Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
por ari webb-bryantrincess Ariel is the titular protagonist of Disney's 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid. She is the seventh and youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena, rulers of the undersea kingdom of Atlantica. Ariel lived through much of her young life with a passionate - yet forbidden - admiration of the human world and longed to someday experience life on the surface.
Ariel is loosely based on the nameless protagonist of the Danish fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, but unlike the Andersen fairy tale in which the mermaid loses her prince, dies, and gains an immortal soul, the Disney adaptation has a happy ending.
Ariel is the fourth official member of the Disney Princess line-up. She is notable for being the first Disney Princess to be developed after the death of Walt Disney, who incidentally made efforts to adapt The Little Mermaid during his lifetime. She is the first Disney Princess to be developed during the Disney Renaissance.
Contents
1 Background
1.1 Official Description
1.2 Development
1.2.1 Voice
1.3 Personality
1.4 Physical appearance
1.5 Powers and abilities
1.5.1 Abilities
1.5.2 Former abilities
2 Appearances
2.1 The Little Mermaid
2.2 The Little Mermaid: The Series
2.3 The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
2.4 House of Mouse
2.5 The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
2.6 Sofia the First
2.7 Ralph Breaks the Internet
2.8 LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest
2.9 Once Upon a Studio
2.10 LEGO Disney Princess: Villains Unite
2.11 Other appearances
3 Printed media
3.1 The Little Mermaid Disney Comics serial
3.2 The Little Mermaid Marvel serial comics
3.3 Novelizations
3.4 Kilala Princess
3.5 Kingdom Keepers
3.6 Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch
3.7 A Twisted Tale
3.7.1 Part of Your World
3.7.2 A Twisted Tale Anthology: The Secret Exchange
3.8 Prince of Song & Sea
3.9 Ariel and the Curse of the Sea Witches
4 Video games
4.1 The Little Mermaid (NES)
4.2 Ariel: The Little Mermaid
4.3 Kingdom Hearts series
4.4 Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
4.5 Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
4.6 Disney Sorcerer's Arena
4.7 Disney Dreamlight Valley
4.8 Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
4.9 Other games
5 Disney Parks
5.1 Disneyland
5.2 Walt Disney World
5.3 Tokyo Disney Resort
5.4 Shanghai Disneyland
5.5 Other live appearances
6 Disney Princess
6.1 Redesign
6.2 Palace Pets
7 Differences from the source material
8 Relationships
9 Gallery
10 Trivia
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Quick Answers
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Background
Official Description
Ariel is an independent, headstrong, and determined young mermaid. She is the youngest and prettiest princess of the sea, but spends most of her time outside the palace walls of Atlantica singing, daydreaming, and adventuring with her best friend, Flounder the fish, and sometimes Sebastian the crab, who is also the royal adviser to Ariel's father. At the age of 16, she unexpectedly becomes deeply infatuated with a young and handsome human prince named Eric and sacrifices all things dear to her for the chance of being with her one true love.
Development
Walt Disney himself and artist Kay Nielsen began work on the story of The Little Mermaid in the 1930s and early 40s. The feature was to be a very faithful adaption to Hans Christian Andersen's tale with the Mermaid dying and turning into sea foam in the end. However, after writing the script and illustrating the storyboard, the project was shelved to focus on other projects also in the works, such as Dumbo, Bambi, and Fantasia. There have been alternate statements, however, that indicated that Disney may have intended to go for the happy-ending route.[2][3]
In the mid-1980s, the project was finally reopened, yet Disney decided to disregard the dark and grimy aspects of Andersen's story and make the film a more child-friendly version with a much happier ending which worked better for the company's brand. However, the development team indicated that the changes given for the film coincidentally matched up with the changes Walt Disney made during his attempted take on the film.[2][3] During development, the studio officially gave their Little Mermaid the aquatic-like name of "Ariel".
Ariel's original design was developed by animator Glen Keane, who had reportedly said in an animation lecture that she was based on his own wife. Her appearance was also based on model Sherri Stoner, who provided live-action references for the animators during the development of the film and also inspired the look for Belle. A challenge in animating her for the film was the color required to show her in the changing environments, both under the sea and on land, for which the animators required 32-color models, not including costume changes. The sea-green color of her mermaid tail was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab; the color was named "Ariel" after the character. She has been compared to past Disney heroines from Walt Disney's lifetime, but is more physically similar to Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Belle from Beauty and the Beast, as they all have big eyes, a broad forehead, and a small mouth and chin.
Voice
Jodi Benson, who was predominantly a stage actress when she was cast, was chosen to voice Ariel because the directors felt "it was really important to have the same person doing the singing and speaking voice." Co-director Ron Clements remarked that her voice had "sweetness" and "youthfulness" that was unique. When recording the vocals for Ariel's theme song "Part of Your World", she consented to Howard Ashman's suggestion that the lights in the studio be dimmed, to "feel a bit more enclosed" and create the feeling of being deep under the sea. She was also encouraged to soften her singing voice almost to the point of speaking so that the song would feel more intimate. Benson has remained as the main voice of Ariel since.
Voice actress Liz Callaway was one of five finalists for the role but was ultimately turned down.[4] Indira Stefanianna and Melissa Fahn also auditioned, with the latter receiving multiple callbacks but ultimately not securing the role due to her slightly youthful voice.[5]
Personality
As a teenager, Ariel is bright, spirited, headstrong, and socially awkward with a strong passion for adventure and exploration. Her tendency to explore the more mysterious depths of the ocean or, more importantly, the world beyond the ocean can lead to an array of problems for both herself and her friends, and in the confines of her personal life - as seen when she gets into an argument with her overprotective father, Triton. Her curious and adventurous nature often cause Ariel to overlook any potential danger she may face or any consequences for her actions. Most likely because she is still a teenager, she believes herself capable of handling most things she sets her mind to but quickly is faced with the truth that she goes beyond her capability and original beliefs. One such example of this is in "Stormy" when she believed she could handle the wild seahorse but quickly realized she could not handle him. An example of her not taking her father's warnings seriously and then trying to avoid the trouble she would get into was seen in "Charmed" when Triton repeatedly warned her not to mess with human items but she intentionally ignored this to wear a gold charm bracelet but when she could not remove it realized the trouble she would get into for ignoring her father's warning and ran away from home; while the episode points out Triton needing to listen to his daughter better, Ariel in turn does not seem to learn a lesson of needing to listen to her father better even though he was proven right about the dangers she could get into from not listening.
Despite Ariel's headstrong nature, she is proven to be a reasonable individual, for example, she always takes responsibility for her actions. She is also shown to be very awkward, especially when entering the human world.
Ariel is highly intelligent, for example, she is able to intuitive resolves or think her way out of problems that, she had got herself into in the first place.
At the start of the original film, Ariel is shown to have a burning obsession with the human world and a desire to learn more about their culture. Unlike her father at first, she views humans as aspiring creatures, astonished by their ability to constantly create, and heavily goes against the idea of them being "barbaric" and selfish as a result of this. This passion is revealed to have been prominent throughout Ariel's life years before the events of the film, as seen in the television series. By the point of the film, as seen through her lament, "Part of Your World", Ariel's obsession with the human world has reached unimaginable heights, as she spends most of her time focusing on finding, observing, and collecting various human objects that have sunk into the sea. Her obsession has also taken a toll on her emotionally, as the song begins with a sense of wonder and enchantment while feeling daughters are more free to do what they wish without fear or restrictions or scolding, but ultimately climaxes with a soft end, filled with hopelessness and despair, representing Ariel's dying hopes of ever experiencing life upon the surface. These feelings of desperation and despair are the prime motive behind Ariel's eventual deal with the sea witch Ursula, to become human and experience the world above the surface.
Despite Ariel not having the best relationship with her father, Triton, especially regarding their views on humans, she still loves him very much, as well as her sisters, Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina. After Ursula explained the deal to her, Ariel expressed some hesitance as she had realized that, if she succeeded in the deal, never mind if she had failed her end of the bargain, she would not be able to see Triton or her sisters again. Later, when Ursula cursed Triton, Ariel's first action was to attack Ursula to avenge him, even calling the sea witch a monster for what she did and for the sea witch not fulfilling her end of the bargain, even though she never intended to, as she was simply using Ariel for her own goals.
Ariel is extremely compassionate and loving towards almost all living things; more so platonically than romantically. This is most notably seen through her friendship with her closest companion, Flounder, and even her father's court composer, Sebastian, who, despite being against Ariel's recklessness and overly adventurous nature, is given a considerably large amount of love and respect from the princess, which is often reciprocated. With Flounder, she is comforting and patient, as well as protective, with the tendency to risk her own life for the guppy on various occasions.
Ariel's ability to befriend several creatures, including an abandoned killer whale, an irrationally feared sea creature and even the son of one of her nemeses is displayed throughout the franchise. She is also one of the very few to be patient with Scuttle as she barely gets annoyed with the seagull's absent-mindedness and quarks. Before she met Eric, she was rarely interested in romantic relationships, not even with any of the merman princes that Triton tried to get her to marry. The only known exception was Prince Waverly of the Pacifica Kingdom, with whom she was infatuated.
