Disney To Make Sea Witch Ursula Into “Beloved Aunt” In Disney Junior’s ‘Ariel’ Series, Want Race-Replaced Ariel To Be First Connection Preschoolers Have To Ariel

February 15, 2024 ·

John F. Trent

Ursula in Ariel (2024), Disney Junior

A new featurette for Disney Junior’s Ariel series, which race swaps Ariel and King Triton, will also be making a massive change to Ursula. Instead of the evil octopus being a witch and, you know, evil, she will be a “beloved aunt.”

A scene from Ariel (2024), Disney Junior

Not only will the show be making changes to Ursula, Ariel, and King Triton, Disney Junior Senior Vice President Alyssa Sapire mades it abundantly clear they are targeting preschoolers with the series and they want these preschoolers to see Ariel as black.

Sapire said, “Disney Junior’s Ariel series is made specifically for preschoolers and will be many kids’ first connection to the character.

A scene from Ariel (2024), Disney Junior

READ: The Walt Disney Company Admits That Consumers’ Positions On Disney’s Environmental And Social Goals “Often Differ Widely And Present Risks To Our Reputation And Brands”

It also appears the show will be attempting to imprint Disney’s immoral messaging onto these preschoolers. The show’s Executive Producer Lynne Southerland said, “We meet Ariel when she’s just 8-years old. She’s a mermaid princess in the Caribbean who is learning that her power lies in using her voice to speak up, sing out, and make waves.”

A scene from Ariel (2024), Disney Junior

Later in the featurette, Southerland introduces the rest of the cast and reveals Ursula is now a “beloved Aunt.” She says, “And Ursula, Ariel’s beloved Aunt, who tends to cause mischief and trouble throughout the kingdom.”

First look at Disney’s upcoming animated series, ‘ARIEL.’ pic.twitter.com/n2g6YR6FIb

— PopGossip (@PopGossip_15) February 14, 2024

READ: The Walt Disney Company Has Abandoned Its Core Business Model To Chase The Worldly Zeitgeist, And Now They’re Paying For It

The animated series comes on the heels of the company’s live-action race replaced The Little Mermaid losing money at the box office. The film grossed $298.1 million at the domestic box office and another $270.1 million internationally for a global gross of $568.3 million.

The film had an estimated production budget of $250 million. That means the film needed to gross at least $625 million to break even in order to cover the split that theaters take from box office grosses as well as marketing costs.

READ: Ironheart Episodes 4–6 Finale Review: It Got SO Much Worse!

It also comes in the wake of another Disney Junior series introducing controversial themes. Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures introduced a character in the “Clash” episode. The episode sees the show’s main character Kai introduced to a rival character named Djovi Resmia by Master Zia. When Master Zia introduced Djovi, she says, “Today, I’d like you to train with Djovi. They’ll give you a different kind of challenge” but astute readers will have noticed that the character is not referred to as a “he” or “she,” but “they.”