Ariel

Ariel
Don't waste your time with this. Just show your children the original Little Mermaid instead.
Genre: Animation Children's Edutainment Running Time: 11 minutes Country: United States Release Date: June 27, 2024- present Network(s): Disney Channel Disney+ Disney Junior Distributed by: Disney Television Animation Seasons: 1 Episodes: 16

Ariel is a CGI-animated children's series created by Walt Disney Television Animation for Disney Junior.

Summary

Ariel goes on fun-filled, action-packed mermaid adventures with her friends in the mystical underwater kingdom of Atlantica.

Why It's a Poor Unfortunate Soul

1. Astronomical Elephant in the Room: This show was not based on the original 1989 film, but rather the mediocre 2023 live-action remake, which already makes it unnecessary because it encourages toddlers and preschool-aged children to watch the live-action remake and buy its merchandise. It doesn't help that the said remake has been heavily criticized by critics, viewers, and fans alike, further deeming this series completely pointless.
   • To rub salt in the wound, Disney already has an animated series based on the original film titled The Little Mermaid, which was short-lived, only lasting 3 seasons and had a polarizing reception. If Disney wanted an animated Little Mermaid series, then they should've rebooted or continue this series.
2. Abysmal grasp on the source material that's even worse than the live-action remake.
3. The CGI animation looks cheap, with most of the characters having shortened bodies and large, bulging eyes. Not helping is that it is animated by Wild Canary Animation, the same studio that animated The Chicken Squad, an already terrible show.
4. The storytelling is bland and forgettable.
5. Ariel was even pointlessly aged down to a child to appeal to the younger demographic, which extremely unnecessary because Ariel being a rebellious character was very crucial to the original film's story.
6. Even worse, the live-action designs (except for the animal characters, sans Scuttle) were reused for this series.
   • Similar to the remake, the decision to keep the blackwashed Ariel trend is not only insulting to the original 1989 version, but also very racist towards white and black people. This proves that Disney is still completely blind to criticism of this fact.
   • Not to mention both the original 1989 character designs and the live-action character designs clashed horribly with each other.
7. Just like in the remake, the series takes place in the Caribbean, which irked many viewers.
8. The series has a lot of merchandise despite its negative reception, further proving that the series is a cash cow. Sound familiar?
9. Overall, this show (along with the live-action remake) have damaged the franchise's reputation, and it really shows!

Redeeming Qualities

1. Thankfully, Flounder and Sebastian look the same as they did in the original Little Mermaid.
2. Despite its original source material, at least it deviates from the events of the live action remake.
3. King Triton is a loving, supportive father, which makes him a likable character, unlike how he initially is in the films.

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