After meeting Eric, Ariel is revealed to be a romantic, willing to make daring sacrifices for the sake of true love. Her love for him is validated by Eric's returned selflessness and sacrificial actions for the sake of love; notably seen during the climax of the film.
Like Ariel's father, Triton, she is short-tempered, if she is provoked enough, although her temper is not as bad as his. Despite spirited, even she has some degree of self-doubts about herself. At one point, she considered that her father might have been correct and that she may have been a freak for having any fascination for humanity. She also has a degree of seeing the good in things, as she doubted that humans could have been evil from their tools and artworks.
Also, despite Ariel's usual naivety and impulsiveness, she can be careful, and intuitive on many occasions. One example of her occasionally showing intuitiveness was just before exploring the sunken ship, where she suggested that Flounder stay outside and be on the lookout for sharks in the area when the latter tried to fake illness.
In The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, as an adult, Ariel has matured into a sophisticated and distinguished woman, fully embracing her responsibilities as a mother and the princess consort of Eric's kingdom and fully adapting to her human body that she has had for some time now thanks to her father's magic. However, when Morgana threatens Melody at her christening, Ariel becomes overprotective of her daughter similar to how she was treated by Triton in the first film. As a result, she severs all ties with Atlantica and the ocean in hopes of preventing Morgana from using Melody's heritage to her advantage. Despite being happy with her new life as a human mother and wife, she misses her father and sisters but keeps this hidden from Melody for the latter's own safety. Later, she comes to realize that this decision does more harm than good. At one point, Ariel subtly alludes to her true heritage, sympathizing with Melody about not fitting in because she was "a fish out of water", although Melody did not believe her mother could feel that way.
Regardless of Ariel's few flaws, she is very much selfless, sweet-natured, and inspirational. However, her most notable trait is her deep love and fascination for humans, having desired to become human during the first film's events, even before meeting her future husband. But she did not always have this trait. Before she was 15 years old, she had a deep fear of humans similar to Triton's, although her witnessing a human saving a dolphin changed her views on the matter. Ironically, the human responsible for saving the dolphin was Eric, although she never knew it.
Physical appearance
Ariel is a beautiful adolescent mermaid with an hourglass figure, fair skin, snub nose, red lips, red hair, thin black arched eyebrows, large black eyelashes, and large, aqua-blue eyes. In stark contrast to the three previous Disney Princesses created before her (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora), who were drawn with smaller eyes and smaller heads in proportion to their bodies similar to adult women, Ariel is drawn with somewhat semi-neotenous features, with larger eyes and with a head more similar to a child's than an adult's in proportion to her body, giving her an appearance of youth rather than maturity. This suggests the combination of youthful innocence and physical maturity that Ariel represents, and it eventually became the design basis of most Disney Princesses created after her in recent years, such as Jasmine, Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, and Moana.
From childhood to her teenage years, she wore a lavender seashell bikini brasserie. As a child, her lips were the same color as her skin and she wore a lilac bandeu top, and as a teenager, they are bright red. Ariel's most defining feature is her long, flowing, thick, bright red hair. From the waist down, she has a fish-like tail with sea-green scales and seafoam green fins and a matching V-shaped waistline resembling fish lips that reveals her stomach. She most likely has the reproductive organs of a cetacean. In Little Mermaid's Island, her seashell top looks more like a strapless top that covers all of her torso. She is also fairly tall in human form, being only a few inches shorter than Eric, himself a fairly tall human.
When Ariel becomes a human, the only article of clothing she wore was her seashell bikini brasserie, leftover from her mermaid form. She eventually wears an old sail from a shipwreck with some rope to keep it closed, fashioned by her friend Scuttle. Being prepared for dinner, she wears a pink-and-white gown, silver barrettes in her hair, and pearl white earrings. On her feet, she wears pink high heels, although they are not seen. Getting ready for bedtime, she wears a pink nightgown. After being taken in by Prince Eric, she wears a multi-shade-of-blue dress consisting of a powder-blue blouse with long sleeves, a midnight-blue bodice, and a bright blue foot-length skirt, along with black heels with gray soles. She wears a big royal blue bow in her hair. While wearing the outfit when she swims through the boat to stop the wedding between Eric and Vanessa (Ursula in disguise) before her feet revert to her mermaid tail, her hair is worn loose and she does not wear the heels. After she's turned into a human once again, she wears a periwinkle, glittering dress. After she kisses Eric and during their wedding, she wears a white wedding dress with seafoam green piping, big puffy sleeves, a triangular peplum (similar to aurora), and a sparkling golden tiara on her veil.
During and after her daughter Melody's christening, she wears a pale yellow-and-white dress and has her hair in a low ponytail decorated with a white bow. She also wears a light and dark periwinkle gown with a decorated updo, a golden tiara with green and white gems, a golden chocker and earrings with a green gem, a white petticoat, and periwinkle heels with a yellow seashell-like ornament during Melody's 12th birthday party with her hair being a bit shorter due to it being adjusted and pulled in a bun. She still wears the same up-do, a green version of her blue dress from the original film with black flats when she's on Eric's ship, during the ending of the movie and the song "Here on the Land and Sea", she wore a light blue blouse, a navy bodice, and a white-trimmed teal skirt with a slightly lighter colored underskirt with matching earrings that reassembles the one she wore during the first film. In one of the video games, she wears an aqua-colored gown with a matching flower on the side of her hair.
Powers and abilities
Abilities
Mermaid Physiology: As a mermaid, Ariel possesses superhuman attributes. Although she acquired the appearance of a human, she is still a mermaid by nature, allowing her to retain certain mermaid attributes.
Aquapathy: Ariel is capable of understanding and communicating with other aquatic creatures, albeit only with the sentient creatures.
Superhuman Durability: Ariel is far more durable than normal humans and certain aquatic creatures, being able to withstand immense underwater pressures. Ariel can also withstand great impacts, such as surviving falls from tremendous heights that would have severely injured or killed a normal human.
Thermoendurance: Ariel is immune to extremely cold or hot temperatures and environments.
Former abilities
Magic: In the episode "T'ank You For Dat, Ariel", Ariel briefly becomes a sea witch and learns how to use magic. She used her newfound talents to grant Sebastian's wish to be bigger. Unfortunately, it continuously worked, making him continue to grow to the point that he surfaced while standing and it was fueled by the light of the full moon. She lost her magic and status as a sea witch when she wished the whole mess never happened and her magic did just that, erasing the entire event and influencing her so it wouldn't happen in the reset timeline.
Aquatic Breathing: Ariel is capable of breathing both on land and in the water indefinitely.
Appearances
The Little Mermaid
Ariel and Flounder exploring a shipwreck at the beginning of the film.
Ariel and Flounder exploring a shipwreck at the beginning of the film.
At the film's beginning, Ariel, and her fish friend Flounder swim through a shipwreck where they salvage human items. During their adventure, they are chased out of the sunken ship by a shark, but Ariel manages to outwit him. After escaping him, Ariel and Flounder swim up to the surface, where they speak to Scuttle to identify human objects. He misidentifies a fork as a "dinglehopper" used to straighten their hair and a pipe as a "snarfblatt" used to make music. The identification of the latter reminds her of the concert she was supposed to be a part of which she had forgotten about. Ariel hurries home to Triton and Sebastian, who both rebuke her for missing the concert. Hearing from Flounder about her encounter with a seagull, Triton reprimands Ariel for swimming up to the surface and demands that she never does so again, driving Ariel to tearfully swim off to her secret grotto.
There, Ariel's collection of human objects is kept, hidden away from the other merpeople. She feels that collecting them isn't enough and gets more curious about the human world, even expressing her desire to actually live in it. As Sebastian tries to talk Ariel out of her obsession, the mermaid spots a ship passing above. Curious, she quickly swims up to the surface and towards it. Among the humans aboard, Ariel's attention is drawn to a male human named Eric. Just then, a storm moves in and destroys the ship. Ariel looks around for Eric and finds him floating unconscious in the sea. She saves him from drowning and carries him to shore, where Eric starts to breathe again. Ariel sings to Eric as he steadily regains his consciousness. Eric's manservant, Grimsby, suddenly arrives in search of the prince, though he fails to notice Ariel. As Eric is taken into care, Ariel watches on, even more determined to accomplish her dreams of living alongside humanity.
Back at Atlantica, Ariel's sisters watch her humming dreamily, causing them to realize she has fallen in love. Ariel comes up with a plan to somehow see Eric again, but Sebastian tries to talk her out of it, telling her how life under the sea is better than the world up above through the song "Under the Sea". Flounder arrives and takes Ariel away to show her a surprise at her grotto, the statue of Prince Eric that he somehow salvaged from the wrecked ship. Unfortunately, King Triton soon appears, having learned from Sebastian (when his anxiety gets the best of him) that Ariel had rescued a human from drowning and he berates her for breaking his rules of association with humans, though Ariel points out that Eric would have died if she hadn't saved him and he shouldn't be so quick to judge him. After Triton once again lectures Ariel on how bad humans are, she declares that she loves Eric and doesn't care if they are different species. Shocked and enraged at this display of blasphemy from his youngest daughter, Triton loses his temper and, in a blind rage, proceeds to destroy all the human objects in the grotto with his trident, including the statue of Eric. Devastated, Ariel breaks down in tears, and an ashamed Triton leaves while regretting what he has done. Sebastian, who has accompanied him, tries to console Ariel, only for her to tell him to leave her alone, blaming him for her grotto's destruction because of breaking his promise.
