Pop Culture Weekly
Exploring Disney Junior’s Ariel with Mykal-Michelle Harris, Taye Diggs & Lynne Southerland
Ever wondered how a fresh take on a beloved Disney character comes to life? Discover the magic behind Disney Junior's brand-new series, "Ariel," in this captivating episode of Pop Culture Weekly. Join Kyle McMahon as he chats with groundbreaking executive producer Lynn Southerland about how she expanded Ariel's adventurous and warm-hearted nature for a new generation. Dive into the casting secrets with stars like Taye Diggs and Mykal-Michelle Harris and hear firsthand how Southerland made history directing "Mulan 2."
That's not all—Kyle is also joined by the talented Mykal-Michelle Harris herself, who gives us an insider's look at the thrill and responsibility of voicing the iconic Ariel. Learn how she infuses Ariel with her unique touch and why diversity in the show matters deeply to her. The episode wraps up with an engaging discussion with Taye Diggs, who shares his journey portraying King Triton and his illustrious career in theater and film. This episode is a treasure trove for Disney fans and anyone fascinated by the magic of storytelling and animation.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
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- Duration:
- 25m
- Broadcast on:
- 24 Jun 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the brand new Disney Jr. series, Ariel, I talk with Tate Diggs, Lynn Sutherland, Michael Michelle Harris, and more let's goooooo! Welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from iHeartRadio. Your pop culture news, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on all the movies, TV, music, and pop culture you crave, weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon. N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-Hello and welcome to Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I, of course, am Kyle McMahon, and I can't thank you enough for hanging out with me for another episode of Pop Culture Weekly. This episode is all about the brand new Disney Jr. series, Ariel. Disney Jr.'s Ariel is a brand new animated musical series. It's aimed towards preschoolers, and of course, it's inspired by the little mermaid. It follows eight-year-old mermaid princess Ariel, as she and her friends embark on fun-filled action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairy tale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond. It's got, of course, fan-favorite characters like King Triton, who was played by Tate Diggs, Love Tate Diggs, Ursula, played by the amazing Amber Riley. And Ariel herself is played by Michael Michelle Harris, who is, she's so adorable and so talented. She's perfect as Ariel. Of course, it's also got Sebastian and Flounder, and some exciting new friends. Murchildren, Lucia, and Fernie. And, of course, all kinds of adorable sea creatures. So, it's Executive Produced by Lynn Sutherland, who I talk with. Lynn is one of the most prominent black female producer/directors in the business. She directed Mulan II, as well as produced happily ever after on HBO, and produced the classic animated film "Babe's Kids." And she is the executive producer on Disney Junior's Ariel, so I can't wait to talk to her. I also talk with Tate Diggs, Love Love Love Tate, and Michael Michelle Harris. So, first up, my interview with Lynn Sutherland. Lynn, as I stated, is a pioneer in the business, first black female to ever direct a Disney film with Mulan II. She is a prominent producer who's worked on such classics as "Sister Act II," one of my favorite all-time movies, "The Naked Gun," "Throw Mama from the Train," "Babe's Kids," happily ever after on HBO, extremely goofy movie, another one of my childhood classics, and so much more. So, let's get right into my interview with the one and only, Lynn Sutherland. So, first of all, congratulations on Ariel. It really is a cool project in the world of the Little Mermaid. I think it's really enjoyable. People are going to love it. What drew you to telling these stories in this world? I just thought it was a great opportunity to discover the richness of who Ariel is. The nature of making the movies is it's a very contained kind of story. This is a chance to see Ariel in lots of different parts of her life, different stories that let us see her as warm-hearted, friendly, adventurous, and an experimenter. These are all things that we might have had hints of in the movies, but here's a chance to really get inside of her, and so that felt like a media opportunity. Yeah, I love that, and I love how it's kind of your everyday Ariel. Like, you know, there's not this huge world, potentially world-shaking thing that's happening. It could be something that we run into every day. That's right, exactly. She's just a girl living her life and discovering who she is. And yeah, I like the grounding of that versus that we don't point a lot to that she's a princess. She's just Ariel, and I like that. The cast is absolutely incredible. Tae and Amber, everybody. How do you determine? I mean, obviously, you know, typically there's an audition process for some roles and that sort of thing, but how did you decide, you know, with