OVERVIEW
For the launch of Disney Jr.’s Ariel, Hudson & Nine led the experiential design and production of a 50,000-square-foot transformation of The Battery into the underwater city of Atlantica in partnership with multicultural marketing agency Pop’N Creative. Designed as an immersive, 360-degree guest journey, the large-scale buildout translated the animated series into a fully realized physical world through custom architecture, scenic fabrication, and interactive storytelling rooted in its characters, settings, and storylines.
Our design team invested more than 500 hours creating original illustrations and design assets inspired by the series, which were translated into layered, architecturally constructed environments that brought the animated world to life with theme-park-quality detail and visual impact. Each activation extended a specific character or narrative: guests entered Ariel’s crystal cavern for mermaid makeovers, created bubble art inside Ursula’s Apothecary, navigated Flounder’s underwater obstacle course, enjoyed hands-on play with Disney Jr.’s Ariel toys within the Atlantica Play Castle, and stepped into Ariel’s bedroom for a photo inside a 12-foot clamshell.
A grand stage inspired by the series served as the cultural and entertainment centerpiece of the experience, celebrating the show’s Caribbean influences through live steel-drum music, themed dancers, screenings, dance parties, and appearances by Ariel herself. The activation welcomed more than 3,000 guests, generated 95,000 media impressions, and contributed to measurable tune-in lift while building excitement, audience affinity, and consumer engagement around the new series.
