The Little Mermaid

In an imaginative continuation of Disney’s classic, The Little Mermaid: Tides of Shadow (a fictional sequel), audiences are pulled back under the sea to explore the darker consequences of Ariel’s fateful decision to leave her world behind. Years after marrying Prince Eric and becoming queen of the kingdom above, Ariel begins to feel the call of the ocean once more—but this time, it’s not a song of love, but a cry of warning.

The sequel opens with disturbing changes in the ocean: poisoned reefs, vanishing merfolk, and whispers of a forgotten evil rising from the ocean’s deepest trench. With her daughter Melody now a teenager curious about her heritage, Ariel is forced to return to Atlantica to uncover a new threat. But she finds the kingdom fractured—her father King Triton weakened, and Ursula’s sister, Morgatha, awakening ancient sea magic more powerful than ever before.

Tides of Shadow explores themes of identity, legacy, and sacrifice. Where the original focused on the longing for freedom and love, the sequel dives into Ariel’s inner conflict: has she truly bridged the two worlds, or abandoned one for the other? The film also shifts some focus to Melody, whose journey mirrors Ariel’s but with a darker twist—tempted not by the surface, but by the shadows below.

Visually, the sequel trades the bright, whimsical colors of the original for a deeper, more haunting palette—reflecting the ocean’s mysterious depths. The music blends orchestral grandeur with echoing, almost haunting melodies that echo ancient sea chants and lullabies.

This imagined continuation is not just a story of heroes and villains—it’s a tale of reconnection, healing, and finding strength in embracing both past and future. By giving Ariel and her daughter equally important roles, the film becomes a generational tale, much like Frozen II or Moana, but with a darker, mythic tone.

If brought to life, The Little Mermaid: Tides of Shadow could be a rich, emotionally resonant sequel—one that honors the original while daring to explore what lies beneath the surface, in the places even mermaids fear to swim.