[05/08/24 - 09:30 AM] "Disney Jr.'s Ariel" to Make a Splash Thursday, June 27 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.
[via press release from Disney Branded Television]
'DISNEY JR.'S ARIEL' TO MAKE A SPLASH THURSDAY, JUNE 27
Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches, Among Others, To Join the Cast in Recurring Roles
Main Title Theme Song and Key Art Released Today
Disney*
Disney Branded Television announced today the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series "Disney Jr.'s Ariel." Inspired by "The Little Mermaid," the series will debut on THURSDAY, JUNE 27, on Disney Junior (9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT) and air on Disney Channel later that day, with an initial batch of eight episodes available on Disney+ the following day, FRIDAY, JUNE 28. Additionally, new recurring cast members were announced, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches.
To help build excitement for "Disney Jr.'s Ariel," it was also announced that a new series of shorts titled "Disney Jr.'s Ariel: Mermaid Tales" will be featured across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. beginning Wednesday, June 5. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel's life in Atlantica.
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).
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.
In addition to Brown as Aquatica, Villaseñor as Navi, and Funches as Delfino, the series recurring cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danni Washington as Tantie Chantale, Alanna Ubach as Cristina Cuttles, and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla as Ariel's twin sisters Ayanna and Alanna, respectively.
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(R) 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.
Walt Disney Records will release a digital soundtrack on Friday, June 28, 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.
[08/19/26 - 09:03 AM] A&E Crime & Investigation Premieres Coming This Fall New seasons of "Late Night Law," "After the First 48," and "Killer Investigations" will be joined by a bonus episode of "Scott Peterson: The New Evidence."
[08/19/26 - 08:01 AM] "Scary Movie" Launches Exclusively on Paramount+ Starting September 3 Arriving on Paramount+ over 13 years since "Scary Movie 5" and 26 years since the original film, "Scary Movie" brings beloved characters back to the franchise, including the hysterical Wayans Brothers, Marlon and Shawn as Shorty and Ray Wilkins, and the incomparable Anna Faris and Regina Hall as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks.
[08/19/26 - 07:01 AM] Apple TV's Acclaimed Comedy "Bad Monkey" Returns for Season Two on December 2 The 10-episode sophomore season will revolve around an all-new original story and will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through February 3, 2027.
[08/19/26 - 06:31 AM] Jo Koy Returns to Netflix with His Sixth Stand-Up Special, "Blue in the Face" Filmed in front of a sold out crowd in Stockton, California, Jo Koy relives a wild dental disaster, recounts getting fired from McDonald's and celebrates his veteran stepdad in this hilariously heartfelt special.
[08/19/26 - 06:01 AM] Your First Look at the Cast of "Murderbot" Season 2 The ensemble includes Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, John Cho, Jack McBrayer, Kali Reis, Clark Gregg, DeWanda Wise, Blair Underwood, Griffin Newman, Jason George, Topher Grace, Patton Oswalt, Brendan Hunt, Nicholas Braun, Britne Oldford, Katy O'Brian, Bridget Everett, Michael Sheen, Wanda Sykes, Martha Plimpton, Tramell Tillman, and Steve Buscemi.
