Summary
Disney Junior’s Arielis a brand new animated series inspired byThe Little Mermaid. It debuts on the network on June 27 and will be available to stream the following day onDisney+. Starring Mykal-Michelle Harris (Raven’s Home), the show follows eight-year-old Ariel as she embarks on a series of musical adventures alongside her fellow underwater friends. Taye Diggs, Amber Riley, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Cruz Flateau, Gracen Newton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dana Heath, and Jessica Mikayla are also included in the main cast.
Harris expressesher love forThe Little Mermaidand shares her excitement about introducing a new generation to Ariel’s story. She believes that Disney Junior’s iteration differentiates itself from the feature films by giving viewers deeper insight into the mermaid’s everyday life. The actor is especially fond of the show’s musical aspects, finding it difficult to choose her favorite song from the track.
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Screen Rantinterviews Mykal-Michelle Harris about her character’s upcoming adventures, the kingdom of Atlantica, andUrsula’s role inDisney Junior’s Ariel.
Harris Was Inspired By The Animated And Live-Action Little Mermaid Films
Screen Rant: We have to start off by talking about your thoughts onThe Little Mermaid. Were you a fan of the animated and live-action films?
Mykal-Michelle Harris: Absolutely. I love the entire Little Mermaid franchise. I think it is such a magical and whimsical story. To be able to bring in a brand new generation to see this new version of The Little Mermaid is so cool. But at the same time, we are differentiating ourselves from the original feature films. We’re seeing Ariel when she was eight years old, and we’re really taking a deep dive into her life. We’re seeing her friends, we’re seeing things in her crystal cavern, we’re seeing all these different types of adventures she goes on. It’s a really fun new look into her life.
Did you take any inspiration from either the original animated film or from Halle Bailey’s Ariel when you were voicing this character?
Mykal-Michelle Harris: Absolutely. I definitely had to do a bit of character study for my role. I watched both of the Ariel movies. We had a little movie marathon. I really tried to take in, what would this character do, what would this character sound like when she was younger? I feel like that’s such a fun part of acting and voice acting. You have to really analyze these characters. I feel that The Little Mermaid was definitely a fun story to revisit.
As you were saying, this world is so unique. How would you describe Atlantica?
Mykal-Michelle Harris: This version of Atlantica is just an incredible look at Atlantica because we get to see all these different types of people, different types of fish. We get to see this beautiful scenery. I love the colors and visual aspects of the show as well. We get to see all these different places that we’ve never been before in Ariel’s life. We get to see Ursula’s apothecary, we get to go to an open market, and we see a juice stand where they frequently hang out. It’s such a pretty sight.
Ursula Acts As A Mentor In Disney Junior’s Ariel
I was so excited to see this new spin on Ursula’s character. She’s known as a Disney villain, but in your series, she’s a friend. Can you give a little bit of insight into Ursula and Ariel’s relationship?
Mykal-Michelle Harris: Ursula, in Disney Junior’s Ariel, is way more of this friendly, silly aunt who is always helping the kids with their adventures. She is definitely like a mentor for Ariel in this new iteration, which not a lot of people would expect. But Ursula actually teaches Ariel and her friends a lot of really valuable lessons and has a bunch of totally cool songs. I feel like it is so refreshing to see this Disney villain turned into this this nice auntie.
You guys have great music in the show. Do you have a favorite song from the series?
Mykal-Michelle Harris: That’s a tough question because I like all of the songs. Seriously. I know it sounds cliché, but these songs are so good. The intro song is really good, but I especially like the outro song because it’s Ariel saying what her character believes and her character’s morals and all those kinds of things. In the song she’s like, “Going to the beat of my own drum,” and things like that.
I really love that song because it shows who she is more, but I also like this one song called “Shimmer.” There are a lot of Caribbean-inspired aspects going into this show, and “Shimmer” has such a Caribbean hip bop to it. I absolutely love it. And then there’s this slower ballad that Ariel does in the middle of the series that’s just so pretty, listening to the piano in it, and I’m pretty sure there was a hint of violin somewhere in the song. It was so gorgeous.
About Disney Junior’s Ariel
“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” is an animated musical series inspired by “The Little Mermaid” that follows young mermaid princess Ariel as she embarks on fun-filled, action-packed adventures with her friends throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica. Geared towards preschoolers and their families, each episode features two 11-minute stories that highlight themes of community, self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrate the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through music, food, festivals, fashion, language and folklore.
Check out our other interviews withDisney Jr.’s Arielcast, as well:
Arielpremieres on Disney Junior on June 27 and is available to stream the next day on Disney+.
