

|
Jodi Benson (born October 10, 1961) is a U.S. voice actress and singer, best known for providing the voice of Disney's Princess Ariel, The Little Mermaid. She was born in Rockford, Illinois, attended Millikin University, and is married to Ray Benson. Jodi and Ray are both born again Christians who are vocal about their faith in God. Jodi has also performed in several Broadway productions.
Contents |
Ms. Benson seems incapable of escaping her Little Mermaid legacy. In the Guideposts Junction video series, one character jokingly asked if Jodi knew anything about mermaids. The Mighty Kong featured one scene in which the lead female character (whose voice she provided), swam through the water, her hair flowing about in an Ariel-like fashion. She even provided the voice for a character called Aquagirl in an episode of Batman Beyond. Fortunately, Ms. Benson seems to have no regrets about her Little Mermaid role. She says that she never gets tired of singing Part of Your World, her trademark song from this movie. Also of note, Ms. Benson played Ariel again in the video game Kingdom Hearts, portraying the only female fighter in the game; She is also to work on Kingdom Hearts 2, playing Ariel still, although it is unknown if she is going to be a playable character.
Fittingly enough, Ms. Benson performs the song Disneyland on the Unsung Musicals compliation CD. This song was originally performed by her in the short-lived Broadway musical Smile, long before she became affiliated with the Disney Corporation.