Jodi Benson, Disney Legend and original voice of Ariel, spoke at C2E2 in Chicago this weekend about how The Little Mermaid (1989) has resonated with LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities who identify with Ariel's journey of finding her voice and stepping into the sun.
The panel covered memories from the 1989 animated classic and the 2023 live-action remake, with Benson addressing how the film transformed Disney animation and her own career.
Saving Disney Animation
During a Q&A, one fan asked Benson about ushering in the Disney Renaissance. The Little Mermaid is widely credited with saving Disney's failing animation studio and launching a decade of hits, including Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Hercules (1997). Most experts consider Tarzan (1999) the period's final masterpiece.
“When we started working on Mermaid, we didn't have an idea of where the studio was,” Benson said. “I did know that all the animators were moved off the lot because when I would go and meet Glen Keane and Mark Henn, they were in trailers on Flower Street in Burbank, so I did know that when the animation department was moved off the lot, that this was kind of…There was a lot riding on our film.”
Breaking Walt's Anonymity Rule
The Little Mermaid cast originally planned to remain anonymous, following Walt Disney's golden-age practice of not promoting voice actors in films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950). Disney took a risk by changing that approach with Benson.
“We were going to remain anonymous so that no one would know we were involved with it,” Benson explained. “So I didn't feel that sheer weight because I knew no one would know who I was, so I didn't have to bear that responsibility. But in September, I got a call to go on a press tour for 22 cities in 20 days to represent the film, and that's when we knew something was changing…Walt's design was to always maintain anonymity for the voices…That's the way it was going to be until our film was just about to come out.”
“In November, we started to get a sense that something was different about this,” she continued. “It was by Christmastime that we realized that it was going to change the face of animation forever, and this was our second golden age of animation. And at that point, my life took a whole different turn…something I never expected.”
Passing the Torch to Halle Bailey
Benson praised Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in the 2023 live-action remake. Benson had a cameo as a market vendor offering Bailey's Ariel a fork (a “dinglehopper”), symbolically passing the torch to the young actress.
“In July of 2019, I got an email from my friends, who happened to be the director and the producer, Rob Marshall and John DeLuca, for our live-action Mermaid,” Benson recalled. “With our casting of Halle, I was over-the-moon thrilled…I was all on board…She's so sweet, and the whole cast is so talented.”
Filming during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.K. required Benson to quarantine in a hotel for over a month just to film her cameo. The cast also battled typhoon-strength storms and freezing temperatures while making a movie set on a sunny Caribbean beach.
“It was the craziest experience,” Benson said. “…I was locked down, and I was tested every day. I was allowed to go outside the hotel to walk Hyde Park for two hours a day to get fresh air and then lock back into my hotel…They patrolled and made sure that I stayed either in my room or outside at Hyde Park. I never broke the rules. I obeyed.”
Connection With LGBTQIA+ Community
Benson called it an honor to connect with LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent fans across nearly four generations who see their stories reflected in The Little Mermaid.
“The beautiful [LGBTQIA+] community really made that connection, and for me to be able to connect with them, I would say probably in the mid-90s, where there was the freedom to be able to be heard, and to express yourself, and to find your voice,” she recalled. “I was in the business during our AIDS crisis, and of course have lost many friends and family, so that was always kind of hush-hush, kept every quiet, which never really made any sense to me…It was just kind of forbidden and quiet, which was horrible.”
“Every encounter that I have, so many in that beautiful community, that share their story with me, whether it's through a direct message or in person, just really touches my heart, the fact that they can feel seen, heard, valued, and loved,” she added.
Live Performance
Benson ended the panel performing “Part of Your World…” after ensuring cameras were put away. She joked, “Disney Jail is a real place,” but earnestly urged fans to experience the rare live performance rather than recording it. Unsurprisingly, there weren't many dry eyes in the room as the Tony-nominated actress belted the song that changed her life 37 years ago.
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STOP making everything about Gay people. The Little Lermaid is just a Disney animation that is loved by all people. Let our beloved characters alone. Watch all things for what they are. Not what some groups are trying to twist to their views. It’s just a cartoon or these days It’s Just an Animation.