Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel’s son, Walker, may simply let Frozen go over different Disney animated movies.
“We noticed all of them — properly, not Frozen. He received sick of [it] fairly rapidly [as] you possibly can think about,” Diggs, 53, completely instructed Us Weekly on Wednesday, June 26, whereas discussing his function in Disney Junior’s Ariel! collection.
Diggs and ex-wife Menzel, 53, share son Walker, now 14, who was coming of age when his mom starred in 2013’s Frozen. Menzel portrays Elsa within the animated film and its 2019 sequel, and her “Let It Go” ballad even received an Oscar in 2014.
Whereas Walker quickly received bored with Frozen, he nonetheless bonds with Diggs over different classics from Disney’s catalog.
“We nonetheless watch them, and he simply now’s realizing a number of the brilliance of Disney,” Diggs gushed to Us. “They’ll make story traces accessible to their youngsters and the adults alike in order that adults don’t get sick of the tales.”
Based on Diggs, Walker significantly loved the “darker facet” of 2017’s Coco, whereas the actor has lengthy appreciated Pocahontas and The Princess and the Frog.
Diggs can be gearing as much as step into the Disney universe himself, taking part in King Triton on Disney Junior’s Ariel! reverse Mykal-Michelle Harris because the younger mermaid.
“As you possibly can think about, being part of the Disney household for each of us has been an exquisite expertise the place we’re making historical past,” Diggs mentioned on Wednesday. “It’s a very multi-ethnic forged. We’ve received brand-new music with a really robust Caribbean background.”
He added, “These are very comprehensible and palatable sorts of conditions that you just discover on this father-daughter relationship. Folks can really form of use them versus the larger-than-life conditions you discover on the massive display screen.”
To organize for his function as King Triton, Diggs took inspiration from his life with Walker.
“It’s all relevant … simply to take your little one’s perspective into consideration,” he instructed Us. “I come from an age the place you simply did what your mum or dad mentioned, and all they wanted to say was, ‘As a result of I instructed you so.’ However in our [show], the parental figures take time to elucidate why they’re coming from the attitude that they’re coming from, [and] the kids have an opinion too.”
Diggs famous that his tackle King Triton is “a bit of calmer” than earlier variations of the underwater monarch.
“[He] takes the time to speak and perceive what Ariel goes by way of versus simply the autonomous perspective,” he mentioned. “It’s a kind of scenario the place I feel mother and father may really study a bit of bit to take time and hearken to their youngsters versus simply making an attempt to only educate them what to do.”
Diggs additionally admires how Disney Junior’s Ariel! highlights a “multi-ethnic household” working collaboratively to resolve issues collectively.
Diggs and Harris, 12, costar alongside Glee alum Amber Riley, who brings a contemporary twist to the villainous Ursula.
“I feel that it’s such a refreshing tackle Ursula to have the ability to see her as this loving auntie who’s all the time serving to out the kids [instead of as a villain],” Harris, greatest recognized for her roles on ABC’s Combined-ish and Disney Channel’s Raven’s Dwelling, instructed Us on Wednesday. “It’s positively a brand new model of Tantie, however an unbelievable one at that.”
Disney Junior’s Ariel! premieres Thursday, June 27, on Disney Junior and might be obtainable to stream on Disney+ the following day.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi