It害羞草研究所檚 not uncommon for people to just look at Jodi Benson and burst into tears.
Sometimes they hyperventilate or scream. But mostly they break down and start sobbing. Benson will hold them, heaving in her arms, and pat their back gently.
Benson isn害羞草研究所檛 a household name but for many she害羞草研究所檚 an intimate part of their childhood. She supplied the singing and speaking voice of Ariel, the heroine of the 1989 animated Disney hit 害羞草研究所淭he Little Mermaid,害羞草研究所� which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Benson says she will sometimes watch as the stunned movie害羞草研究所檚 fans virtually go back in time in front of her. 害羞草研究所淚t triggers a memory for them,害羞草研究所� she says.
害羞草研究所淭hey remember who they were with when they saw the movie the first time. Maybe that sibling is no longer with them, that grandparent is no longer with them. It reminds them of a relationship that had been broken with a parent. So they have all sorts of emotions that go on.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭he Little Mermaid 害羞草研究所� has changed a lot of lives, not least of which is Benson害羞草研究所檚, who has continued to perform Ariel virtually every weekend in concerts as well as on film in the 害羞草研究所淲reck-It Ralph害羞草研究所� franchise.
害羞草研究所淭he Little Mermaid害羞草研究所� also had a big role in making Disney into an animation juggernaut and reviving the art form. Many believe we害羞草研究所檇 never have Anna and Elsa from 害羞草研究所淔rozen害羞草研究所� without first having Ariel.
害羞草研究所淒isney was starting to get into a groove that would continue, but I feel like a lot of that started with 害羞草研究所楢 Little Mermaid,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 says Ron Clements, who co-wrote and co-directed the film.
Benson was a rising Broadway star when Ariel came into her orbit. She had been in a short-lived musical 害羞草研究所淪mile害羞草研究所� when Howard Ashman, the musical害羞草研究所檚 lyricist and story writer, invited the out-of-work cast to audition for his next project, an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Little Mermaid.害羞草研究所�
Producers wanted the singing and speaking voice to be supplied by the same actress. So Benson, a lyric soprano, sang the signature 害羞草研究所淧art of Your World害羞草研究所� on a reel-to-reel tape and was handed a few of pages of dialogue.
害羞草研究所淚 ran into the ladies害羞草研究所� room,害羞草研究所� she recalls 害羞草研究所渁nd waited for everybody to get out of the stalls and started talking to the mirror, sort of trying to come up with what would she sound like at 16.害羞草研究所�
Benson, it turned out, was a master mimic. She had spent countless hours in her room as a child with her guitar, singing along to records by Barbra Streisand, Carole King, James Taylor as well as Marvin Hamlisch害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淎 Chorus Line.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 would start to just sing like them. But it wasn害羞草研究所檛 like I was trying to be them. It害羞草研究所檚 just that害羞草研究所檚 what I heard. And so that害羞草研究所檚 just what you do. You just sound like what you been listening to,害羞草研究所� she says.
A year or so after auditioning for Ariel, she got the call that she害羞草研究所檇 won the role. 害羞草研究所淚 completely forgot that I had auditioned,害羞草研究所� she says. Back then, voiceover work wasn害羞草研究所檛 very glamorous and big celebrities wouldn害羞草研究所檛 consider it.
害羞草研究所淚t wasn害羞草研究所檛 a good job. Doing voiceovers was what you would do when your career was on the back half, when it was tanking,害羞草研究所� says Benson. She thought Ariel would be just another notch on her resume. It was not.
害羞草研究所淭hings just changed overnight,害羞草研究所� she says.
Propelled by such Alan Menken songs as 害羞草研究所淯nder the Sea害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淜iss the Girl,害羞草研究所� the film won two Grammys and earned three Academy Award nominations. It was critically acclaimed, with Roger Ebert calling it a 害羞草研究所渏olly and inventive animated fantasy,害羞草研究所� and would go to earn $211 million worldwide. Parents of children with learning disabilities have told Benson their child害羞草研究所檚 first words were from the film.
READ MORE:
A live-action remake is in the works, featuring new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created 害羞草研究所淗amilton.害羞草研究所� He loved the 1989 animated film so much its partly the reason he named his first child Sebastian 害羞草研究所� the mermaid害羞草研究所檚 crab friend.
It was the kind of hit that Clements and his animators at Disney had long been hoping for. He had started at Disney in 1974 and was part of a new generation of artists trying to change the notion that animation was just for kids.
Clements had pitched a two-page treatment of the musical to then-studio head Michael Eisner and was given the green light. For Clements and his partner, John Musker, the stakes were high: It was the first fairy tale Disney had done for some three decades.
害羞草研究所淭here was a feeling 害羞草研究所� all through 害羞草研究所楲ittle Mermaid害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� that this film had potential to be the film that could break through and work the way we were all hungry for and hoping for,害羞草研究所� recalls Clements, who went on to co-direct 害羞草研究所淎laddin害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淗ercules.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚t was really, really gratifying that it did break through. It broke through the stigma that animated films were just for kids. It became a date movie. People started taking Disney animation seriously again.害羞草研究所�
Over the past 30 years, Ariel has become the bridge between classic princesses like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and modern ones like Mulan and Merida. And Benson has become the official Ariel ambassador, tapped to do sequels, video games and shorts, in addition to voicing other characters like Barbie in the 害羞草研究所淭oy Story害羞草研究所� franchise.
Her arms are always open to fans and she害羞草研究所檚 now welcoming the fourth generation to 害羞草研究所淭he Little Mermaid.害羞草研究所� So feel free to cry on her shoulder.
害羞草研究所淚t doesn害羞草研究所檛 feel like a job. It just feels like a way of life more than more than anything else,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淵ou have this multigenerational moment that families can share together. And I get to be a small piece of the puzzle of their story.害羞草研究所�
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on
