Ariel's Grotto | |
---|---|
Disneyland | |
Area | Fantasyland |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | 1996 |
Closing date | August 17, 2008 |
Replaced | Alpine Gardens |
Replaced by | Pixie Hollow |
Magic Kingdom | |
Area | Fantasyland (Enchanted Forest) |
Status | Operating |
Soft opening date | October 12, 2012 (current) |
Opening date | 1996 December 6, 2012 (current) | (original)
Closing date | April 12, 2010 (original) |
Replaced | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage |
Replaced by | Pooh's Playful Spot (original) |
Disney California Adventure | |
Area | Paradise Pier |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | February 9, 2001 |
Closing date | January 8, 2018 |
Replaced by | Lamplight Lounge |
Tokyo DisneySea | |
Area | Mermaid Lagoon |
Status | Operating |
Soft opening date | March 14, 2005 (original) |
Opening date | April 15, 2005 (original) September 29, 2020 (current at Mermaid Lagoon Theater) |
Closing date | January 31, 2020 (original) |
Ride statistics | |
Attraction type | Meet and greet area (Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea) Restaurant (Disney California Adventure) |
Theme | The Little Mermaid |
FastPass+ available |
Ariel's Grotto is a meet-and-greet area at several Disney parks, as well as a former restaurant in Disney California Adventure based on Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid . [1]
This was formerly a colorful grotto in which Ariel, in mermaid form, was available for autographs and photo opportunities. The meet-and-greet area was decorated with starfish, coral, and waterfalls. [2] King Triton's Fountain leading to the grotto featured a soft-surface "sandy beach" play zone dotted with jumping fountains. [2] On August 17, 2008, the area officially closed. [2] It has now been re-themed to Pixie Hollow, a Disney Fairies meet-and-greet attraction amid oversized 'plants' which gives guests the sense of being the size of a fairy. [2]
The King Triton statue that once spouted water into the ponds was moved to the rooftop of Ariel's Undersea Adventure in Disney California Adventure and is a part of the decor. [3]
In April 2010, the Ariel's Grotto attraction at Magic Kingdom was closed. [4] It reopened as part of the New Fantasyland expansion along with the ride Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid . [4] The similar meet-and-greet sits beside this attraction. [4] It is in a cave, next to Prince Eric's Castle, surrounded by waterfalls and large rock formations. [4] This iteration of the meet-and-greet closed in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and reopened on January 22, 2023. [5]
Ariel's Grotto was an "under the sea" themed restaurant that offered Character Dining. This gave guests an opportunity to dine with Ariel and other Disney Princesses. The restaurant was located on Paradise Pier, and featured American, Healthy Selections, and Vegetarian cuisine. [6] On January 8, 2018, Ariel's Grotto closed to make way for the Lamplight Lounge, a restaurant that opened with Pixar Pier on June 23, 2018.
Ariel's Greeting Grotto was a character meet-and-greet attraction. Originally scheduled to close on March 31, 2020, it was early closed on January 31, 2020, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. However, on September 29, 2020, it was "reopened" inside Mermaid Lagoon Theater as a socially distanced greeting with Ariel in her mermaid form.
Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California, by the use of Disney, Pixar and Marvel properties. The park opened on February 8, 2001, and is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland.
Magic Kingdom Park is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, it opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division, the official park name has changed slightly over the years, from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), the park was initialized by Walt Disney and designed by WED Enterprises. the park layout and attractions were based on Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and are dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.
Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale feature films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle rides themed after those Disney animated feature films.
Paradise Gardens Park is a themed land at Disney California Adventure.
Disney Princess, also called the Princess Line, is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who have appeared in various Disney franchises.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was an attraction at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World from 1971 through 1994. Based on the characters and settings of the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was adapted from Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, it was a re-theming of the Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland. The ride involved a 20-minute submarine ride through a lagoon filled with sea life and mermaids.
Ariel is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film The Little Mermaid (1989). Ariel is voiced by Jodi Benson in all official animated appearances. Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena of an underwater kingdom called Atlantica. She is often rebellious, and in the first film, she longs to be a part of the human world. She marries Prince Eric, whom she rescued from a shipwreck, and together they have a daughter, Melody. She is the fourth Disney Princess and also the first Disney Princess to be developed during the Disney Renaissance.
Hollywood Land is a themed land at Disney California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The area is inspired by the 1930s Golden Age period of Hollywood and hosts attractions themed to this concept, including a backlot of a typical Hollywood studio. The land opened as Hollywood Pictures Backlot with the park in 2001.
Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party was a hard-ticketed event held throughout the months of January through June at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida outside Orlando. A smaller version was also planned for Disneyland Paris Resort in 2011, but was cancelled. This event combined two of The Walt Disney Company's franchises, the Disney Princess line and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure is a ride attraction based on the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, located in Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure and in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park, where it is titled Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. The ride opened on June 3, 2011 at Disney California Adventure, and on December 6, 2012 at Magic Kingdom.
Pixie Hollow is a character meet and greet attraction at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, offering guests the opportunity to meet Tinker Bell and her friends from the Disney Fairies franchise, including Vidia, Terrence, Fawn, Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, and Periwinkle. The attraction is designed to create the illusion of gradually shrinking to Pixie size as the scenic elements in the queue increase in scale as guests approach Tinker Bell's teapot house.
The Little Mermaid is an American media franchise created by The Walt Disney Company and it is based on The Little Mermaid created and written by Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen. The success of the 1989 animated film of the same name led to a direct-to-video sequel, a prequel film, a spin-off television series, a musical, several video games, theme park attractions, and other merchandise. A live action remake of the film was released in 2023. The Little Mermaid paved the way for what would become the Disney Renaissance, with the original film becoming the first film of that era.
Be Our Guest Restaurant is a table service restaurant in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort. The restaurant has the theme and appearance of the Beast's Castle from Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. The name of the restaurant is a reference to "Be Our Guest", one of the signature songs from that film.
Mermaid Lagoon is a "port-of-call" at Tokyo DisneySea in the Tokyo Disney Resort, and is themed to Disney's The Little Mermaid franchise.
Jessie's Critter Carousel is a carousel at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The attraction opened to the public as King Triton's Carousel of the Sea on February 8, 2001.
Pixar Pier is a themed land at Disney California Adventure, based on that of Victorian boardwalks that were once found along the coast of California. Despite its name and the presence of a nearby human-made lake, Pixar Pier is not actually a pier, but a waterside area of the park. Incredicoaster sprawls across much of the area, with various other attractions and forms of entertainment scattered around it.