Disney Junior Ariel leans heavily into race-swapped casting for its main character, highlighting identity over original story roots. The emphasis on diversity appears to overshadow character-driven storytelling. The show often foregrounds surface traits rather than deeper personality or skill, and narrative decisions seem driven by representation rather than narrative necessity.

Traditional elements like family structures and classic fairy tale morality are largely reimagined to fit modern values. Anything resembling traditional gender roles is absent or inverted, and the show steers clear of classic portrayals of religion or family, preferring new-age alternatives and empowerment narratives.

The worldview presented is highly uniform: all characters share similar, progressive views, and traditional or dissenting perspectives are either not present or subtly mocked. There’s little debate or conflict around values, it's a one-sided approach that leaves no room for genuine pluralism.