ARIEL
Ariel is a fictional mermaid princess created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, debuting in the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid. As the youngest daughter of King Triton and the fourth official Disney Princess, she is celebrated for her passionate curiosity about the human world and her groundbreaking role in launching the Disney Renaissance.
Cronologia
Biografia
Ariel is an independent, headstrong, and spirited young mermaid princess who lives in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. The youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena, sixteen-year-old Ariel spends much of her time exploring ocean depths, salvaging human artifacts from shipwrecks, and adventuring alongside her best friends Flounder the fish and Sebastian the crab.
Driven by a deep fascination with the surface world, Ariel views humans as creative and aspiring creatures, actively defying her overprotective father's strict laws against interacting with humanity. After saving the human Prince Eric from a catastrophic shipwreck, Ariel falls deeply in love and becomes determined to join him on land.
Her desperation leads her to bargain with the sea witch Ursula, trading her signature singing voice for human legs. With the assistance of her marine friends and Eric, Ariel overcomes Ursula's trickery. Seeing her true devotion, King Triton permanently grants her human form, allowing Ariel to marry Eric and eventually give birth to their daughter, Princess Melody—making Ariel the only official Disney Princess to become a parent.
Storia
Ariel was created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, inspired by the title character of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 Danish fairy tale. Walt Disney and artist Kay Nielsen originally attempted a faithful adaptation in the 1930s and 1940s in which the mermaid dies, but the concept was shelved.
In the mid-1980s, directors John Musker and Ron Clements revived the project, reworking the story into a child-friendly animated classic with a happy ending. Animator Glen Keane designed Ariel using his wife and model Sherri Stoner as live-action reference, giving Ariel distinct semi-neotenous visual features such as large eyes and youthful proportions.
Within Disney lore, Ariel grew up as the youngest of seven ocean princesses under the rule of King Triton. As detailed in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, her childhood was shaped by King Triton banning music from Atlantica following the tragic death of Queen Athena. Despite her father's grief and strict decrees, Ariel maintained an unyielding fascination with human culture, secretly creating a hidden grotto to store her extensive collection of surface world treasures.
I PEZZI DI ARIEL
Poteri & Abilità
* **Mermaid Physiology:** Inherently possesses superhuman physical attributes, swimming speed, and physical stamina adapted to ocean living. * **Superhuman Durability:** Capable of easily withstanding intense underwater ocean pressures and surviving falls from extreme heights. * **Thermoendurance:** Immune to extreme hot or cold temperatures and harsh aquatic environments.
* **Aquapathy:** Able to intuitively communicate with and understand sentient marine life. * **Aquatic & Terrestrial Breathing (Former/Contextual):** Able to breathe underwater indefinitely in her native mermaid form and breathe air on land in human form. * **Sea Witch Magic (Former):** Temporarily gained dark magic abilities as a sea witch in the television episode "T'ank You For Dat, Ariel," which was later erased from the timeline.
Apparizioni
### The Little Mermaid (1989) Original animated feature film launching the Disney Renaissance; voiced by Jodi Benson. ### The Little Mermaid NES & Game Boy (1991) Side-scrolling video game published by Capcom. ### The Little Mermaid Animated Series (1992–1994) CBS prequel television series showcasing Ariel's undersea adventures in Atlantica. ### Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992) Console video game released for Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Master System. ### Disney's The Little Mermaid Comic Series (1992) Four-issue comic series written by Peter David for Disney Comics. ### Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree (1993–1994) Musical TV spin-off shorts featuring Ariel and Sebastian. ### Marvel Comics' The Little Mermaid (1994–1995) Twelve-issue comic series chronicling Ariel's life prior to the movie. ### Ariel's Story Studio (1997) Interactive Disney storybook software for PC and Mac. ### Disney's The Little Mermaid Print Studio (1998) PC printing and activity software suite. ### The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) Direct-to-video sequel film and accompanying PlayStation and Game Boy Color games. ### Disney's House of Mouse (2001–2003) Recurring guest appearances in the animated crossover series. ### Kingdom Hearts Series (2002–Present) Appears as a summon and party member in Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts III. ### Disney Princess GBA (2003) Handheld action-adventure game for Game Boy Advance. ### The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Majestic Journey (2004) Educational video game released for the V.Smile system. ### Magic in Two Kingdoms & Ariel's Undersea Adventure (2006) Handheld video games released for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. ### Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey (2007) Multiplatform console video game.
