Once a princess, always a princess.
Jodi Benson, the actress who brought Ariel to life in The Little Mermaid (1989), reveals that she’s a member of the exclusive “Princess Posse” comprising all the OG Disney princesses from Disney’s “Renaissance Era” of the 1990s.
Benson told People, “We have a very lovely club, a ‘Princess Posse’ that I love being part of. I have text messages with my dear fellow princesses, with Paige [O’Hara] and with Linda [Larkin] and Irene [Bedard] and Judy [Kuhn],” referring to Belle of Beauty and the Beast (1991), Jasmine of Aladdin (1992) and the namesake of Pocahontas (1995), respectively.
“It is fun to be part of this very special club,” the 61-year-old adds. “And to be able to be one of the traditional princesses is just truly a dream come true. To be moving forward into my 38th year working and loving on Ariel and communicating her heart to people, I absolutely love my job.”
Furthermore, she continues, “I love going in the studio, and I get to sing my song every single week, almost, onstage with work — and never get tired of singing it. Those are all the beautiful blessings that come with my job.”
When hearing on the grapevine that Disney were making a live-action version of The Little Mermaid, Benson confides in People that she never doubted the House of Mouse for a second: “I’ve been part of the Disney family for so long, I completely trust our company. I really do,” she says. “I had no hesitation that it was going to be breathtaking. And as soon as I heard Rob Marshall was going to be steering the ship, I knew we were in great hands.”
Benson has made it increasingly clear that she approves of Halle Bailey’s rendition, saying, “She’s brilliant. I did get to meet her a few times and chat with her, and just to tell her how proud I was of her. But I love that she has a purity of heart and a pure spirit. You can see that vulnerability and that childlike… and that bravery and courage coming through.”
We aren’t expecting another animated sequel any time soon, but maybe as the remake reignites the Disney fandom’s fire, the higher-ups might revive the dying breed of animated films.