Princesses, Fairies, and the Handsome Gil Returning to Once!

Casting news pours freely out of Adam Horowitz as filming resumes on Once Upon A Time after the holiday hiatus. Three fan favorite characters are returning to the fantasy show.

First up, JoAnna Garcia Swisher swims back as Princess Ariel! Last seen in season four, Ariel will be teaming up with Princess Jasmine and Killian Jones for an adventure. EW reports:

However, when Ariel pops back up for at least one episode, she’ll be interacting with some very different characters. “Ariel returns and meets Princess Jasmine [Karen David] as they join Hook [Colin O’Donoghue] on an adventure as he and Emma [Jennifer Morrison] face a daunting challenge that requires a big time princess team-up,” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis tell EW.

Everyone’s favorite fighting fairy turned zombie is returning for at least one episode. iZombie’s Rose McIver will return as Tinker Bell! Tink helped Regina with her true love issues in the past by guiding her to Robin Hood back in season three. EW reports:

“Tinker Bell was integral to Regina discovering her destiny with Robin Hood, so it only stands to reason that with Sean Maguire’s return to the show, our favorite fairy would pop back in for a visit,” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis told TVLine.com, which first reported the news.

Finally, Gil McKinney who plays Ariel’s husband, Prince Eric, confirmed on his Twitter account that he’ll be returning too.

Thrilled to be back on an incredible show. Thanks @AdamHorowitzLA https://t.co/2ClyPeudvn

— Gil McKinney (@GilMcKinney) January 8, 2017

I’m excited about Mr. McKinney’s return. While Ariel is wonderful, Eric has had little to no development in the show. I hope we get more character work with him.

I would also approve of them sticking his beautiful self in the rain like in his Progressive Insurance commercial from a few years back:

Once Upon A Time will return to ABC on March 5th 8/7c pm.

Source EW, EW, Mr. McKinney’s Twitter