Daring to Dream

Disney Junior Ariel


The 2024 TV show Disney Junior Ariel is a CGI-animated TV musical series for preschool children, which makes for simpler stories and easier lessons that take place in a beautifully rendered and colourful underwater realm. The look of the show does take some inspiration from the live-action movie, but it's mainly its own independent Caribbean-style universe for a wholly new version of Ariel and friends to have adventures.

Ariel is an 8-year-old merprincess with a free spirit and sunshiny optimism, and in the series she hangs out with her best friends Flounder, and new-to-the-series merkids Lucia and Fernie. Flounder and Sebastian look pretty much like their classic animated versions, but other characters have been changed up to match the new Ariel. The biggest changes are probably that Triton is now fully supportive of Ariel's hobby of collecting human treasures, and in this enemy-free world Ursula is Ariel's beloved aunt who teaches magic and is happy to help Ariel and her friends.


Characters

I'm only listing characters that appear in at least two episodes.

Ariel, the youngest Atlantican princess. Voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris.

Lucia, one of Ariel's best friends. Voiced by Elizabeth Phoenix Caro.

Fernie, one of Ariel's best friends. Voiced by Cruz Flateau.

Flounder, an angelfish and one of Ariel's best friends. Voiced by Gracen Newton.

Ursula, Ariel's magical aunt. Voiced by Amber Riley.

Triton, Ariel's father and king of Atlantica. Voiced by Taye Diggs.

Sebastian, crab and Ariel's friend. Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Alanna, one of Ariel's older sisters, and twin of Ayanna. Voiced by Jessica Mikayla.

Ayanna, one of Ariel's older sisters, and twin of Alanna. Voiced by Dana Heath.

Ravi, an octopus who works in the Atlantica marketplace. Voiced by Parvish Cheena.

Hermés, a hermit crab. Voiced by Gary Anthony William.

Jewels, Ariel's younger cousin. Voiced by Amary McCoy.

Ms. Cuttles, a cuttlefish. Voiced by Alanna Ubach.

Clamila, a shy clam. Voiced by Somali Rose.

Delfino, a dolphin. Voiced by Ron Funches.

Navi, an octopus baker and Ravi's best friend. Voiced by Melissa Villaseñor.

Bembé, a Goby fish. Voiced by Madelyn Skyler Tee.

Chantale, Ariel's aunt who's a marine biologist. Voiced by Danni Washington.

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Episodes

The episodes released so far feature two stories in each twenty-ish minute episode.

1a. Atlantica Day

Ariel offers to help Sebastian write a song to celebrate Atlantica for Atlantica Day, but can't decide what is the one most special thing about Atlantica.
Features the song "One Colorful Ocean".

1b. A Winner's Spirit

Flounder joins the All Atlantica Swim Race for the first time, and Ariel decides that Flounder needs some training before the challenge.
Features the song "The Right Pace".

2a. Ursula's Magic Camp

Ursula holds a magic camp where she teaches basic magic tricks, and Lucia gets too enthusiastic about impressing Ursula.
Features the song "Zim Zam Bazoo".

2b. Fernie's Notebook

Fernie gets anxious when he loses his beloved Fish Facts notebook just before Sebastian's Show & Tell.
Features the song "Trust in What You Know".

3a. Crystal Cavern Caper

The gang's human treasures start disappearing from the crystal cavern, and they rush to catch the culprit before it's all gone.
Features the song "Catch Me If You Can".

3b. A Banner Moment

Triton wants to make a good impression with the visiting Duke of Clownfish, and Ariel is given a seemingly small task that's not so small after all.

4a. The Endless Sleepover

The gang have a sleepover at Ursula's which is so much fun that Ariel doesn't want it to end, not even for bedtime.

4b. Daddy Daughter Dinner

Ariel's excited for her turn with Triton for Daddy Daughter Dinner, but gets distracted by a new shipwreck.
Features the song "Treasure".

5a. Copy Catfish

Ariel's 5 year-old cousin Jewels copies everything Ariel does, which Ariel at first finds flattering, but then gets annoyed with.
Features the song "Find Your Own Thing".

5b. Happy Crabby Day

Sebastian's working himself into a tizzy preparing for the annual Coral Celebration Party, so Ariel and Triton decide that he deserves a break to relax.
Features the song "Relax".

6a. Smoothie Shake-Up

Ariel and friends volunteer to take charge of Ravi's juice stand while he's away. How hard can it be?
Features the song "Teamwork is Fun".

6b. Family Picture Day

Alanna usually does Ayanna's hair for family picture day, but since Alanna is away, Ayanna asks Ariel to help out.

7a. The Cuttlebaby Sitter

Ariel babysits Ms. Cuttles' cuttlebabies, determined to be as good at the job as her sisters used to be.
Features the song "All You Have to Do is Ask".

7b. Flounder the Leader

During a game of cricket, Triton deligates Flounder as leader of his team, which goes to his head a little.
Features the song "The Best Leader Ever".

8a. The Clean Team

Ariel has to clean her room for Chores Day, and she sure is tempted to use magic to help out with the work...

8b. Clamming Up

The gang spot a lone clam outside the Crystal Cavern, and try their best to encourage it to open and become their friend.
Features the song "Open Up".

9a. The Singing Dolphin

Delfino the dolphin wants to join Ariel's band for the Splash-A-Palooza, and it's just a matter of finding his talent.
Features the song "Let Your Music Play".

