Since its premiere on June 27, Disney Jr.’s Ariel has become a phenomenon for the littlest fans of The Little Mermaid. As the voice behind the latest reimagining of Disney’s Ariel, Mykal-Michelle Harris couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of the next chapter of her undersea adventures.
“It has been so much fun bringing this exciting, lively, and oh-so-bubbly character to life,” Harris tells ESSENCE. “The beautiful songs she sings and hilarious quips and jokes she cracks have been incredible to portray in my own way. I loved using the words on the page to put my own spin on things.”
That spin has continued Halle Bailey’s iteration of Ariel – Black, red-loc’d, based in the seas of the Caribbean – and reimagined her as a precocious 8-year-old, still fascinated with human culture, but flanked by her best friends Flounder (Gracen Newton), Fernie (Cruz Flateau), and Lucia (Elizabeth Caro), with loving guidance from her father King Triton (Taye Diggs), elder twin sisters Alanna (Jessica Mikayla) and Ayanna (Dana Heath), and her beloved aunt, “Tantie” Ursula (Amber Riley).
On both Disney Jr.’s Ariel and the series of shorts Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales, Ariel and her friends learn valuable lessons about friendship, leadership, responsibility, kindness, consequences, and more with an original, often Caribbean-inspired song each episode. The vocal work and animation have been in the works for some time, and audience response since the early-summer release of its first 8 episodes has been overwhelmingly positive – leaving fans clamoring for more.
“It is so rewarding being able to see our hard work on screens,” Harris says. “I have gotten many reports from friends, family, and even strangers saying that they have loved the show and it is beautiful to hear that this show that we’ve worked hard on and put our blood sweat and tears into is turning out to be a show to last many generations.”
Ariel fans can rejoice, as more of her adventures are on the way this week. Episode 9, “The Happy Patty Clap” adorably incorporates a key part of Black girl culture – hand clapping games.
When Ayanna injures her thumb and can’t compete in the Clap Game competition with her twin sister Alanna, Ariel steps in so that Alanna can still participate in the event. But when Ariel adds pressure to herself by trying to do the claps exactly like the twins do, she soon learns that it’s okay to do things in her own way. Take a look at the EXCLUSIVE clip below:
“As a kid, growing up in Philadelphia, I was always outside, often playing one of my two favorite activities, jumping double-dutch or working on clap routines,” Lynne Southerland, Executive Producer of Disney Jr.’s Ariel tells ESSENCE exclusively. “The memory of coordinating hand movements with a partner while also singing some rhyme still lights me up”
“As we explored possible stories for the series, my mind wandered back to those joyful memories and I knew that this uniquely black-girl activity was something I wanted to celebrate in Ariel’s world.”
For 12-year old Harris, who is still the age that hand clap games are a consistent pastime, incorporating a part of her real life into her role was a delight.
“I love learning clapping games, especially like ones we see in ‘The Happy Patty Clap.’ I have learned many clapping games in the past and can’t wait to learn new ones and for others to learn new ones from the show,” she says. “Learning these games is so much fun because it’s something that I play on set to bond with castmates and even at sleepovers with my friends!”
This episode of “Disney Jr.’s Ariel” premieres Friday, August 9 at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Jr. and 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.