After Sebastian and Flounder exit, Flotsam and Jetsam appear to convince Ariel to see their mistress, Ursula, who may have the power to make her dream come true. She, after initially attempting to refuse, reluctantly follows them to Ursula's Lair, while Sebastian and Flounder follow her, with Ariel making it clear to Sebastian that she is still upset with him for tattling on her regarding Eric. At the fortress, Ursula - who knows that Ariel is in love with a human through spying on her via Flotsam and Jetsam - makes a proposition: in exchange for her voice, Ariel will become a human for three days, during which she must get a kiss of true love from Eric before the sun sets on the third day. Should she succeed, she will remain human permanently; should she fail, she will turn back into a mermaid and will belong to Ursula forever, possibly becoming the latest polyp victim in her garden of other merpeople who made deals with Ursula and failed to fulfill their ends of the agreements. Ariel ponders over this, knowing that being a human would mean she would never be with her father or older sisters again, but eventually out of desperation and her love for Eric, she accepts the deal and signs a contract conjured by Ursula. Then Ursula started doing the spell and Ariel started singing, then the spell took Ariel's voice out of her throat and into Ursula's necklace. Ariel is then turned into a human and is brought to the surface by Flounder and Sebastian due to her now having the inability to swim and breathe underwater.
Ariel reunites with Eric.
Ariel reunites with Eric.
At the shore, Sebastian goes into a nervous panic over the predicament and begins to trot home to seek help from the king. Ariel pleads for Sebastian to stay, giving him the most pleading look she can muster without her voice to talk him out of it, and out of sympathy and guilt for being responsible for her grotto's demise, he agrees reluctantly. Scuttle provides some "clothing" for Ariel in the meantime in the form of an old sail and rigging rope, just as they are discovered by Eric's dog, Max, who leads his master to them. Eric faintly recognizes Ariel, but doesn't believe her to be the girl who rescued him from the shipwreck due to her inability to speak. Nevertheless, he takes her to his castle, where Ariel is given a bath and proper clothing. At dinner, Ariel notices a fork and uses it to comb her hair, leaving Eric and his servants dumbfounded. Ariel then notices Grimsby's pipe and tries to use it as a musical instrument, covering Grimsby with soot. Despite Ariel's initial embarrassment, Eric finds her antics funny. Carlotta even notes that this is the first time Eric has smiled in quite some time, much to Ariel's delight. Eric then invites Ariel on a tour of the kingdom, which she accepts.
During their outing, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle anxiously watch on, awaiting the kiss. Ariel is more preoccupied with taking in the atmosphere of the human world; she even learns how to dance and ride a carriage. That evening, she and Eric go out for a boat ride in a lagoon. In hopes of initiating a kiss, Scuttle tries to provide some "vocal romantic stimulation". However, his terrible squawking (mistaken for singing) which embarrasses both Ariel and Eric prompts Sebastian to lead some animals of the lagoon to create a more fitting mood with his song "Kiss the Girl". Sebastian's plan seems to have a positive effect on Ariel and Eric, as they steadily draw closer to each other. Before they can kiss, however, Flotsam and Jetsam purposely tip the boat over by order of Ursula (who's been watching Ariel and Eric's development from her fortress). This ruins the moment, thus ending Ariel and Eric's date.
Ariel transforms back into a mermaid.
Ariel transforms back into a mermaid.
The next day (which is the third and last of Ariel being a human), Scuttle delivers the news that Eric is getting hitched. Believing herself to be the girl in question, Ariel excitedly runs downstairs, only to see Eric with a dark-haired girl named Vanessa, whom he intends to marry. Devastated, Ariel breaks down in tears and runs off. As the wedding ship departs with Eric aboard, Ariel is left at the port to mourn her losses as Sebastian and Flounder do the same. Meanwhile, Scuttle discovers that Vanessa is actually Ursula in disguise and flies back to warn Ariel. Determined to save both herself and Eric and retrieve her voice, Ariel swims to the wedding ship with help from Flounder, while Sebastian returns to Atlantica to receive help from King Triton. Scuttle, meanwhile, rallies the lagoon animals to stall the wedding by assaulting Vanessa. Eventually, Ursula's necklace is destroyed, releasing Ariel's voice and freeing Eric from his trance. Once her voice returns to her, Ariel calls out to Eric as her first ever word as a human and the two embrace each other as Eric finally realizes that Ariel is the girl who rescued him all along. Before they can kiss, however, the sun sets, and Ariel turns back into a mermaid.
Vanessa transforms back into Ursula and returns to the sea, taking Ariel as her prisoner. Triton, having been alerted by Sebastian, confronts Ursula and orders Ariel's release, though his efforts are futile due to Ursula's legally binding contract. As Ariel is gradually transformed into a writhing polyp, Ursula offers the princess' freedom in exchange for Triton's soul, as she knows that Triton would do anything for his daughter. Triton surrenders, overwriting Ariel's signature on the contract with his own. While Ariel is freed and restored to her mermaid form unharmed, Ursula's black magic seizes control of the king, transforming him into a polyp almost immediately. Ursula then takes his crown and trident, declaring herself queen of the seas. Ariel, now realizing she has been manipulated, retaliates by physically attacking the sea witch, though the mermaid is quickly overpowered. As Ursula threatens to kill Ariel, Eric intervenes by striking the sea witch with a harpoon. A battle ensues, in which Ursula orders Flotsam and Jetsam to capture the prince. As Ursula prepares to blasts Eric with her trident, Ariel redirects the shot, which instead kills Flotsam and Jetsam.
Mourning the loss of her eels, an enraged Ursula grows herself to massive size, determined to exact vengeance on Ariel. She urges Eric to escape while he still can, but the prince refuses to abandon her. They are then faced with Ursula, now giant and all-powerful. The sea witch declares herself as ruler of the ocean, commanding the waves, the sea, and all its spoils. Ursula creates a rainstorm and summons a whirlpool, within which she traps Ariel. Eric, meanwhile, takes control of a resurfaced shipwreck, directing it towards the witch. Ursula remains unaware of the prince, instead focusing her attention on the imprisoned Ariel, whom she attempts to strike with the trident. As Ursula prepares to deliver the killing blow, Eric steers the ship towards the witch and plunges its splintered bow through her abdomen, killing her. As Ursula's lifeless body sinks to the ocean floor, her spells upon the unfortunate merpeople are broken, freeing them from the binds. Among them is King Triton, who transforms back into a merman and reclaims the trident.
Ariel and Eric marry on their wedding day.
Ariel and Eric marry on their wedding day.
Eric manages to swim to shore, where he collapses from exhaustion. A crestfallen Ariel mourns the fact that she can't be with Eric because she is a mermaid again. Triton, realizing the love between them is true, uses the power of the trident to permanently transform Ariel into a human, granting his daughter's wish. After the transformation, Ariel walks up to the shore, where she is happily reunited with Eric, and the two share their first kiss. Sometime later, the two are married, holding a wedding ceremony at sea, which is attended by both humans and sea creatures. Ariel silently bids farewell to Scuttle and Flounder, while she also reconciles with her father; quietly proclaiming, "I love you, daddy," showing that she forgives him before the two part ways. As Ariel and Eric sail off into the horizon, Triton casts a rainbow over the sky to wish the couple well as they start their new future together.
The Little Mermaid: The Series
Ariel as she appears in The Little Mermaid series.
Ariel as she appears in The Little Mermaid series.
The prequel series, which had debuted in 1992, takes place during an indeterminate time chronologically before the 1989 film and revolves around Ariel's adventures as a 15 to 16-year-old mermaid living under the sea.
Most of her adventures involve her meeting various creatures, getting into trouble and usually getting out of it successfully. Her friends, Flounder and Sebastian, are also featured prominently. She is also shown to have mermaid friends named Urchin, an orphaned merboy, and Gabriella, a deaf-mute Latina mermaid.
It also has her meeting Hans Christian Andersen, which also hints at both her possible birth year (i.e. during his lifetime, yet at least 16 years before the writing of The Little Mermaid, which, in a manner of speaking, makes him her creator) and the possible chronological events of the series, due to her being a direct influence on the creation of the story. She also gets along well with Sebastian's young Crab Scouts, as she is shown cradling one of them when they're tired in "Tail of Two Crabs".
Ariel continues to be fascinated with human objects in the series and is shown collecting them for her grotto; she gives them strange names such as calling an ordinary telescope a "thingamabob", and giving many human objects as "majiggers" in quite a number of episodes e.g., calling a magnifying glass a "biggermajigger" in "Charmed".
