Live-Action Ariel Returns to Walt Disney Presents at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

A familiar face has flipped her fins back to her original home at Disney's Hollywood Studios

What's Happening:

• The live-action iteration of Ariel is once again greeting guests inside Walt Disney Presents.
• She is available for photos and autographs daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
• She had temporarily relocated to the shores of Echo Lake near 50's Prime Time Café in late 2025, but has now returned to the indoor, climate-controlled terrace of Prince Eric's castle within the Walt Disney Presents attraction.

• The indoor location offers a scenic backdrop of the seaside castle, bringing the live-action film to life.

Fintastic Facts about The Little Mermaid (2023):

• The 2023 live-action film was directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns) and marked the first time the director and composer Alan Menken collaborated on a new song for a character who didn't sing in the original: Prince Eric's Wild Uncharted Waters.
• Halle Bailey was the very first person to audition for the role of Ariel. According to Marshall, she set the bar so high with her rendition of Part of Your World that no one else could surpass it.
• In the 1989 animated classic, Scuttle is a seagull. In the 2023 film, the character was changed to a diving bird so the character could logically transition between air and water to speak with Ariel.
• In the original animated film, Ursula was designed with only six tentacles (making her technically a squid-hybrid) to save money on animation costs. In the 2023 live-action version, with a bigger budget and CGI, she was given the full eight limbs of an octopus.

More Disney's Hollywood Studios News:

• Animation Courtyard Comes to Life in Summer 2026 with New Disney Jr. Show and The Magic of Disney Animation
• The Wedding is Over: Disney's Hollywood Studios Removes PizzeRizzo Sign as Monstropolis Retheme Continues
• Meet Ariel Temporarily Relocating at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Review: The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure is a Fantastic Update to a Classic Disney Show
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid Marquee Removed as Disney's Hollywood Studios Prepares for a New Show