### The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) Direct-to-video prequel feature film exploring Ariel's early youth. ### Kinect: Disneyland Adventures (2011) Motion-controlled Disneyland theme park video game. ### Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure (2012) Video game released for Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and PC. ### Sofia the First: The Floating Palace (2013) Special guest appearance in the animated TV crossover. ### Disney Magic Kingdoms (2016) Mobile world-building game featuring Atlantica content expansions. ### Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) Animated cameo appearance alongside fellow Disney Princesses. ### Part of Your World: A Twisted Tale (2018) Young adult alternate-history novel by Liz Braswell. ### The Little Mermaid Live! (2019) 30th-anniversary musical TV broadcast starring Auliʻi Cravalho. ### Disney Sorcerer's Arena (2020) Mobile turn-based RPG. ### Dark Horse & Tokyopop Graphic Novels (2020–2023) Original comic books and manga-style adaptations including Ariel and the Curse of the Sea Witches. ### Disney Mirrorverse (2022) Mobile RPG featuring an alternate-universe guardian incarnation of Ariel. ### Disney Dreamlight Valley (2022–2023) Multiplatform life-simulation game featuring Ariel in both mermaid and human forms. ### The Little Mermaid Live-Action (2023) Live-action musical film reimagining directed by Rob Marshall, starring Halle Bailey. ### Once Upon a Studio (2023) Disney 100th-anniversary animated crossover short film. ### Disney Speedstorm (2023–2024) Playable racer added in Season 6 ("Under the Sea"). ### Disney Junior's Ariel & Shorts (2024–2025) Preschool animated series voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris, accompanied by Mermaid Tales and Songs from the Crystal Cavern shorts. ### The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure (2025) Live theatrical attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios featuring digital puppetry and stage performers. ### Disney Villains: Ursula (2026) Comic miniseries expanding ocean kingdom lore.
Relazioni
### Prince Eric Husband and true love; human prince whom Ariel rescues from drowning. ### Princess Melody Daughter introduced in the 2000 sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. ### King Triton Father; stern ocean king who rules Atlantica and overprotects Ariel. ### Queen Athena Mother; ocean queen who passed away during Ariel's youth. ### Ariel's Sisters Older sisters consisting of Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina.
### Flounder Best friend; loyal tropical fish companion who accompanies Ariel on adventures. ### Sebastian Royal court crab and adviser to King Triton who looks after Ariel. ### Scuttle Friend; eccentric seagull who provides comedic misidentifications of human objects. ### Ursula Primary antagonist; villainous sea witch who tricks Ariel out of her voice. ### Morgana Secondary antagonist; Ursula's sister who threatens Ariel's daughter Melody.
Evoluzione
Ariel's character trajectory represents a major milestone in Disney history. Introduced in 1989, sixteen-year-old Ariel broke away from traditional passive Disney heroines through her active agency, rebellious curiosity, and physical design. Lead animator Glen Keane crafted her with semi-neotenous proportions—featuring large eyes and expressive head dimensions relative to her body—establishing an artistic template that directly influenced subsequent Disney heroines such as Jasmine, Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, and Moana.
Over the decades, Ariel expanded from an adventurous adolescent into a protective parent. In The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), she made history as the only official Disney Princess to experience motherhood, mirroring her father Triton's protective instincts when her daughter Melody seeks the sea. Her multimedia expansion spans video games like Kingdom Hearts and Disney Mirrorverse, literary twists such as Part of Your World: A Twisted Tale, and preschool television in Disney Junior's Ariel (2024). The character underwent a high-profile live-action reimagining in 2023 starring Halle Bailey, cementing her enduring cultural legacy.
Da Collezione
Ariel remains a prized focus for memorabilia enthusiasts and pop culture collectors. Vintage media hunting centers on key retro publications and software from the early 1990s, including Golden Books storybooks, the four-issue 1992 Disney Comics series by Peter David, and Marvel Comics' 12-issue run from 1994–1995. Video game collectors actively search for physical cartridges of Capcom's 1991 NES release, Sega Genesis titles, and V.Smile educational releases.
A unique artifact in Ariel's collecting history is her visual production legacy. The specific sea-green shade of her mermaid tail was uniquely mixed in the Disney paint lab and officially named 'Ariel' in honor of the character. Modern collectors engage with Ariel through physical graphic novels from Dark Horse and Tokyopop, video games like Kingdom Hearts and Disney Dreamlight Valley, and park-exclusive items connected to new theatrical stage shows like Disney's 2025 Hollywood Studios experience.
Curiosità
* The sea-green color of Ariel's mermaid tail was custom-mixed by the Disney paint lab and officially named "Ariel." * Voice actress Jodi Benson recorded the song "Part of Your World" in a dimmed studio to recreate the intimate atmosphere of being deep underwater.
* Ariel's facial design was modeled after animator Glen Keane's wife and live-action reference actress Sherri Stoner. * Ariel is the only official Disney Princess in the main lineup who becomes a mother. * Her semi-neotenous design featuring large eyes set the artistic standard for future Disney heroines like Rapunzel, Elsa, and Moana.
