“DISNEY JR.’S ARIEL” will make a splash on Thursday, June 27
Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villasenor and Ron Funchess, among others, will join the cast in recurring roles
The main title track and main artwork was released today
Disney*
Disney Branded Television today announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series “Disney Jr.’s Ariel.” The Little Mermaid-inspired series will debut Thursday, June 27 on Disney Junior (9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT) and air on Disney Channel the same day, with an initial batch of eight episodes available on Disney+. The next day, Friday, June 28. Additionally, new recurring cast members were announced, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villasenor, and Ron Funchess.
To fuel the excitement for “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” it was also announced that a new series of shorts titled “Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales” will premiere on Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. starting Wednesday. June 5. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantic.
Set in a fairytale kingdom inspired by the Atlantic Caribbean coast, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Michael-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 mayor-friends Fern (Cruz Fleto) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).
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, is the cultural consultant for the series.
In addition to Brown as Aquatica as Villaseñor, and Funches as Delfino, series recurring characters include Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danny Washington as Tanti Chantlay, Alana Ubach as Christina Cuttles and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla. As Ariel’s twin sisters Ayana and Alana, respectively.
Music plays an integral role in the series, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music. Famous songwriting teams include Anthony M. Jones (Tony), Sophia Quinn, Olivia Waite, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemary Tan. Emmy(R) Award winner Christopher Willis is the composer. Sean Skeet, dean of professional performance at Berklee College of Music, is a Caribbean music consultant.
Walt Disney Records will release the digital soundtrack on Friday, June 28, and an array of dolls, playsets, role-plays, 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 produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr.
