Shannon uploaded his kids' reaction to the trailer to Instagram in celebration of the new Black iteration of the classic princess movie.
Like so many other Black children and parents, the LaNier's felt they were being seen when the new version of Ariel swam by with her red locks trailing behind her.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReuters spoke to Shannon, Chandra and their son Carter, 6, and daughters McKenzie, 9, and Madison, 11, about what having a Black Ariel means to them.
McKenzie said she was happy that there's a Black mermaid because it's good for children to have a princess or prince that looks like them.
"Seeing now how a princess can have their skin color and there's someone besides Princess Tiana and Princess Jasmine that represents them - it's a good thing for me," said their mother Chandra.