has been one of the first opportunities that she has been able to have an outlet to share her love of Caribbean music, as well as growing up around it.
What comes out of us truly feels like my childhood. We usually get the script, so we get to get an idea of the story. We get some direction, but we don’t get too many details because it really comes down to just letting the song almost write itself. Sometimes we get musical references, or we get some elemental sounds that we want to incorporate. There’s usually a feel and a sound that comes to mind, especially because I know so many Caribbean songs. Once we have that foundation, we just get to be in the room and have fun with it. What comes out is always so magical.
Olivia Waithe
Ursula Is Fun & Playful In This Series
Ken Wagner loves that the new Ursula is just so much fun. He explains an episode in the first season where she has the kids over for sleepover and uses magic to freeze time so that they don’t have to go to bed.
Getting The Hair Right Was Important To The Team
Chrystian Garland confesses that she is very invested in hair, and especially the way the hair looks in this series. “By the time I came on this project Ariel was pretty much done, she was pretty much together.” She goes on to explain that when she was in the modeling stage, they were going back and forth about specifically how her locks get into her hair and had to go through several different iterations. Things like trying to make sure that baby hairs were laid right and making sure that their boxes were parted, and that there is intention there.
Of Course There Are Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are an important thing in pop culture now, so of course there are The Little Mermaid nods in Disney Jr.’s Ariel. At the start of the first episode there is a dinglehopper, which needed to be included because it is such a classic. Another one of the biggest connections is catchphrases like jumping jellyfish.
They Aren’t Going Above The Surface
Despite all the Easter eggs that will be in the series, there will be no Scuttle in Disney Jr.’s Ariel because they will not be going above the surface at all.
Being Underwater Allows Them To Go Deep
Kuni Tomita explains that because they are under water, the kids can fly. In other shows, kids are grounded. They have to walk around on the ground, but Ariel and her friends can fly. “That’s the thing so we can use, a depth. We can go deep under the water and then we can go up close to the surface.”
The series debuts Thursday, June 27 on Disney Jr. and next day, Friday, June 28 on Disney+.
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About Disney Jr.’s Ariel
“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” is an animated musical series for preschoolers inspired by the beloved story of “The Little Mermaid.” It follows 8-year-old mermaid princess Ariel as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond.
The series features fan-favorite characters, including King Triton, Ursula, Sebastian and Flounder, as well as exciting new additions like Ariel’s two best friends, mer-children Lucia and Fernie, and lots of other adorable sea creatures.
The series debuts Thursday, June 27 on Disney Jr. and next day, Friday, June 28 on Disney+.