casting that this is Tae is trident or, you know, whatever. I always like to think of it a little bit like if it were an opera. It doesn't apply in live action, but in animation, the voices help us understand the room we're in, so to speak, you know, and if everybody's voice sits in the same place, then I'm kind of going to fall asleep. So that's an element of the process that in this show, that aspect probably applies more to the kids, making sure we have some variety in that core group of kids. But in terms of the adults, we're going for in that voice, can we pick up the humanity of the character the way we want that character to express. So, Tae really, when he came in and we started actually working to shape the character, you know, I think it might be one's natural instinct to think that he should be a king and it's no he's a dad. And Tae is a dad, so it meant it was easy for him to grab on to what we were looking for. I mean, he has a great voice, whatever, you know, so then it's just how do we have him craft his voice to work for this character. And the same with Amber, I mean just, she's almost like you just go yeah, perfect, Ursula, because we wanted her to have big energy, big heart, and you really feel a lot of joy when you hear her voice and I think Amber just captures all that. And her fabulous singing voice, of course. For you, you know, you did a long to that was the first film, you were the first black woman to direct a animated film. You know, you are continuing the legacy set by the recent Little Mermaid film in bringing people of color to characters that are beloved for generations. Is that for you, you know, is that something that you are like, I want kids that see this to be reflected. I loved the Little Mermaid when I was a kid, but it, you know, it didn't necessarily reflect my friend group, you know, I had a lot of black friends and people about all color, and it was, you know, not as diverse as my life. Was that something consciously as you're doing this that we want, you know, a series to, to reflect our viewership. Yes, to, to reflect the viewership and also to reflect that that we are ready for that now, like the energy. We have, we have moved ourselves to a place where we see the deficiency in limiting the actors that we either see or hear. So it's, it's a great nexus of, of the moment. It's, it's a desire I've always had and I've gotten to work on many projects that had diverse cast. But this was the first time I was doing it with a character that had another identity at another time. So it's just wonderful to, to have had the opportunity to move her into a broader sense. And for everyone to remember that you can, you know, Ariel, like, you know, why couldn't in another iteration in whatever in 20 years that somebody says, you know, Atlantic, actually, she's not in Atlantic. She's in Pacifica. And now we're going to tell it this way. You know, it's like, it was a fairy tale. We can do whatever we want with them. Exactly. I love that. Thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for speaking with me. Thank you. And I can't wait for everybody to see Ariel. Me too. Have a great day. Me too. Lynn Sutherland. What an icon and pioneer in the business. And she's from Philly. So I didn't realize that. So next time you are back in town, Lynn, let's get a sub or a cheesesteak at Gino's and talk shop. All right. Next up, the adorable and such a powerhouse, Michael Michelle Harris. She is, she plays Ariel in Disney, Jr's Ariel, Mermaid Tales. And she is an Emmy winner. She won the 2023 Emmy in the category of Best Younger Performer in a preschool children's or young teen program for her role as Alice Baxter in Raven's home. She was also in Cheaper by the dozen. You can look at where I interviewed that cast last year on from Disney Plus. And she stars in mixed dish, which she is hysterical in. She's also been in big little lies on HBO and so much more. So let's get right in to my interview with the Emmy winning Michael Michelle Harris. Thank you, Michael Michelle for speaking with me. I appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you. Of course. So first of all, congratulations on Ariel. It's such a great project and you do so wonderful in it. So I want to congratulate you on that. Thank you so much. Of course. So what is it like? I mean, Ariel, like, what is it like to play Ariel. Right. I am so, so, so excited to be playing Ariel as a person who, like, always grew up on watching all of the Disney Princesses and wish that they could be a Disney Princess when I grow up. I being, and now actually being a Disney Princess is like a dream come true. I am so excited. I am. This is like such a fulfilling role for me. I'm just, it's, it's so amazing. And I love that. And you do such a great job with it. And, of course, and you have such great talent around you to take the exam. But Riley, you know, you have such great, you know, these, these big talented people and you are holding your own with all your talent with them. What's it like to work with talent like that? Unfortunately, I didn't get to be in the studio with them, but I did get to see the first and second episode and hearing their voices and