Jodi Benson

Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati) is an American actress, voice actress, and soprano singer, who is best known for her starring role as Ariel in Disney's highly successful 1989 animated feature film The Little Mermaid.
==History==
Benson was born as Jodi Marie Marzorati in Rockford, Illinois to a Catholic family. In 1989, Benson (working as a Broadway star at the time) made her theatrical debut as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. The filmmakers felt that it was necessary to have both Ariel's speaking and singing voices done by the same person, and therefore considered her a perfect candidate. She also briefly voiced Vanessa (Ursula's human alter ego) on behalf of Pat Carroll.
Benson's vocal talents were given critical acclaim from a wide variety of film critics. It was for this film that she recorded her signature song "Part of Your World", which audiences around the world have grown to know and love.
The success of The Little Mermaid spawned an animated TV series of the same name in the mid-'90s, followed by two direct-to-video sequels (the first in 2000 and the second in 2008). Benson has continued to reprise her role as Ariel in most Disney-related media, including the animated television series House of Mouse (in which she also voiced Belle from Beauty and the Beast on behalf of Paige O'Hara).
Benson is also famous for voicing several other Disney characters from various films and television series, including Weebo in Flubber, Barbie in Toy Story 2 and 3, as well as Hawaiian Vacation, Helen of Troy in the Hercules TV series and Zero to Hero, Lady in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, and Anita in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure. In 2007, Benson even landed a supporting role as Sam in Enchanted, which remains one of Benson's few live-action film roles to date and her only Disney-related one (aside from one cameo scene in Flubber).
In August 2011, Benson was honored as one of the Disney Legends, alongside the Disney Princess voice actresses Paige O'Hara, Linda Larkin, Lea Salonga, and Anika Noni Rose.
In addition to reprising her role as Ariel in Ralph Breaks the Internet and the Sofia the First special "The Floating Palace", Benson also voiced Queen Emmaline. Additionally, she played a market vendor in the 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, as well as appeared as herself in The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live!.
Outside of Disney, Benson is well-known for voicing Patsy Smiles, Jane Doe and Almondine in the animated series , Aquagirl in , Tula in the animated series , Asenath in ' , and Thumbelina in Don Bluth's 1994 . Additionally, she took over the voice role of Jenna in the sequel films Balto II: Wolf Quest and Balto III: Wings of Change.
==Roles==
Ariel-1.png|Ariel(The Little Mermaid franchise; 1989–present)
Vanessa (The Little Mermaid).jpg|Vanessa(The Little Mermaid)
Ladydisney.png|Lady(Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure)
101dalmatians 150.jpg|Anita Radcliffe(101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure)
Belle2.jpg|Belle(House of Mouse; in tandem with Paige O'Hara)
Weebo.png|Weebo(Flubber)
HelenTroy.jpg|Helen of Troy(Hercules TV series)
Atta.png|Atta(A Bug's Life; video game, The Ugly Bug Ball)
Barbie Toy Story 3.png|Barbie(Toy Story franchise)
Amber O'Malley.jpg|Amber O'Malley(Pepper Ann)
Emmaline.png|Queen Emmaline(Sofia the First)
Lastelle's Mother.jpg|Lastelle's Mother(Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind; Disney dub)
Sam.jpg|Sam(Enchanted)
Nasira.jpg|Nasira(Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge)
StarvsEvil Singing Teacher.png|Singing Teacher(Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
Healing Fairy.jpg|Healing Fairy(Secret of the Wings)
TLM 2023 - Market Vendor and Ariel.jpg|Market Vendor (left)(The Little Mermaid;2023 live-action adaptation)
==Gallery==
Jodi Benson behind the scenes TLM.jpg|Jodi Benson behind the scenes of The Little Mermaid.
Howard Ashman with Jodi Benson recording.jpg|Howard Ashman giving helpful supervisions on Jodi Benson's recording of "Part of Your World".
TLM-C.jpg|Jodi Benson with Pat Carroll, Tara Strong, Buddy Hackett, and Samuel E. Wright at the premiere of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea in September 2000.
Jodi Benson LAT2 premiere.jpg|Jodi Benson at the premiere of Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure in February 2001.
File:Jodi with Sierra Boggess on the opening night of TLM on Broadway .jpg|Jodi Benson with Sierra Boggess (the original Broadway Ariel) at the opening night of The Little Mermaid musical in January 2008.
Jodi Benson TLM3 premiere.jpg|Jodi Benson at the premiere of The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning in August 2008.
Jodi Benson TS3 premiere.jpg|Jodi Benson at the premiere of Toy Story 3 in June 2010.
Jodi Benson Disney Legend.jpg|Jodi Benson named a Disney Legend in May 2011.
Pat Carroll Little Mermaid Reunion Jodi Benson.jpg|Jodi Benson with Pat Carroll in Disneyland in June 2011.
Benson family.jpg|Jodi Benson with her husband, Ray and their two kids, Delaney and McKinley, in September 2013.
JodiBenson D23Expo 2017.jpg|Jodi Benson attending the D23 Expo 2017.
Disney+Princess+Voice+Actresses+D23+EXPO+2017.jpg|Jodi Benson, along with other Disney Princess voice actresses and Sarah Silverman, at the D23 Expo 2017.
Jodi Benson SLCC.jpg|Jodi Benson speaks at the 2017 Salt Lake Comic Con.
Jodi Benson WBTI premiere.jpg|Jodi Benson at the premiere of Ralph Breaks the Internet in November 2018.
Aulii-cravalho-jodi-benson-mermaid.jpg|Jodi Benson with Auli'i Cravalho speak onstage at the 2019 D23 Expo.
Jodi Benson TLM premiere 2023.jpg|Jodi Benson at the premiere of The Little Mermaid remake in May 2023.
Premiere mermaid-ariels.jpg|Jodi Benson with Halle Bailey (the live-action Ariel) at the premiere of The Little Mermaid remake.
==Trivia==
*Benson's favorite moment from The Little Mermaid was when she recorded the song "Part of Your World".
*Benson was considered for the voice role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, but decided on Paige O'Hara in favor of having a heroine who sounded "more like a woman than a girl."
**She would later voice Belle in tandem with O'Hara on House of Mouse and its respective media.
*On the 1998 VHS of The Little Mermaid, she appears during the previews as an MC, alongside two CGI goldfish named Phil and Gil.
*Apart from Ariel, Benson also voiced Barbie in the Toy Story franchise. Coincidentally, live-action adaptations of The Little Mermaid and have been released in 2023.
*Jodi Benson appeared in the live action remake of The Little Mermaid as a woman who gave Ariel a fork in a market, as a cameo appearance. Benson said it felt like passing on the torch to Hallie.
*Benson also provides the voice for EVA from the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and reprised the role for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker; in both games, however, she was credited under the pseudonym "Suzetta Miñet". During the leadup to the release of Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid 3, Benson revealed that she was the real identity of "Suzetta Miñet", and that she chose to be credited under a pseudonym due to the mature nature of the games clashing with her other family-friendly roles, particularly those of various Disney characters.METAL GEAR SOLID Legacy Series Part 3 | ft. David Hayter
==External links==
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==References==
pt-br:Jodi Benson
Category:1960s births
Category:Females
Category:American people
Category:People from Illinois
Category:Actresses
Category:Voice actresses
Category:Singers
Category:Performance models
Category:Video game voice actors
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Category:Disney XD Actors and Actresses
Category:Annie Award Nominated
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