Ariel is a spirited 18-year-old living in the majestic, underwater kingdom of The Deep Down. While her father, King Triton, demands she embrace her royal duties and her cultural heritage beneath the waves, Ariel is utterly consumed by curiosity for "The Topside District." She sneaks to the ocean's ceiling to collect artifacts dropped by humans—vinyl records, broken sunglasses, and retro electronics.
During a spectacular, star-studded yacht party thrown by elite Topside music producer Prince Eric, a sudden, violent tropical storm tears the vessel apart. Ariel rescues a drowning Eric, pulling him to a secluded beach. Before she slips back into the water, she sings a sweeping, deeply emotional neo-soul ballad over his unconscious form. Eric wakes up half-dazed, completely captivated by the memory of her voice, and vows to find the mysterious singer.
Determined to walk among the people she admires, Ariel seeks out her estranged aunt, Ursula—a towering, glamorous Sea Witch who runs a shady, underground cabaret in the deep oceanic trenches. Ursula offers a devil's bargain: she will grant Ariel legs and three days on land to win Eric's heart. The catch? Ariel must surrender her magnificent singing voice into Ursula’s magical gold nautilus microphone. If she fails to get a kiss of true love by sunset on the third day, her soul belongs to Ursula forever.
Accompanied by a frantic, high-strung royal court composer named Sebastian, her loyal street-smart homeboy Flounder, and an eccentric Topside junk-collector bird named Scuttle, Ariel navigates the dazzling, fast-paced 70s surface world completely voiceless. She must use her dance, style, and raw expression to connect with Eric before Ursula uses Ariel's own stolen voice to hypnotize the Prince and conquer both worlds.