9b. The Happy Patty Clap

When Ayanna hurts her thumb, Alanna asks Ariel to be her partner for the Clap Game Competition, and Ariel is determined to be exactly as good as her sister.

10a. Ravi and Navi

The gang help out when Ravi and his best friend Navi have a misunderstanding.

10b. Chef Flounder

At the Atlantica Food Festival, Flounder discovers a talent for helping other people improve their dishes.
Features the song "So Many Flavors".

11a. The Brave Little Goby

Ariel inspires Bembé, a young Goby fish, into going on an adventure, but forgets to mention that you should not go alone.

11b. Kid Triton

Ariel is delighted when Triton gets transformed into a kid and can play with her, until his responsibilities catch up with them.
Features the song "A Dream Come True".

12a. Ariel's Tall Mer-Tale

Ariel is feeling left out when Tantie Chantale visits, and makes up a lie to get her attention.
Features the song "Did You Know?"

12b. Remy the Houseguest

Ariel invites Remy the remora into the Crystal Cavern but is dismayed when he's a bad houseguest.

13a. La Sirenusca

Flounder is creeped out by Lucia's story about a monster called La Sirenusca, and convinces himself she's real.
Features the song "La Sirenusca".

13b. Substitute Sebastian

The gang complain to Triton about how strict Sebastian is as their music teacher, and as a consequence they get "Henrick" as their new teacher.
Features the song "Sebastian's Song".

14a. The Kite Monster

Fernie is skeptical of Ariel and Flounder's story of a Kite Monster that lives in a cave and steals kites.
Features the song "Spooky Season".

14b. The Spooky Mirror Trick

It's Spooky Season, and Flounder is frustrated at his being unable to scare his friends, so he goes to Ursula for help.

15a. Fernie's Dra Konfó

During a sleepover, Fernie forgets to bring his comfort blanket and makes it everyone else's problem.
Features the song "Close to Your Heart".

15b. Lucia, Lucia, Lucia!

Lucia unintentionally commits to three different playdates at the same time, so she magically makes two copies of herself so "she" can go for all three.

16a. The Lost Dogfish

Ariel is so fond of a puppy dogfish they find, that she only half-heartedly tries to find its owner.
Features the song "Puppy Dog".

16b. Swim Scouts

While on a Swim Scouts outing, Fernie convinces himself that he needs to have more fish facts than Ronaldo.

17a. Daddy Daughter Adventure Day

For Daddy Daughter Adventure Day, Ariel introduces her father to new-to-him experiences.
Features the song "Try Something New".

17b. Rainbow Sea Caves

When exploring the Rainbow Sea Caves, Flounder takes care to follow the signs, but the others are too excited to listen to him.

18a. Flounder's Christmas Letter

Flounder forgot to mail his letter to Santa Mer-Claus, so the gang go on a wild chase after the mailfish who handles Santa's letters.
Features the song "Up, Up and Away".

18b. Holiday Toy Box Trouble

A box of Ariel's toys are mistakenly taken to a donation drive, so she frantically tries to find them before they're claimed.
Features the song "Merry, Merry Christmas".

19a. The Great Big Garden Show

Ariel wants to bring her new plant Leafy to the Great Big Garden Show but feels self-conscious because it's so small.
Features the song "Just One More Drop".

19b. The Sea Sniffles

Flounder gets the sea sniffles and enjoys Ariel's caretaking a little too much.
Features the song "The Electric Swish Slide".

20a. Razzle Dazzle

Lucia and Ariel volunteer to help Ursula with a new spell, but Lucia is dismayed by the amount of work that's needed.
Features the song "Bring on the Magic".

20b. Fernie's Float

Fernie designs a float to promote Ravi's new juice, and is frustrated when his friends stray from his design.
Features the song "The Best Float Ever".

21a. Jewels the Winner

During a playdate, Jewels is overly focused on winning, which makes playing with her the opposite of fun.

21b. Abuelita's Shawl

Lucia wishes that her Abuelita would stop using a shawl that Lucia inexpertly made for her a long time ago.
Features the song "Love in Every Stitch".

22a. A Magical Achoo!

Lucia and Ariel go to Ursula's for a magic lesson, and find Ursula sneezing but unwilling to admit that she's sick. Which causes magic problems.

22b. Are We There Yet?

It's time for a road trip to Crystal Falls, and Ariel is too focused on the destination that she misses the journey.
Features the song "Enjoy the Ride".

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Music

The TV series is a musical, and they released a soundtrack album in conjunction with the series premiere. The show's soundtrack features work by songwriters Anthony M. Jones, Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan; composer Christopher Willis; and support from Caribbean music consultant Sean Skeete.

Song List

  1. Ariel (Theme Song)
  2. Shimmer
  3. Making Waves
  4. One Colorful Ocean from "Atlantica Day"
  5. Zim Zam Bazoo from "Ursula's Magic Camp"
  6. Let Your Music Play
  7. So Many Flavors
  8. Sebastian's Song
  9. Trust in What You Know from "Fernie's Notebook"
  10. Enjoy the Ride

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Books

There have been a couple of books released as tie-ins with the TV series, the below are some of them.

This World of Reading Book "Meet Ariel and Friends" is an intro of sorts to the world of the TV series and uses images from the first few episodes of the show.

"A Magical Mess" is a picturebook adaptation of the episode of the same name.

"The Cuttlebaby Sitter" is a picturebook adaptation of the episode of the same name.

The Little Golden Book "The Endless Sleepover" is a picturebook adaptation of the episode of the same name.

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