Many episodes show her working to foil enemies who would do harm to Atlantica. Eric is sometimes shown, but she always just misses seeing him, preserving the continuity that she sees him first in the 1989 film.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Ariel with her daughter, Melody, in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
Ariel with her daughter, Melody, in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
In the 2000 direct-to-video sequel, Ariel serves as the deuteragonist. Here, she serves as the princess consort in Eric's kingdom following their marriage. It is shown that she has given birth to a daughter named Melody (the new protagonist) prior to the start of the film. When we first see her playing with the newborn Melody, many toys of Flounder, Sebastian, and other fish can be seen in the room, showing she continued to embraced her connection to the sea despite how long she's been human and living with Eric. Melody's safety is threatened by a sea witch named Morgana, Ursula's younger sister who seeked revenge for her sister's demise. She holds the baby hostage during a celebration involving the people both the sea and shore and threatens to kill her if Triton did not give up his magic trident. Thinking fast, Ariel uses a sword to slice the ropes of the ship's bow, sending a wooden beam flying straight into Morgana, and Eric caught their baby. Morgana escapes, declaring she will get their child one day.
Ariel and Eric, growing overprotective in the vain of Triton, decide they must keep Melody away from the sea for her safety. To this effect, they build a large seawall around the castle. Ariel also leaves the locket Triton gave Melody on her christening day with him to have released into the ocean to sink to where it would never be found, while also knowing that this may be the last time she would see her father while he sent out his royal guards to hunt down Morgana and bring her to justice. As a consequence, this also meant Ariel couldn't visit her ancestral home, and she missed her family, friends, and the sea deeply. She also kept the truth of Melody's mermaid heritage from her. Unknown to her or Eric, however, Melody grew fascinated with the sea and began secretly swimming out from the shore.
Ariel as the Princess Consort.
Ariel as the Princess Consort.
On her daughter's 12th birthday, Ariel becomes homesick as she misses her family and friends, and she secretly puts her feet in the water, before she goes upstairs when Melody notices her. She insists it is nothing and helps Melody get ready for the birthday party. Ariel hears from Melody that she doesn't want to attend the party since her peers think she is strange, to which Ariel sympathizes with, and tells her that she had a similar experience growing up, to her daughter's surprise. Melody looks at the sea and is about to tell her mother what she really wants, but is interrupted by Eric, who brings the girls to the party. Ariel promises to continue the conversation with Melody after the party.
It seemed like things were going well at the party, but Sebastian, who was accidentally tied up in Melody's dress while following her, bit Melody's dance partner and was sent up into the air, crashing into her birthday cake. Melody shows concern for Sebastian's safety but is laughed at by the other guests for talking to a crab. This causes Melody to be humiliated as she leaves the party and runs back to her room.
Ariel tries to comfort her crying daughter, before she is shocked to find out that Melody found the locket she gave back to Triton years earlier. This causes her to realize Melody was sneaking out into the ocean, despite that she knew she wasn't supposed to. Melody confronts her mother about why she cannot go to the sea and about the locket, but Ariel hesitates and instead punishes her daughter for her disobedience and forbids her from going near the sea again since it is "dangerous". Angry and confused at her mother's refusal to give her proper answers, Melody snatches the locket from Ariel's hands and runs out of her room. Ariel realizes that she is only pushing herself away from her daughter and decides it's time to tell her the truth.
Ariel transformed back into a mermaid by King Triton.
Ariel transformed back into a mermaid by King Triton.
When Melody goes out to the sea and falls into Morgana's clutches, Ariel decides to look for Melody and bring her home herself. Triton using his trident to revert the spell that turned Ariel human originally, returning her to her old mermaid body so she could return home to Atlantica after so long. Ariel returns to Atlantica and reunites with Flounder, lamenting all the the time she had spent away from her loved ones and former home.
Ariel, alongside Flounder, Sebastian, and Triton, look for Melody in Atlantica, before Ariel notices that Triton's trident is gone. In truth, after being tricked by Morgana, Melody took the trident to give it to her. Ariel then notices Melody's locket that she dropped and realizes that she was the one who took the trident, and wonders how she could have gotten in Atlantica. Just then, Ariel and Flounder see Cloak and Dagger, and recognize them as Morgana's minions.
Suspecting Morgana may have Melody, the two folow the manta rays. Finding Morgana's lair, and they realize Scuttle followed them and send him back to inform Triton. Meanwhile, Melody successfully arrives at Morgana's place with the trident but before she can give Morgana the trident, Ariel stops her and warns her not to listen to Morgana. They are both shocked to see each other in mermaid forms and Melody is heartbroken and angry that her mother has been keeping the truth from her for her whole life. Ariel expresses her regret, saying she only wanted to protect Melody, but her plea falls on deaf ears. Melody gives up the trident to Morgana, who reveals her true colors.
Morgana wraps Ariel in her tentacles, and explains that the trident, which holds the powers of the seven seas, belongs to Melody's grandfather, the ruler of the oceans. Melody comes to her mother's side but is at a loss of what to do. Morgana imprisons Melody and Flounder inside an ice cave, reminding Melody that her mermaid form will soon expire. All Ariel can do is look back anxiously toward where Melody and Flounder are being kept as Morgana carries her away.
At the surface, Morgana declares herself queen of the oceans, parading the bound Ariel as a show of power. Triton, Eric and their people arrive, vowing to fight Morgana and rescue Ariel but they are easily overwhelmed by the tridents' magic. When Eric is dragged underwater and drowned by Cloak and Dagger, Scuttle grabs Morgana by her hair, thus giving Ariel a chance to escape.
With Sebastian's help, Ariel is able to rescue Eric from the two manta rays and bring him back to the surface for air, where she is met by an escaped Melody, no longer a mermaid. Morgana forces all the sea folk to bow down to her but Melody is able to sneak up on her and steal back the trident, which she returns to Triton. Triton freezes Morgana in ice and the day is won.
Ariel reassures Melody she loves her for who she is.
Ariel reassures Melody she loves her for who she is.
Ariel apologizes to Melody for her overprotectiveness as she realizes it was for the best that Melody now knew about her true heritage. When Melody says she felt she'd be a better mermaid than a girl, Ariel replies that they love her for who she is on the inside and that it doesn't matter whether she has fins or feet. The walls around the castle are later destroyed by Melody, reuniting the land and the sea by destroying the wall that separated them.
Ariel is the first and only Disney Princess to date to become a mother.
House of Mouse
Ariel appears as a regular guest in the animated television series House of Mouse and its specials, usually sitting with Sebastian and Scuttle and sometimes with Eric or Triton. Her appearance alternates irregularly between her human form and mermaid form (even at the same time in a few episodes), depending on what the situation requires. In her human form, she is mostly seen in her blue peasant gown, except in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse where she is instead seen in her pink-and-white ball gown.
Daisy Duck seems to be a big fan of her and her films, as shown in "Daisy's Debut" and "House of Genius". In the show's opening song, she is seen combing her hair with a fork, like in the original film.
In a stock clip recycled for many episodes, she, in her mermaid form, is seen sitting at a table with Scuttle and Sebastian, and she and Scuttle clap starting with "The Three Caballeros". In "Gone Goofy", she, in her human form, appears next to Prince Eric near the end.
In "Timon and Pumbaa", Scuttle perches on Ariel's head telling them that Timon is gonna use something with the "dinglehopper".
In the episode "Jiminy Cricket", while Jiminy Cricket is sharing his wisdom, he states, "Never sell your voice to a giant sea witch just because you have a crush on some guy, it's just not worth it". Ariel sits there looking embarrassed and ashamed, and upon hearing this, she snatches the necklace containing her voice away from Ursula, much to her anger.
In "The Mouse Who Came to Dinner", Ariel is sitting next to Sebastian before Goofy takes him to cook for Mortimer, who is pretending to be a critic. She is later seen laughing with the rest of the audience after the crew calls him out and insults him.
Also in "Everybody Loves Mickey", Ariel wishes that Mickey could visit her under the sea.
In "Suddenly Hades", Pete attempted to flood the club to run out the customers, as he could shut down the club if there were no guests. Though he succeeded in flooding the club, he was stopped from closing the club as Ariel was still present, having returned after Hades bugged out in annoyance from the flooding.
In "Mickey and Minnie's Big Vacation", she is seen in the crowd when the Pink Elephants invade the house.
In "Music Day", when Ariel saw Huey, Dewey, and Louie reuniting, she waved her hands as she cheered.
In "House of Scrooge", Ariel is one of many Disney characters shoved at one table as Scrooge is trying to save money.
In "Ask Von Drake", Ariel is seen in Professor Von Drake's song, sitting next to a giant seashell where Ursula is hiding.
In "Salute to Sports", Ariel is sitting next to Triton when he creates a literal wave after Mickey tells the crowd to do the "wave".
In "Pluto vs. Figaro", Ariel tried to sing on stage, although the set ended up falling on top of her before she could sing due to Pluto and Figaro's antics.
Ariel was also briefly seen in "Pete's House of Villains", where she held up a sign that read "Somebody stole my voice again" since she lost her voice.
Although Ariel doesn't appear in "House of Turkey", it is possible that she took part in the takeover with the other heroes.
