The Little Mermaid is one of those Disney movies that continues to be SUPER popular to this day, even after the animated movie’s original premiere in 1989. The film has been so popular that it has even spawned a live-action version, which hit theaters in 2023.
©Disney
The tale of Ariel continues to mesmerize audiences so much that she also has a lot of representation in Disney theme parks across the world, including in Disney World, where you even have a ride devoted to Ariel’s story in Magic Kingdom. In fact, a brand-new show, The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure, just debuted in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. During a media preview of that show, we had a chance to speak with the original voice of Ariel herself, Jodi Benson.
Now you may have already seen the video posted by Disney Parks of Benson attending a rehearsal of the new show, and she’s in tears as she’s watching the production (which means we were in tears, too). If not, here’s the video (hey, if we gotta cry, so do you).
Well, Benson was present during Disney’s exclusive media preview of the show, and y’all — we got to talk to her! WE GOT TO TALK TO THE OG ARIEL!
Jodi Benson
Benson even commented about advice she would give to actresses taking on the role of Ariel, including the actress in the new Hollywood Studios show. She spoke about how it’s important to hold onto the integrity of the character that was created in the film. “It’s just really important for me that the integrity is maintained,” she said. “And that’s what I always love…that we can carry that on with each and every Ariel.”
Ariel in “The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure”
The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure uses a combination of puppetry, actors, and digital effects to bring Ariel’s story to life. Of course, Benson has seen the show and commented on her favorite puppet, Max. But she also commented on the additional scene added to the show from the previous Hollywood Studios show. “It was wonderful to have ‘Kiss The Girl’ in the sequence,” she said. “I was really excited to be able to add that extra musical number to the show.”
Kiss The Girl scene
Of course, she has a favorite song and scene. “But anytime I get to hear ‘Part of Your World’ is such a gift for me, and I just thought that [Disney’s performer] did such a beautiful job.”
When asked about why The Little Mermaid still resonates with audiences, Benson said, “I think it’s a couple of things. It’s really a classic story, but I also think it’s the combination of taking the animated film and turning it and blending it with a Broadway musical. And that was really Howard [Ashman’s] doing. And I think it’s at that point that the magic really began for our project and for our film.” She added, “It’s all thanks to him,” referring to Ashman.
Alen Menken and Howard Ashman at the Oscars ©Oscars
She also spoke a little more about Ashman, who has long been credited with the renaissance of Walt Disney Feature Animation. We asked her about her favorite memory of working with the Disney Legend:
We got to talk to Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel! A total dream come true! 🧜♀️🐚🌊 pic.twitter.com/oALLx1BBPH
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 27, 2025
She also went on to say that she thought Ashman would love the new show. “Anytime we can tell our story over and over again for the next generation is beautiful and I know Howard would really love that. His career is just brilliant and we’re honored that we get to carry on this legacy in whatever way we can.”
Ariel and Ursula
We were so honored to get to chat with Jodi Benson, who is a true Disney Princess both on and off screen.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
We Just Saw Disney’s BRAND-NEW Little Mermaid Show and We Have THOUGHTS
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Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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The Little Mermaid premiered in 1989. It holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you, Kristy! I was just thinking “that can’t be right.” I remember my daughter being in pre-school (under 5 years old) and the girls acted out the movie every day. She also sang “Part of My World” whenever she took a bath! Little Mermaid also holds a special place in my heart.