Ariel's Grotto

Last updated

Ariel's Grotto
Ariel's Grotto, Fantasyland, Disneyland, Anaheim, CA, 2008.08.08 16 37, 3Dl dsc08598.jpg
Meet & Greet with Ariel as it appeared at Disneyland
Disneyland
Area Fantasyland
StatusRemoved
Opening date1996 (1996)
Closing dateAugust 17, 2008 (2008-08-17)
ReplacedAlpine Gardens
Replaced by Pixie Hollow
Magic Kingdom
Area Fantasyland
(Enchanted Forest)
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateOctober 12, 2012 (2012-10-12) (current)
Opening date1996 (1996) (original)
December 6, 2012 (2012-12-06) (current)
Closing dateApril 12, 2010 (2010-04-12) (original)
Replaced 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage
Replaced byPooh's Playful Spot (original)
Disney California Adventure
Area Paradise Pier
StatusRemoved
Opening dateFebruary 9, 2001 (2001-02-09)
Closing dateJanuary 8, 2018 (2018-01-08)
Replaced byLamplight Lounge
Tokyo DisneySea
Area Mermaid Lagoon
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMarch 14, 2005 (2005-03-14) (original)
Opening dateApril 15, 2005 (2005-04-15) (original)
September 29, 2020 (2020-09-29) (current at Mermaid Lagoon Theater)
Closing dateJanuary 31, 2020 (2020-01-31) (original)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeMeet and greet area (Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea)
Restaurant (Disney California Adventure)
Theme The Little Mermaid
Fastpass+ Logo.svg 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]

Contents

Disneyland

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]

Magic Kingdom

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]

Disney California Adventure

Ariel's Grotto, Paradise Pier, Disney California Adventure in 2010. Ariel's Grotto, Paradise Pier.jpg
Ariel's Grotto, Paradise Pier, Disney California Adventure in 2010.

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.

Tokyo DisneySea

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney California Adventure</span> Theme park in California

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Kingdom</span> Theme park at Walt Disney World

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasyland</span> Themed land at Disney theme parks

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Gardens Park</span> Themed land at the Disney California Adventure theme park

Paradise Gardens Park is a themed land at Disney California Adventure.

<i>Disney Princess</i> Walt Disney Company media franchise

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage</span> Former Dark Ride at the Magic Kingdom Theme Park

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 (<i>The Little Mermaid</i>) Fictional character from Disneys 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Land</span> Land at Disney California Adventure

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure</span> Dark ride attraction

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixie Hollow</span> Meet and greet at Disney theme parks

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.

<i>The Little Mermaid</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be Our Guest Restaurant</span> Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mermaid Lagoon (Tokyo DisneySea)</span> Themed land

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie's Critter Carousel</span> Attraction at Disney California Adventure

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixar Pier</span> Themed land at the Disney California Adventure theme park

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.

References

  1. Sehlinger, Bob (2007). Mini Mickey: The Pocket-Sized Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Wiley. p. 137. ISBN   9780470085820.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, Werner. "Triton's Garden". yesterland.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. Shaffer, Joshua C (July 17, 2017). Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide - Second Edition. Synergy Book Publishing. p. 629. ISBN   978-0-9991664-0-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, Werner. "Ariel's Grotto". yesterland.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  5. "Reopening Dates Announced for Enchanted Tales with Belle and Ariel's Grotto Character Experiences at Magic Kingdom - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. January 17, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  6. "Ariel's Grotto". Disney California Adventure.