Ariel also appears in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. In the film, Ariel, along with Eric and other characters, are snowed in and trapped inside the club. Ariel is the first to openly have faith in Mickey Mouse, who she believes will have a plan.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
Ariel in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
Ariel in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
Years before the events of the original film, Ariel and her sisters enjoy a music-filled life in Atlantica, with their father King Triton, and their mother, Queen Athena. One day, when Ariel was five years old, the merpeople are relaxing in a cove above water, playing music for Triton and Athena's anniversary and Triton gives Athena a music box as a gift which Ariel and her sisters watch with joy. Triton then swims toward them and plays with them which Athena watches with joy when a big pirate ship suddenly approaches the cove, attacks the merpeople, and snatches their musical instruments. Ariel, Arista, Aquata, and Adella are carried to safety by Triton while Andrina and Alana escape alongside everyone else except Athena, who is fatally crushed by the ship when she tries to save the music box after saving Attina due to the pirates losing control of the ship and accidentally running it aground, breaking the keel and sinking it. Devastated by her death, Triton throws it into the ocean and bans music from the kingdom.
Ten years later, Ariel and her sisters live under a strict routine maintained by their governess Marina Del Rey and her assistant, Benjamin. Marina hates being the girls' governess and longs to be Triton's attaché, a job currently filled by Sebastian. Ariel is frustrated by their current lifestyle, which brings her into conflict with her father. One day, Ariel encounters Flounder, whom she later follows to an underground music club. She is overjoyed by the presence of music and is shocked when she sees Sebastian performing there. When her presence is revealed, the entire band stops playing and hides, believing Ariel will tell her father about them. Ariel sings a song explaining her love of music and the remembrance of her mother, and she joins the club with an oath.
Ariel returns to the palace, and the sisters confront her over her disappearance. She explains where she was, and the following night all seven girls go to the club to have fun. Marina secretly finds them, and she later reports their activities to Triton. Sebastian, Flounder and the band are sent to jail while Marina gets the job she wants.
Triton confines his daughters to the palace, which results in Ariel asking him why music isn't allowed. Triton refuses to answer and screams that he won't have music in his kingdom. Distraught, Ariel confronts Triton and says that Athena wouldn't have wanted music to be forbidden and angrily swims to the girls' bedroom, her saddened sisters soon following, while Marina, who is not the girls' governess anymore, is now Triton's new attaché. That night, she decides to leave Atlantica and frees the jailbirds. Sebastian leads them to a deserted place far from the palace where Ariel finds Athena's music box, as Sebastian hoped. Ariel and Sebastian decide to return to Atlantica to bring the music box to Triton, hoping that it will change his mind, as he has forgotten how to be happy after Athena's death.
On the way back, Marina and her electric eels confront Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Before music is restored to the kingdom, the final battle begins when Marina bans Ariel from going back to Atlantica. Marina wants to stop them, so she will retain her position of "power", and a struggle ensues. It ends when Marina barrels towards Sebastian, but Ariel pushes him away, getting hit in the process. Triton arrives in time to witness this, and he is remorseful for his actions. He sings the lyrics of "Athena's Song", and Ariel wakes up. The film ends with Triton restoring music to Atlantica and appointing Sebastian as the new court composer, much to everyone's glee with Ariel and Flounder. Everyone, including Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and six older sisters, rejoices except Marina, who has been sent to prison.
In the original concept for Ariel's Beginning, then known as The Little Mermaid III, Ariel, alongside Sebastian, was supposed to accompany Eric and Melody in locating a white whale.
Sofia the First
“Sofia's amulet brought me here to help! Now what's going on, Sofia?”
―Ariel to Sofia
Ariel in Sofia the First.
Ariel in Sofia the First.
Ariel appeared in the special "The Floating Palace". She was the first princess to be seen twice in an episode, and the fourth princess to appear in the series, overall.
Ariel is summoned to help her new friend Sofia with her trouble of saving her mermaid friend and her family's ship in danger and sings "The Love We Share" to encourage Sofia to enlist Cora to help her save Oona. She is later seen at the end of the special by the floating palace jumping into the water.
In "Forever Royal" when Sofia is battling Vor inside her amulet, Ariel appears to Sofia in spirit form along with all the other princesses who have been summoned to help Sofia in her times of need, and they encourage her to be brave and strong for they all believe in her.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
“Of all the thingamabobs of this entire World, I never thought I'd get to wear a real... What's it called again? Oh, yeah... shirt! [singing] I once, had a dream that I might wear a shirt-”
―Ariel in her comfy attire
Ariel with Vanellope in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Ariel with Vanellope in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Ariel appears as a netizen resident of Oh My Disney. She and the other Disney princesses work as cast members that meet-and-greet net users. When Vanellope von Schweetz is confronted by First Order Stormtroopers, she glitches into the princesses' backstage room; Ariel is seen combing her hair with a dinglehopper at her vanity. The princesses mistake Vanellope for a threat, either from their respective Disney Villain, or a user who broke the cardinal rule of trespassing in a "Cast Members Only" restricted area, and charge at her with various weapons at hand; Ariel wields a dinglehopper. Vanellope explains that she's actually a princess as well, prompting Ariel and the others to stand down while Pocahontas to ask what kind of princess she is. Ariel questions if Vanellope made a deal with an underwater sea witch in exchange for human legs while holding up one of her own legs. But, to Ariel's relief, Vanellope denies it. When Jasmine asks if Vanellope has "daddy issues", she notes that she doesn't even have a mom, to which Ariel relates as she declares that she doesn’t either. Only once Vanellope confirms Rapunzel's question about having a big strong man saving her all the time do the girls finally believe that Vanellope is a princess, stand down, and welcome her into their group.
Ariel singing in her comfy clothes.
Ariel singing in her comfy clothes.
Shortly after, Ariel and Cinderella take a liking to Vanellope's casual modern attire. As the other princesses take interest in Vanllope’s outfit, Ariel excitedly declares she also wants an outfit like Vanellope's. After Cinderella asks her mice to craft comfy modern outfits for each of the princesses, Ariel dons green shorts and a lavender shirt which reference the colors of her mermaid form and is seen lounging between Jasmine and Belle; unlike the majority of Disney Princesses, she is seen the whole time being barefoot when in modern clothes (another exception is Moana). Ariel is overwhelmingly delighted to finally have a shirt and expresses through song that she's always dreamed of someday wearing one before Vanellope cuts her off. Vanellope questions Ariel's singing, but the other princesses explain that they've all had songs that help them express their desires. They encourage Vanellope to find her song, but the results are not very impressive. Pocahontas advises Vanellope to find some water and stare at it. Though Vanellope isn't convinced, Ariel reaffirms that it's not merely water, but "important water".
During the climax of the film, Ariel and the Disney princesses spot Wreck-It Ralph falling to his doom. They rally together to rescue him. Moana summons the ocean, which Ariel dives into. She then swims upward, creating a spiral with the water. When Ariel emerges, she lands on Jasmine's magic carpet, from where Elsa freezes the water while in its spiral formation, creating a slide for Ralph to safely descend. After Ralph is safe, the princesses formally introduce themselves as friends of Vanellope as they befriend him as well.
LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest
“I almost lost you, once. I won't lose you again. Okay, ladies. Let's storm this castle!”
―Ariel
Ariel in LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest.
Ariel in LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest.
Ariel appears in the crossover special, taking place sometime after the events of The Little Mermaid. She and four other princesses (Snow White, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Moana) are summoned to a mysterious castle, where King Triton has been imprisoned by the arrogant hunter Gaston in a plot to steal his trident. To save her father, Ariel must complete three challenges within the castle. Ariel chooses to face Gaston's challenges alone, but the other princesses vow to assist her. They split up into groups, with Ariel teaming up with Moana.
The duo is tasked by the Wardrobe to find the Magic Carpet, which has been plundered by pirates. While Moana battles the pirates, Ariel infiltrates their brig to free the Carpet, only to be confronted by the brig's captain, Iago. Ariel defeats the parrot by blasting him with a cannon (which she calls a "tuba-boom"), allowing her and Moana to escape with the Carpet in tow. After reuniting with the other princesses, the group faces Gaston and Maleficent as the final challenge. After being tamed by Snow White, the dragon turns against Gaston. The princesses escape, then Ariel reclaims the trident and, with support from her friends, frees King Triton. The princesses are dubbed heroines and learn from the Magic Mirror that the castle is theirs to claim.
Once Upon a Studio
Ariel returns alongside her husband and friends at the Disney Animation Studio for a group photo with all the characters from the previous films to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the studio and The Walt Disney Company's founding in 1923 by Walter Elias Disney and his brother Roy Oliver Disney.
In a deleted scene, Ariel is seen with Gazelle, Daisy Duck, Georgette, Isabela Madrigal, Morph, and Madame Medusa in the ladies' room getting ready for the photo, with Ariel combing her hair with the Dinglehopper (her iconic fork in the film), before Sergeant Calhoun interrupts them to hurry up before it gets late.[6] In the final product, Ariel appears standing next to Eric and Max where she joins in singing "When You Wish Upon a Star", only to be interrupted by Scuttle who squawks terribly; who is then cut off by Baloo. Ariel and Eric then sing the final line with of the other Disney characters as they successfully take the group photo.
LEGO Disney Princess: Villains Unite
“I-i-it took a pointy ship to take down Ursula, before. The five of us are strong, but this might be bigger than us. Literally.”
―Ariel
Ariel appears in the crossover special, taking place after the events of The Castle Quest.
Other appearances
"Ariel" made a cameo in The Return of Jafar. Genie makes himself look like Ariel and appears on the top of the treasure ship of Coeur du Mer to take Jafar's Lamp from Abis Mal and attempt to destroy it to eliminate Jafar.