all that emotion that they put into the character mixed with the beautiful scenery of Lantica and the incredible songs just brings the whole show together in this beautiful culmination of all of all of the talent. Yes. And you're totally, totally right. It is a combination of so many awesome things from the music and the score and the animation and all of you guys. It's such a great project. What, you know, when you are, obviously, you know, successful actor, when you get a project like this, that is something that has a history before, you know, there's, there's a couple of films, there was a series at one point. Do you feel pressure at all or are you like, I'm going to do my own take on Ariel, or can you like block out the other actors that have played her before? How do you do? How does that work for you? That's actually all of those things are what I feel. So, of course, there is a pressure because there have been so many different people that have played this role and that have knocked it out of the ballpark. And I, you know, I feel like I have to come in with this, you know, new take on things and, you know, be up there with them and stuff like that. But I feel like it is a good feeling that I know that I can just put my own spin on things, put my own take on things. But also, I did a bit of character research. I mean, I watched the Ariel feature films again. I studied what I felt like they, or what I felt like she would sound like when she was eight years old because we have not seen Ariel so young. And so I had to, you know, kind of come up with like a backstory-ish, like, you know, her Arielisms. And so, of course, I was helped out by the writers and the executive producers and the director. But, you know, so the tiny details, I have to sprinkle in myself sometimes. And where did that come from for you? Those little details? Is it just your personality coming out or is it, you know, is it in things that you've learned or where does that come from? I think overall, when I like drop into the character and fully take on the character, it really just comes from a place where I think it would the character, right? And so I feel like when I'm doing like the Ariel, I don't really have to modify my voice that much, but when I do kind of like the Ariel voice, I really think about the different, how she would sound natural, you know, and I just, it just comes out, right? Like, sometimes I put a giggle on the end of a lion or, or like, I do like an extra big smile on this lion so that it comes through my voice. And I feel like that really just comes from a place of knowing the character and knowing how she would react to certain things. I love that. And finally, what is most exciting for you, you know, in this project? You know, there's so many cool things as we've discussed many of them. What is your favorite part of being Ariel in Ariel? Right, I think one of my absolute favorite parts is all the diversity that is included in the show. There are so many different merfolk that you can see in this, in Disney Junior's Ariel, and you can basically put yourself in their shoes. And I would say that all of this diversity and stuff like this is really good to include in a preschool show because it's great to show this type of, this type of, what is the word, this type of product? Like diversity. Yeah. Oh, yeah, gotcha. It's a type of diversity to young children so that they know that they're not alone in whatever they may be going through. They're not alone and it's okay to be themselves. It's okay to, you know, like what they like, do what they do. And that all comes through in the diversity in Disney Junior's Ariel. But as an artist and an art junkie myself, I also love the imagery of the mystical underwater land of Atlantica. Yes, it is beautiful and to your point with the diversity, I think it's amazing to people get to see themselves represented all throughout Atlantica and Ariel. And of course, that is with huge kudos to you with all of this and making Ariel Ariel. So thank you so much for speaking with me. I can't wait for everybody to see Ariel. Thank you. I appreciate it. Michael Michelle Harris, I can't wait for to continue to watch her career just explode. How are you an Emmy winner at 12 years old? Like I woke up with a burrito in my pocket this morning and this 12 year old has an Emmy. She's incredible and love speaking with her. She's so delightful, so smart and talented. And I, as I said, I can't wait to continue to watch her career explode. Right next up, I love this man. Tay Diggs plays King Triton, Ariel's father in The Little Mermaid. Tay originated the role of the landlord Benny in the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Rent. He continued to work on Broadway, including the revival of Chicago in 2002 and was in the Broadway musical Wicked. He got from the stage to TV in the soap opera, Guiding Light, then made his film debut in how Stella got her groove back. Then he just went ham. He was in the wood with Omar Epps. He was in the best man where he was the best man. House on Haunted Hill and you know, I love my horror. He reprised his role as Benny for the Rent film. He reprised his role as the band leader in