Voiced by Jodi Benson, Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena of an underwater kingdom called Atlantica.

[9] When recording the vocals for "Part of Your World", Benson asked that the lights in the studio be dimmed, to create the feeling of being deep under the sea.

Her appearance was based on a number of inspirational sources, Christie Brinkley,[12] Alyssa Milano (who was 16 at the time in addition to hosting the making of the special on Disney Channel[13]), and model-comedian Sherri Stoner, who provided live-action references for the animators during the development of the film.

[4][16] Ariel, a free spirit, is often rebellious, wandering off on her own to explore her surroundings, and frequently disobeys the orders of her father or Sebastian, causing conflict between the characters.

[18] Ariel appears as an adult in Return to the Sea and gives birth to a daughter named Melody, becoming the first, and currently, only, Disney princess to become a mother.

[4] A prequel television series that originally aired from 1992 to 1994, depicts Ariel's life as a mermaid under the sea with Sebastian, Flounder, and her father.

She calmly mentions that the spell that turned Melody into mermaid will wear off by sundown, then uses the trident's magic to lord over the ocean, rising to the surface to gloat.

Ariel saves Eric from Cloak and Dagger who tied him and pulled it into the depths and Melody manages to grab the trident and returns it to King Triton, who then punishes Morgana by sending her to the bottom of the ocean frozen in a block of ice.

Ariel and her sisters grow up forgetting music and living under their father's strict rules, enforced by Marina del Rey, their governess.

A series of twelve prequel novels were published in 1994 by Disney Press, following young Ariel's adventures living under the sea with her sisters and father.

The titles are: Green-Eyed Pearl and Nefazia Visits the Palace by Suzanne Weyn; Reflections of Arsulu and The Same Old Song by Marilyn Kaye; Arista's New Boyfriend and Ariel the Spy by M. J. Carr; King Triton, Beware!, The Haunted Palace and The Boyfriend Mix-Up by Katherine Applegate; The Practical-Joke War by Stephanie St. Pierre; The Dolphins of Coral Cove by K. S. Rodriguez; and Alana's Secret Friend by Jess Christopher.

The franchise is directed at young girls and covers a wide variety of merchandise, including but not limited to magazines, music albums, toys, video games, clothes, and stationery.

Both novels are written by Gail Herman, and contain original stories about Ariel's life as a human and Eric's wife, but still maintaining close relationships with her father and sisters under the sea.

[33] Jodi Benson provides Ariel's voice for her appearances in the Disney Princess music albums, DVDs, and video games.

The first original song released for this franchise is "If You Can Dream", which featured Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Pocahontas, Jasmine and Mulan singing together.

[35] Ariel appears in the Broadway adaptation of the 1989 film, which ran at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with previews from November 3, 2007, leading to opening night on January 10, 2008.

The character of Ariel for the stage adaptation was originated by Sierra Boggess, who received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance.

[37] In order to portray the characters underwater, the actors wore Heelys wheeled footwear, which simulate the gliding action of swimming creatures.

[41] She has a major role in Mickey's PhilharMagic and stars in her own live stage shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Tokyo DisneySea.

A clone of the dark ride found in Disney California Adventure Park and Magic Kingdom was to be a part of Fantasyland in Hong Kong Disneyland but was never built.

[64] Josh Tyler of Cinema Blend wrote favorably about Ariel, although he believed that the character was eroticized, stating "The scene where Ursula rips out her throat and gives her extremely naked parts below the waist is almost titillating, though I'm sure to little kids it seems entirely innocent.

"[68] In their review of The Little Mermaid, the staff of TV Guide wrote that Ariel resembled "a big-haired, denatured Barbie doll, despite her hourglass figure and skimpy seashell brassiere.

"[69] Tamara Weston of Time wrote that while Ariel is less passive and more strong-willed than her predecessors, she still "gives up her voice to be with a man" who comes to her rescue at the film's climax.

[70] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote that it would be difficult for children to relate to Ariel's "feelings of disenchantment and longing for another world" and that she "doesn't have much personality."

"[72] Daphne Lee of The Star called Ariel "annoying" and went on to state that she "is a silly girl who gives up her voice and her family for a man she knows next to nothing about.

"[73] It was largely the results of these initial negative reviews regarding Ariel, that resulted in then-Disney Animation chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg deciding to add in a "feminist twist" to the next Disney fairy tale adaptation, Beauty and the Beast, and by extension make the film's female protagonist, Belle, into a feminist, as well as hire Linda Woolverton to act as the main screenwriter for the film.

[74] Despite her mixed critical reception, Ariel remains popular with audiences and is considered one of Disney's most iconic and beloved animated characters, with her specific color combination of red hair, lavender seashells, and green tail making her distinctly identifiable.

"[83] Brian Truitt of USA Today wrote that "Halle Bailey splendidly buoys this "Mermaid" as the naive underwater youngster with dreams of exploring the surface.

"[84] In her review for Total Film, Molly Edwards wrote that Bailey gave a "pitch-perfect performance" while adding that she "shines as Ariel.

"[85] The Seattle Times' Moira MacDonald gave a rave review of Bailey's performance, saying that "her singing voice has both sweetness and power, and her smile is the sort on which dreams dance.