In A Goofy Movie, Ariel is seen twice: once as a prop in Max's school auditorium and also as a lamp in Goofy and Max's hotel room with her iconic colors.
In the TV series Aladdin, Saleen at one point gave Jasmine a hairstyle resembling that of Ariel's, although she then complained that it makes Jasmine look like "every other Princess under the sea." In the same episode, Saleen also indirectly alludes to Ariel's goal with her line "Legs? Who needs them?"
In Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Ariel made a cameo on a poster (before Jessica Rabbit and Minnie Mouse) when the Genie tried to make Jasmine happy because she was sad about Aladdin's absence.
In the 101 Dalmatians: The Series episode "Home is Where the Bark Is", Ariel's silhouette can be seen as one of the passengers of a subway train the Dalmatians to ride on.
In a special trailer promoting the film Lilo & Stitch, Ariel was seen performing the reprise of "Part of Your World", when Stitch surfs a giant wave towards her, ruining the song. Ariel angrily throws a starfish at Stitch, exclaiming "I was singing here!" Jodi Benson reprises her role in this teaser and some new animation is used.
Ariel appears on the cover of a Little Mermaid book in the village scene in Tangled.
Ariel appears in the 2022 live-action Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers movie, being part of Sweet Pete's bootleg movie "The Small Fish Lady". However, her bootleg form is almost true to her original appearance, except her hair style slightly altered and wears a lavender bra instead the lavender seashell bikini top.
In Wish, Ariel was among the Disney animated characters that appeared in constellation form during the credits.
Printed media
The Little Mermaid Disney Comics serial
Ariel was the main character in a few of the comic stories in the four-issue serial. The timeframe takes place at least a year prior to the film, due to Ariel being referred to as 15. The first and second issues had her disposing of a creature called the Serpentine in a failed negotiation with the Moray people. She also ended up abducted by a metallic fish in the final issue.
The Little Mermaid Marvel serial comics
She was the main character in the 12-issue Marvel serial comics that, like the TV series, took place prior to the events of the first film. One of the issues also had her acting as a knight. She also saved Flounder from petrification in the penultimate issue. In the final issue, after a fight with Triton, she managed to learn the history of Atlantica and Atlantis from a wizard fish. She eventually told Triton this, but when she tried to find the wizard fish, he disappeared, although not before leaving a note.
Besides the main storyline, Ariel was also featured in the 12th Issue of the anthology series Disney Comic Hits!, which had been a previously unpublished story.
Novelizations
Ariel also appeared in several novelizations, both in human form and in mermaid form:
In Reflections of Arsulu, Ariel is suspicious of the newcomer mermaid named Arsulu and eventually uncovers that the latter was actually Ursula in disguise. She proceeded to expose Arsulu's true identity with a flock of reflecting scaled fish.
In Ariel and the Aquamarine Jewel, she, after becoming human, was requested by Triton to find several of Atlantica's treasures after a storm cast them out to sea, also necessitating that she return to mermaid form. She managed to retrieve them all, and Triton rewarded her by letting her keep one of the treasures and aquamarine necklace. It's implied in this story that she became much more well-versed in the knowledge of human behaviors and items, as she managed to politely correct Scuttle about what a human item was with some amusement.
Another story had her having a picnic with her sisters (herself sitting on an offshore rock, due to her being human during that time).
Another story, Ariel's Dolphin Adventure, had Ariel and Eric creating a wall so her old friends could be with her due to her missing them but unintentionally trapped a baby dolphin inside. The wall was eventually destroyed by Triton after Ariel requested his assistance.
Kilala Princess
Ariel in Kilala Princess.
Ariel in Kilala Princess.
In the manga series Kilala Princess, Ariel plays a prominent role in Kilala's adventure to become a princess. She is the second Disney Princess to be visited. While mistaking Kilala to be a fish, she helps her look for a young prince named Rei, who separated from her in a storm. After finding the prince and providing medicine, she becomes curious about love and hopes to find her own true love someday. It inspires her to sing.
After Rei is captured by Ursula, Flounder comes to inform Ariel. On their way to Ursula's lair, Flounder collapses due to exhaustion and injury. Ariel then inspires Kilala to fight using her singing voice to remind her of the strength of love. After Ursula is defeated, Ariel gives Kilala an aquamarine gem. Ariel is last seen handing an emerald to Kilala's Magic Tiara.
Kingdom Keepers
The mermaid first appears in Power Play when she helps Willa escape Claude Frollo by bringing her up to the Earful Tower to hide. She then teams up with the Keepers to defeat The Overtakers. It is revealed at the end of the book that she is friends with the captain of the Disney Magic, and that while she is close with Eric, she rarely ever gets to see him, as he's usually kept at the Magic Kingdom.
In the second book Disney at Dawn, Willa approaches a cast member of the park who's dressed up as Ariel for autographs. She tells Willa that Captain Hook is acting strange and leaving his usual meet-and-greet spot.
Unlike in the movies, where she needed magic to change between her mermaid and human forms, the books reveal that Ariel can change whenever she enters and exits a body of water. It's also revealed that she keeps a bikini bottom tucked in the strap of her bra that she can quickly don when she becomes human.
Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch
Ariel appears in the novel written by Serena Valentino, in a significantly reduced role, as Ursula's backstory is the main focus. She appears only in the events that are canon to the original film.
Within the novel, she appears officially three times but is mostly seen briefly or mentioned during the storyline. The three times she does officially debut takes on an interesting view of both the character in viewpoint (Ariel's perspective) and observation (Ursula's perspective).
The first time begins when she comes to Ursula to solve her problem of being a mermaid, as the scene unfolds through the chapter. It is revealed that Ariel was fully aware after signing the contract that she had made a serious mistake along with how terrified she was of the uncertain fate she placed herself in, and what the experience it was for Ariel to lose her voice, which turned out to be excruciatingly painful.
The second time in the story, she appears on the third day and unveils her thoughts during and after Eric will marry the mysterious girl of his dreams, Vanessa (Ursula in disguise). This shows how much Ariel wishes she could undo the damage she causes yet knows and is willing to face the consequences of her actions. It is revealed by Scuttle that she has been deceived all along by Ursula.
The last and final time, Ariel is seen rising off on her wedding ship with Eric. She is full of joy that things have worked out with her father and that she will be able to finally be a part of the human world with the man she loves.
A Twisted Tale
Part of Your World
In this reality, with Ariel has been unable to defeat Ursula or reclaim her voice, Eric has remained under her influence for the last few years, essentially becoming little more than a figurehead for Ursula's plans to expand her influence on the surface as he becomes known as the 'Mad Prince', spending more time composing amateur concerts as a reflection of his fascination with Ariel's voice. However, after Ariel reclaims her voice, this also results in Eric being freed of Ursula's influence, allowing him to begin discreetly working with Ariel to undermine Ursula's plans, as well as keeping Ursula herself in check by drawing her attention to the various details of ruling on the surface world that she hadn't considered. After Ariel is able to defeat Ursula and rescue her father, she is able to arrange a compromise with her father where she will spend at least one week each month acting as an ambassador to the surface world, with Eric getting a tattoo of Ariel's name in merriness to symbolize their commitment to each other even if they will not officially marry yet.
A Twisted Tale Anthology: The Secret Exchange
After Ariel saves Prince Eric's life during a storm, the young man's eyes are opened up to an exciting new world under the sea. In the end, her father turns him a merman be with Ariel.
Prince of Song & Sea
Ariel first appears saving Eric from a shipwreck. Her second appearance is when Eric finds her on the beach wrapped up in a ship after being turned into a human by Ursula. Eric gives her the nickname "Pearl" since Ariel is mute (due to her voice being the payment for her deal with the sea witch) until finding out her name during their boat ride in the lagoon. After sneaking onto Sauer's ship the Siebenhaut, Ariel helps Eric find the Isle of Serein by diving off the ship and tying a rope to the rowboat that the ghost of Queen Eleanora was rowing as well as finding out about Eric's curse. She even has an encounter with Vanessa (aka Ursula) after Eric announces his engagement to her. Eric even invites Ariel to their "wedding" on the wedding ship. However, Ariel is able to stop the wedding as well as get her voice back. After Ursula is defeated, Ariel (now human permanently) reunites with Eric on the beach as well as sharing their first kiss. Eric and Ariel then travel together for two years to help repair the destruction that Ursula had caused as well as making sure all of the souls that were trapped on the Isle Serein returned to their homes. Their wedding on the wedding ship happens a year later.
Ariel and the Curse of the Sea Witches
Ariel takes a trip to the Arctic with Eric to aid in the construction of a new port. However, conflicts arise when Ariel discovers via a mermaid named Itta that a coral reef and by extension a settlement of merpeople are dwelling around the construction area. Eventually, Ariel ended up having to save Eric after a misanthropic sea witch abducted him, including using a diver suit to try and locate him. When encountering the sea witch, Ariel also reveals her originally being a mermaid, and also made clear she chose to side with humans out of love rather than embrace bitterness when the sea witch denounced her as a traitor. She ultimately succeeds in saving Eric from drowning, also wounding the sea witch in the process via the ice shards.