the film adaptation of Chicago and played opposite Christian Bale in Equilibrium. And that's just scratching the surface. Oh, and by the way, he is the only two-time winner on Lip Sync Battle, which loved that show. So without further ado, let's jump into my interview with King Triton himself, Tay Diggs. What's up, Tay? How you doing, man? How are you, Kyle? Good to see you. Good to see you. So this new project, I love it because it is just another kind of chapter in the universe of The Little Mermaid. And King Triton, for me anyway, King Triton has been such always such an iconic character, which you are now playing. What is that like for you? It's so many things because I grew up on Disney and always dreamt about being in a Disney movie. Finally getting that opportunity is amazing. And then when I think about the project that I'm working on, The Little Mermaid and how solid and, you know, ever living that this tale is, that's amazing. And then when I think of the perspective in which they're coming at these characters kind of dealing in everyday problems, very realistic, very down-to-earth situations, it's excellent. You know, I consider myself very lucky. And for you as, you know, as an actor, do you find, so in other words, obviously there's been other actors that have played this character before. Do you find it hard to kind of differentiate and find your own take on it? Or are you able to like block those out? Or how do you approach that? Ooh, that's a good question. I do neither. I just, it's the writing is so good. I just follow the writing. I don't think about who came before me, who's going to come after me. I don't care about my performance after I've made it, I find it's healthier for me to just be in the moment and do what I do and not put much extra on it. Okay. And acting, you know, voice acting, obviously it is just as challenging, I would assume, as being on camera and that sort of thing. Do you find that there are additional challenges as an actor when doing voice work over being on camera? Ooh, I hate when people say things like this, but I don't think of it as a challenge. It's different and it's always great to be exposed to different things, you know. And in a lot of ways it's more difficult than acting as you know it because you don't have your body or your gestures or your facial expressions to lean on. All you have is your voice. So that's really, really cool to experiment with. Yeah, and I love the fact that, that I'm still learning, you know, this job won't get boring because I'm still learning about it. So I love that. And when you filmed Ariel, or I guess not filmed, when you worked on Ariel. Recorded, yeah. Recorded Ariel. Was this like solo or, you know, you're doing Triton's parts by yourself? Or are you like, how does that work with this project? Yes, that's a good question. I personally, I don't know how the other actors work, but personally I am by myself in a studio. And then there are the overseers, you know, through a glass window, the engineers and whatnot. And it's just me. Normally you might hear someone complaining about not being in the same room as their fellow actors. But the other actors in this project are so talented that when I hear them through my earphones, it's as if they're standing right there. So I can't even complain about that. It's a, it's a great gig. You know, you can come in in a house shoes and a wardrobe, as long as you're, as long as your voice is warm, you can get down. I love that. And will we be seeing further adventures with King Triton? Absolutely. I can't wait. Thank you so much, Tae. I really appreciate your time and such a great project. Yeah, great, great, great questions, my man. Thank you. Have a good day. You too, sir. Tae Diggs, I love him. We followed each other on Twitter for years and, you know, would send messages here and there back and forth, but I've never interviewed him. So here's my first official interview with Mr. Tae Diggs. So there you have it, the, my interviews with the team behind Disney Junior's Ariel Mermaid Tales. You can watch Ariel on Disney Plus and Disney Junior beginning today, if you're listening, I guess today, no matter when you're listening, June 21st. Today is, is when it debuts. So it's really a great series for the little ones and there's a lot to enjoy for us big ones too. So, so that's it for this episode. I've got some exciting things coming up for the next few episodes, including who knows, maybe we'll have a return of the rotating panel of guest hosts and start getting back to those fun conversations that we haven't had in a long time. So until then, hit me up on socials at KMac music on most places or at Real Kyle McMahon. We're at Pop Culture Weekly. Just find me, search me. Continue to reach out to me. Please continue to review. If you haven't on Apple Podcasts, it really does help us and helps the show continue to grow each and every week. And that is all because of you and your love for this. And I do it for my love for you. Thank you. I'll see you next week. We out. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Weekly. Hear all the latest at popcultureweekly.com I don't want to be where the people are. [ Silence ]