Jodi Benson
Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati; born October 10, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated film "The Little Mermaid" and Belle in "House of Mouse" respectively and throughout other films, including , , and television series spinoff. Benson also voiced the character Barbie in the second and third films of the "Toy Story" franchise (1999-2010), and in the "Toy Story Toons" short "Hawaiian Vacation" (2011). For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011. She also gave voice to the  spirited "Weebo" in Disney's live action "Flubber", starring Robin Williams. For Warner Bros., she did the voice of the title character in "Thumbelina" in 1994, a Don Bluth animated feature film with songs by Barry Manilow. Her other projects include "Secret of the Wings", "", "", "", "", "", and "Balto III: Wings of Change". She appeared as Patrick Dempsey’s assistant Sam in Disney’s live-action feature film "Enchanted". While being a Disney Legend, she also voiced Jane Doe and Patsy Smiles in Cartoon Network's "Camp Lazlo". She also voiced the character Tula in Hanna-Barbera's animated series "The Pirates  of Dark Water". Personal life. Benson was born and raised in a Catholic environment, graduating from Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois, and Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She experienced a religious conversion while dating actor/singer Ray Benson (not to be confused with frontman Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel). The two of them later married in 1984. They have two children, McKinley and Delaney. An article originally published in 2013 by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said the couple "live north of Atlanta, GA." Career. Benson made her debut in the 1983 Kenny Ortega-directed  . Other Broadway credits include a starring role in the 1986 Broadway musical "Smile", where she introduced a song called "Disneyland". In 1987, Howard Ashman, the lyricist of "Smile", would go on to write the lyrics for "The Little Mermaid". She describes the song "Disneyland" at the "Smile" Reunion concert held on Sept. 22, 2014, "This is the first piece of the puzzle of my life, the first step of the journey, so to speak". Benson also sings "Disneyland" on a compilation CD called "Unsung Musicals". In 1989, Benson appeared in the Broadway musical, "Welcome to the Club", alongside Samuel E.  Wright, who performed the voice for Sebastian the Crab in "The Little Mermaid". In 1992, Benson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Polly Baker in "Crazy For You". She played the narrator in "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in 1998. Benson also played the Queen in a one-night concert version of Rodgers & Hammersteins "Cinderella" at the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in May 2010. She was at the 2012 SYTA conference singing her signature song “Part of Your World” on August 27, 2012. Benson has been the guest artist for the  Candlelight Processional for five years at Walt Disney World including December 10–13, 2012. She joined the "2013 Spring Pops" on May 14–15, 2013 as a guest soloist with the Boston Pops. Benson can be heard on over a dozen recordings and has a six-part DVD series entitled "Baby Faith" from the creators of "Baby Einstein". Her animated TV series include the Emmy Award-winning "Camp Lazlo" for the Cartoon Network, "The Little Mermaid", "Batman Beyond", "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy", "The Wild Thornberrys", "Barbie", "", "P. J. Sparkles", and the series "Sofia the First" for Disney. On the  concert stage, Benson has performed as a concert soloist with symphonies all over the world, including The Boston Pops, The Philly Pops (conductor: Peter Nero), The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (conductor: John Mauceri), The National Symphony (conductor: Marvin Hamlisch), Cleveland, Dallas, Tokyo, and the San Francisco and Chicago Symphonies. She starred in the Kennedy Center Honors for Ginger Rogers, and in "Disney's Premiere in Central Park with Pocahontas", "The Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Spectacular" and "Disney's 100 Years of Magic". Benson is the resident guest soloist for the Walt Disney Company/Disney Cruise Line and ambassador for feature  animation. On June 6, 2016, Benson performed the role of Ariel at the Hollywood Bowl's concert performance of "The Little Mermaid". She also made a special appearance in ABC's 2019 live musical spectacular "The Little Mermaid Live!" Section::::"The Little Mermaid". In late 1986, Benson first heard of the audition for "The Little Mermaid" through lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman. The two had just worked together in the Broadway show "Smile" until its run ended early. He knew she would be the perfect fit for the role and that she would be a great replica of Ariel. After hearing  the demo for "Part of Your World", she sang a small part of it on tape where it was later sent to Disney executives. Before her audition for "The Little Mermaid", she was primarily a stage actress. It was Ashman's first Disney project. In early 1988, Benson won the role of Ariel.