Video games
The Little Mermaid (NES)
After Ariel signed her contract in an alternate version of the original story, Ariel and Eric plan to wed, but the sea witch Ursula has taken control of the ocean. So Ariel becomes a mermaid once more and sets off to rescue the sea.
The game takes place from a side view, and Ariel (swimming most of the time, but hopping around on the land occasionally) can shoot bubbles to trap her foes and can then throw them at each other or into nooks and crannies (to potentially find treasure). She can also dig through sand to find treasure and pick up seashells to break open chests. Some of her old foes, such as the shark, glut and moray eels, Flotsam, and Jetsam, have returned as stage bosses, while others are new.
After Ursula is defeated for good, Ariel attempts to return to the surface and become human, but she cannot return to being a human. Much like in the original film's ending, Triton then attempts to help Ariel out by transforming her back into a human, and their wedding continues as planned.
Although this game is not canon, this exact situation where Ariel had to be turned back into a mermaid would be duplicated in The Little Mermaid II, where she leaves a much larger boat (Eric's lead fleet ship) rather than his rowboat as in the NES game. In addition, her bubble attack is later referenced as a spell card in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.
Ariel: The Little Mermaid
The Genesis game features Ariel (or Triton) on a quest to save the transformed Atlanteans (and either Triton or Ariel, depending on whom the player chooses to play as) from Ursula's spell. This game most likely takes place before Ariel saves Eric from the shipwreck.
The gameplay allows the player to move in eight directions, with the goal being to locate and transform Ursula's polyps back into Merfolk. The player is given a "normal attack" and a "special attack". During the gameplay, the player can collect treasure, which after finding his icon, can trade with Scuttle for health, special characters (like Flounder and Sebastian), and special powers to aid them on their quest. After saving all the Atlanticans in a stage, the player must face a boss, the final encounter being Ursula herself, and the transformed Triton (or Ariel if the player chooses to play as Triton), the final polyp that must be rescued.
Kingdom Hearts series
ArielKHII
Ariel appears in the Kingdom Hearts series. She is featured in the game, not as one of the seven Princesses of Heart (her spot is taken by Alice from Alice in Wonderland), but as one of two female warriors, along with Mulan, to join Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the fight against the Heartless.
She makes her series introduction in Kingdom Hearts, where she encounters Sora, Donald, and Goofy for the first time during her latest phase. The young mermaid expresses her desire to see the mysterious worlds beyond the sea, though her father forbids it. Even so, she's soon manipulated by Ursula into revealing the legendary keyhole of her world in exchange for her dream come true. Fortunately, enough, Sora and friends are able to defeat the sea witch with Ariel's help, restoring peace and unveiling the keyhole, which Sora must lock.
In the sequel Kingdom Hearts II, Ariel's dreams of traveling the worlds were put aside for the simpler dream of living upon the surface, as events in this game followed the original 1989 animated film more closely. A dream that was only pushed further upon discovering the handsome Prince Eric. With Sora, Donald, Goofy, Sebastian, and Flounder by her side, Ariel challenges her struggles and makes her dream a reality, with King Triton eventually giving his blessing, like in the film, after seeing Eric risk his life for Ariel's safety at the hands of a revived Ursula. Before leaving upon opening the keyhole, however, Sora and Ariel vow that they'll see each other again.
Ariel would also appear in the title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but as a fragment of Sora's memories and with a much smaller role.
Ariel appears in Kingdom Hearts III as a Link Summon. She has an ability called Lagoon Showtime, involving her summoned through a current of water where Sora will swing her overhead when she enters. Her initial attacks allow Sora to dive through platforms like water, while her last attack consists of Ariel and Sora entering an encore dance as water spouts from the ground akin to waterworks.
Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
In this game, Ariel is first seen sitting on a rock near the harbor waiting for the blonde-haired heroine of the game who has a bow on her head to befriend her. She convinces her that the land and the sea have lost their music, so she takes her under the sea to get the singing voices of the merpeople back and keep her human treasures from being broken. Later, they guide all the blue crabs to safety and go to the lagoon to bring in the chorus of animals.
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
Ariel appears as a meet-and-greet character in front of It's a Small World near the entrance to Mickey's Toontown and across from where Belle can be found in front of the Princess Fantasy Fair. She is also a participant in the Mickey's Soundsational Parade and Princess Fantasy Faire mini-games. Ariel asks the player to complete several tasks for her as well. One includes finding seashells for a collection. Another involves finding some décor to decorate her parade float with. At one point, Scuttle loses a load of dinglehoppers and Ariel asks the player to help retrieve them for her so that she can return them to Scuttle. Following the redesign of her dress she now wears around the parks in real life when in her human form, this game is one of the few to show her wearing the older dress before it was retired by Disney Imagineers and Cast Members to make room for her redesigned one and its winter variant.
Disney Sorcerer's Arena
Ariel appears in the game as a playable character being an ocean hero, she uses her trident which she never used at any time in the film, also her singing can heal allies to regenerate.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Ariel appears in the game, even in the early access, as a resident of Dreamlight Valley who was unknowingly transported away from the valley to protect her and her memories from The Forgetting by Prince Eric at the cost of him sacrificing himself to Ursula to be turned into a polyp to keep Ariel safe. Upon when the player opens up Dazzle Beach, crossing to the small island in front of a formation of rocks shaped like a skull, aptly named Skull Rock, they will find a wrecked raft and a mysterious oar lying on the sand near it. Picking up the oar will trigger a quest to deliver the oar to Goofy, who recognizes it and mentions hearing a beautiful voice out at sea. Agreeing with the player that the voice could need help, he suggests collecting iron, hardwood, rope, and clay to repair the raft, which then leads to using the repaired raft to travel to a mysterious island where they will find Ariel. Offering to provide a home for her back in Dreamlight Valley to guide her back there, once the house is placed, and built by Scrooge's construction firm, Ariel will return, and will mostly stick to traveling around Dreamlight Valley by the waterways and fishing ponds while as her mermaid self.
However, she is worried about Eric and wants to make sure he's okay, so her first friendship quest has her have the player ask Merlin, Maui, and Kristoff about Eric. Kristoff is able to provide some details, and after recovering something from his house, he directs the player to Skull Rock on Dazzle Beach to fish for a clue there. After finding a clue and showing it to Ariel, she directs them back to Kristoff, who then identifies it as part of Eric's statue and directs them to speak with Donald after finding another piece in Kristoff's house. Donald directs them to another piece in the Glade of Trust near the river, and then Scrooge has possession of the last piece, but will hand it over after the player mines up five peridots for him, easily found mining on Dazzle Beach and in the Peaceful Meadow. Once all the pieces are collected, Ariel has the player repair them at a crafting station by providing some glue for them to use to stick the pieces back together and place the statue in the Valley at the base of the steps leading to Dazzle Beach from the Peaceful Meadow. This causes a memory to appear, and upon viewing it, report it back to Ariel so she understands what happened to her beloved.
She is later part of the friendship quest to restore Eric to his human form after Ursula agrees to return him once the player is on her good side from helping her out and maxes out their Friendship Level with her, which includes recovering Eric's flute and rebuilding his castle with help from Scrooge's construction firm. Ariel provides the last piece when she gives Eric true love's kiss to break the polyp curse and restore him to his human self.
Once Prince Eric is restored after helping out Ursula, he'll have a friendship quest to provide Ariel a means to shapeshift between her mermaid and human forms that will require speaking to Remy and Maui to collect the necessary materials and craft them or give them to the character to make themselves. From there, use the Royal Fishing Rod to fish up a nautilus that Eric can use the shell of to create a necklace similar to what Ursula used to capture Ariel's voice, but enchanted with the shapeshifting potion to give to Ariel. Give the necklace to Ariel, and she'll put it on immediately, transforming her into her human self, wearing her clothes from the "Kiss the Girl" segment of the original 1989 animated film and making it easier to interact with her as she walks around the Valley on her human legs and see her from time to time having a meal at Remy's restaurant with the other characters. The player can willingly decide which form Ariel will use while in the Valley as her mermaid and human forms serve as her Dream Styles in the game, with her human form unlocked via a quest rather than through a Star Path reward or purchasing in the Premium Shop with Moonstones.
A new Dream Style of Ariel in her human form wearing a winter outfit was provided as a reward from the Royal Winter Star Path that took place between December 2023 and January 2024, which honored Ariel and her fellow Disney Princesses with many of the motif rewards representing them in some way, like an apple for Snow White, a glass slipper for Cinderella, a red rose for Belle, a bow and arrow for Merida, etc. Her trademark pink gown from her dinner scene with Eric and Grimsby in the original 1989 film became available in the Premium Shop with the May 1st, 2024 update for 1,750 Moonstones for players to wear. A bundle pack for 4,000 Moonstones was later released that included a new Dream Style of Ariel wearing said pink gown herself, giving her four Dream Styles in game so far.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
Ariel DHBM
Ariel is a playable character in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode. Ariel is a Back-Line Support Hero. She uses her mermaid voice to sing to create large ripples that hit enemies, dealing damage to them. She also sings to heal allies and increase their Max HP. Ariel also summons a fish friend, that fish spits water at the closest enemy, knocking them back as well as slowing them down.
Ariel's friendship campaigns are with Hector Barbossa and Gerald, Marlin, and Nemo. She also has friendship campaigns with King Triton, Snow White, and Elizabeth Swann.
Ariel appeared in the City before the events of meeting Ursula and didn't exchange her voice for legs, yet. One of the missions with Barbossa was Ariel seeking help from Tia Dalma to receive legs for a day, Tia did that to her in exchange for beautiful seashells.
Other games
A costume of Ariel is also available as an add-on feature in Disney Universe.
Ariel appears in Disney Infinity as a cameo. In the 3DS version, when she appears to the player, she will give you an Emblem.
Ariel appears in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion where she has been sucked into Wasteland by Mizrabel, trapping her and the Other Toons in the Castle of Illusion.
Ariel appears in the V.Smile game The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Majestic Journey, which plays out similarly to the original film, plus four "Learning Zone" games. This marks the only instance where Ariel is voiced by Kathryn Haywood, as this was likely because Jodi Benson was unavailable to reprise her role as Ariel.
Ariel had also appeared in a dress-up/RPG game called Love Nikki, through a collaboration between Disney and Love Nikki, and more specifically was included in the Disney Fairytale event as a part of it alongside Rapunzel and Cinderella. Currently, the set can no longer be obtainable via any means like the other ones included with it, as well as in general any other suits that were made in collaboration with Disney and will not return.
Disney Parks
Ariel at Walt Disney World.
Ariel at Walt Disney World.
Ariel makes appearances as a face character in all the Disney parks. At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Tokyo DisneySea, she can be found for meet-and-greets at her own special location known as Ariel's Grotto in her mermaid form, while her human form is available for meet-and-greets at Fantasy Faire in Disneyland and the princess meet-and-greets at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. In her human form, she's often seen wearing a white dress similar to the one she wore at her wedding in the movie, sans the veil and tiara.
However, she has rarely held any meet-and-greets with Guests in her grotto in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom since it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and has not been reopened yet, but she has appeared in human form in her redesigned dress with Prince Eric outside the grotto for meet-and-greets during special events, such as Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. During the winter months, she'll wear a long-sleeved, coat-styled version of her redesigned dress in human form to keep warm in the colder weather, with the parts of her dress that wrap around her arms being longer and extending up to cover her shoulders along with the bodice being extended up to cover her neck and shoulder blades. Her grotto reopened to welcome guests to see her in her mermaid form somewhere between the end of 2022 and the start of 2023.
The 2023 live-action version of Ariel began making meet-and-greet appearances at Disneyland and Walt Disney Presents at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 26 (the live-action film's release day), as well as at a limited-time celebration at Disneyland Paris on an unconfirmed date.
The Disney Jr. version of Ariel made her first Disney Park appearance as a fully-costumed character at the D23 Disney Jr. Let's Play! Cavalcade during D23 Day on August 8, 2024 at Disney California Adventure, in addition to doing meet-and-greets at Hollywood Land during the time.
Interestingly, Ariel is rather common in terms of cameo appearances in a few attractions. She can be spotted in Peter Pan's Flight amongst the other mermaids of Mermaid Lagoon and in the Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland versions of It's a Small World.
Disneyland
In California, Ariel appears during Mickey's Soundsational Parade, and also takes center stage in her own segment of the Disney California Adventure nighttime spectacular World of Color, singing a rendition of "Part of Your World" that transitions into Sebastian's "Under the Sea" performance.
Walt Disney World
In animated form, Ariel takes part in Mickey's PhilharMagic, where she performs "Part of Your World" as Donald Duck tries to retrieve the newest addition to her human collection―Mickey's sorcerer hat. The duck also becomes smitten with the mermaid and her beauty and makes an attempt to kiss her, only to lock lips with a flirtatious electric eel.
She can also be seen in her own float of the Festival of Fantasy Parade at the Magic Kingdom.
In Disney's Hollywood Studios, Ariel appears in Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Fantasmic!
Ariel during the "Part of Your World" portion of her ride.
Ariel during the "Part of Your World" portion of her ride.
Ariel serves as the star of the dark ride The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, which can be found at both Disney California Adventure and the Magic Kingdom. Ariel makes several appearances throughout the ride, mostly in audio-animatronic form. On the exterior of the Magic Kingdom version, she appears as a figurehead on a shipwrecked ship. In the queue area of the Magic Kingdom version, guests can help her organize her human treasures.
In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Ariel assists Sebastian, Merlin the Wizard, and the park guests in stopping Ursula when Hades brings her back to life to assist the Underworld ruler in his attempts to take over the Magic Kingdom. Ursula even attempts to disguise herself as Ariel at one point to try to fool Merlin and the guests. Later on, the real Ariel happily congratulates the park guests after Ursula is defeated. Ariel also has her own spell card called "Ariel's Bubble Attack".
Tokyo Disney Resort
In Ariel's Seaside Treasures, after the marriage with Prince Eric, Ariel heard that her father King Triton had been feeling lonely for missing her. So she planned a big party at the seaside with both humans and mar-people for the king! This was the special event that took place at Tokyo Disney Sea in Summer 2003.
In the Mermaid Lagoon Theater, Ariel, Flounder, and other sea characters "swim" freely in this "undersea" theater, in a show featuring dazzling music and dynamic aerial performances. Here, Ariel and her undersea friends stand up to the evil sea witch Ursula, in a musical performance of courage and friendship.
In the Happiness is Here Parade, which celebrated Tokyo Disneyland's 30th Anniversary. Ariel appears as a podcast stamp on The Aristocats float featuring Duchess' three kittens Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz alongside a postcard stamp of Agrabah
Shanghai Disneyland
In Shanghai, Ariel is featured in The Little Mermaid display in Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, and during the Golden Fairytale Fanfare castle show. Inside the castle, Ariel appears alongside Sebastian and Flounder in one of the wall carving displays.
Ariel is also prominently featured during the fireworks show Ignite the Dream, where she performs "Part of Your World".
Other live appearances
Prior to the Disney Parks, the Disney Jr. version of Ariel officially debuted at the Ariel's Seaside Celebration at Battery Park in New York City, New York during June 28-30 in celebration of the show's premiere.
Disney Princess
Ariel is one of the twelve official members of the Disney Princess line―a prominent franchise directed at young girls. The franchise covers a wide variety of merchandise, including, but not limited to, magazines, music albums, toys, clothing, and stationery. Ariel is usually depicted in her mermaid form on merchandise, but also appears in her human form wearing her blue dress, white wedding dress, or pink dress. The Disney Princess magazine features comics and posters of Ariel, usually in her mermaid form, but also in her human form as well.
Redesign
Ariel.30
With her new redesign, Ariel is less franchised in her mermaid form and is more focused on her human form.
Ariel's red hair is much wavier, and greater detail is shown as it also appears more glossy and voluminous, with her bangs being a bit smaller. She is clad in a beautiful off-the-shoulder gown with the same distinctive sea green color as her mermaid tail. The overskirt is a paler green that matches her tail fins, as do the long sleeves covering her arms (puffy on the upper half) and the petticoat under her dress. The overskirt hem has many elaborate swirly designs, which include designs of items found in the ocean like starfish and seashells. She wears lavender scallop seashell earrings with a matching brooch on her dress and a pair of sea-green pumps on her feet.
In early redesigns, Ariel had a pale pink dress that was a revamp of her previous pink-and-white gown.
The modified redesigns of her mermaid form have added a sparkly/metallic effect to her mermaid tail, giving either the impression of fish scales caught in a gradient light of yellow to green to blue or a similar shimmer to the patterns on her sea green dress with larger tail fins, along with lavender earrings that are similar to her seashell bra on her mermaid form.
Palace Pets
Ariel's Palace Pets are Treasure, Seashell, Matey, Sandy Pearl, Otto, and Waddles.
Differences from the source material
Disney's version of The Little Mermaid differs greatly from the original Hans Christian Andersen story:
The mermaid is not named in the original story. She is also 15 years old instead of 16 and has five sisters instead of six.
The mermaid has a grandmother who tells her about the human world, whereas Ariel learns inaccurate information from Scuttle.
The mermaid does not have any sea creature friends.
The mermaid is actually permitted to swim to the surface and observe the human world when she turns 15. This plot point was given a subtle reference in "Part of Your World" with the lyric "When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?"
One of the mermaid's main motivations for becoming human is to gain an eternal soul that will live on after death, as mermaids dissolve into sea foam and cease to exist after a life span of 300 years.
The sea witch has no ulterior motive for her deal with the mermaid. Part of the agreement is that the mermaid can never return to her old life and will turn to foam if she does not win the prince's love.
The mermaid feels great pain from having legs, as if she were walking on knives. She also gains the ability to dance gracefully but this too is extremely painful.
The prince falls in love with and marries a princess from a neighboring kingdom whom he believes saved him from drowning. This is similar to Vanessa in the film, but the princess is not the sea witch in disguise.
In the original ending, the sisters trade their hair to the sea witch for a knife that the mermaid can use to kill the prince in order to turn back into a mermaid and live her full lifespan. She decides against this and throws herself in to the sea, but instead of ceasing to exist she becomes a spirit called a "daughter of the air". She can, over her 300-year lifetime, obtain an immortal soul through good deeds and eventually rise to Heaven.
