Over the weekend, Disney Legend and original voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989), Jodi Benson, spoke on a spotlight panel at C2E2 in Chicago, sharing favorite memories from producing the film and, decades later, its live-action remake. She also shared how the Disney Princess film has taken on a life of its own in the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities who, like Ariel, sometimes struggle to come out of their shells and step into the sun.Ushering in the Disney Renaissance EraCredit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicJodi Benson took questions from fans throughout the panel, including one who asked how it felt to usher in the Disney Renaissance. Critics widely consider The Little Mermaid as the film that saved a failing studio, kickstarting the ten-year era that brought films like Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). (Most consider Tarzan, released in 1999, as the final masterpiece of the Disney Renaissance period.)“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.”Credit: DisneyIn keeping with the original golden age of Disney classics, the cast of The Little Mermaid intended to remain anonymous. Walt Disney intentionally didn’t promote the voice actors in early films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Peter Pan (1953). But Disney followed a hunch and took a risk with Benson and The Little Mermaid, kicking off the era that brought us Robin Williams as the Genie.“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.”Credit: Disney“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.”Jodi Benson on the Live-Action The Little Mermaid (2023)Benson also talked about her love for Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid (2023). The original voice of Ariel had a small cameo in the film, appearing as a market vendor and offering Bailey’s Ariel a fork (which real fans would know as a “dinglehopper”), symbolically passing the torch to the young actress.Credit: Disney“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.”The movie was shot in the U.K. during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, so Benson spent over a month quarantined in a hotel just to film her cameo. The cast also dealt with typhoon-strength storms and freezing temperatures as they tried to make a movie set on a sunny Caribbean beach.Credit: Disney“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.”What Ariel Means to FansAmong nearly four generations of The Little Mermaid fans are members of the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities. Benson called it an honor to interact with so many “beautiful” groups of people who have come to consider the Disney Princess film part of their stories.Credit: Disney“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,” Benson 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.Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicAt the end of the panel, Benson treated the audience to a performance of “Part of Your World,” though she made sure that everyone’s phone cameras were put away. She joked that “Disney Jail is a real place,” but also urged fans to enjoy the rare opportunity to hear the song live instead of a recording they’ve heard a thousand times before–and there were few dry eyes in the room.Did you like the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid? In the comments, share your thoughts on the film with Inside the Magic! The post Three Years Later, Original Ariel Defends Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ appeared first on Inside the Magic.