Before this animated series was developed, Disney originally planned a children's show for Disney Channel called 'The Little Mermaid's Island,' which would have featured puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop interacting with a 'live' Ariel.

The puppet-based project was quietly dropped following Jim Henson's death and production difficulties, and Disney instead pursued a more ambitious animated weekly series for CBS set before the events of the 1989 film.

Several voice actors from the original 1989 film reprised their roles for the series, including Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, Kenneth Mars as King Triton, and Pat Carroll as Ursula.

Mark Dindal, who served as chief of special animated effects on the original film, worked as a consultant for special effects on the TV series, while Robby Merkin, an arranger from the film's soundtrack, became the arranger and music producer for the show's first season.

Animation for the series was produced with contributions from Disney Animation Japan and Wang Film Productions in Taiwan.

The show's opening theme is an instrumental combination of the songs 'Part of Your World,' 'Under the Sea,' and 'Kiss the Girl' from the original film, and this arrangement is similar to the overture later used for the 2007 stage musical of The Little Mermaid.

Because Ariel's Beginning (a 2008 prequel film) contradicts details in the TV series, such as Ariel's youth and her first meeting with Flounder, the television series is considered an independent continuity from that film.

After Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the 2023 live-action remake, journalists drew attention to Gabriella, a deaf mermaid of color who appeared in the animated series, noting her positive reception without backlash at the time.