Taye Diggs, Amber Riley to star in ‘Disney Junior’s Ariel’ series

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Taye Diggs and Amber Riley are joining the world of “The Little Mermaid.” The singer-actors are set to star in “Disney Junior’s Ariel,” an animated series based on the recent live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney film.

The upcoming series for preschoolers will see Diggs and Riley star as King Triton and Ursula, respectively, per Deadline. The roles were played by Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy in the 2023 movie, with Halle Bailey leading as the titular mermaid. In the series, “Raven’s Home” star Mykal-Michelle Harris will voice the beloved Disney princess.

The series follows Ariel, “as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond,” per Deadline. Elizabeth Phoenix Caro and Cruz Flateau will voice Ariel’s friends Lucia and Fernie, with Gracen Newton voicing Flounder.

Both Diggs and Riley are veterans of the stage and screen, as Billboard reported. Diggs made his debut in the industry in the original Broadway cast of “Rent” in 1996, before starring in various successful films like “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and “The Best Man.” “Ariel” is not his first collaboration with Disney Junior, as he has previously guest starred on shows like “Doc McStuffins” and “Elena of Avalor.”

Riley, who hit the scene as Mercedes on the hit musical television series “Glee,” won the Laurence Olivier Award for best actress in a musical during her run as Effie White in “Dreamgirls” on The West End. She also appeared in various live television musicals like “The Wiz Live!” and “The Little Mermaid Live!”

“Disney Junior’s Ariel” is set to premiere in 2024 on Disney Junior and Disney.

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