Jodi Benson

Jodi Benson (born October 10, 1961) is an American voice actress and soprano singer. She is best known for providing both the speaking and the singing voices of Disney's Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid and its sequels. In 2002 and 2006, she reprised the role of Ariel in the English versions of the Kingdom Hearts series. Benson also voiced the character Barbie in the 1999 Golden Globe-winning film Toy Story 2, its 2010 Academy Award-winning sequel Toy Story 3, and in the Toy Story cartoon Hawaiian Vacation. For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011.

Personal life
Benson was born Jodi Marie Marzorati in Rockford, Illinois. She attended Saint James elementary and middle school, Boylan Catholic High School and Millikin University. She currently lives in Gainesville, north Georgia with her husband, Ray Benson, and their son, McKinley, and daughter, Delaney.

Voice and screen acting
Benson has become well-known in popular culture for providing the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. She even parodied this later when she provided the voice for the character of Ann Darrow in The Mighty Kong - Ann sang and swam through the water with her hair flowing about her. She also provided the voice for a character called Aquagirl in a two-part episode of Batman Beyond. In an interview with Christians in Cinema, Benson said that winning the role of Ariel was God-ordained. She has also said that she never gets tired of singing her signature song, "Part of Your World".

Benson has also done voice-overs in video games. She played Ariel again in the video games Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. She was also in Grandia II where she was the American voice actress for Millenia. From its premiere in 2005 to its end in 2008, Benson did voice work for the Emmy Award-winning Cartoon Network animated series, Camp Lazlo, as the characters Patsy Smiles, Scoutmistress Jane Doe and Almondine the Owl. She also voiced Professor Owl.

Benson played Cloe in The Save-Ums in 2007 and had a small role as "Sam" in Disney's Enchanted as a tribute to Ariel. She was the voice of Barbie in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

In non-Disney films, Benson was a voice actress for Don Bluth's version of Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina, voicing the title character. She performed many songs in this film, including a duet with Gary Imhoff in "Let Me Be Your Wings".

On the 1998 VHS edition of The Little Mermaid, Benson appeared as herself during the intro and before and after the previews, telling two CGI fish named Gil and Phil about then upcoming releases from Disney such as Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, Mulan, Melody Time and Lady and the Tramp on video, A Bug's Life, and Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC.

Broadway
Benson's Broadway credits include a role in the short-lived Broadway musical Smile, where she introduced a song called "Disneyland." Howard Ashman, the lyricist of Smile, would go on to write the lyrics for The Little Mermaid. Benson also sings "Disneyland" on a compilation CD called Unsung Musicals. In 1989, Benson appeared in another short-lived 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.

Movies and TV

 * 1984 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (voice) - Lastelle's Mother (2004 Disney Dub)
 * 1989 The Little Mermaid (voice) - Princess Ariel, "Vanessa"
 * 1991 Pirates of Dark Water TV Series (voice) - Tula
 * 1991 Disney Sing Along Songs: Under the Sea (voice, archive footage) - Princess Ariel
 * 1992 P. J. Sparkles (voice) - P. J. (1988 Mattel)
 * 1992 The Little Mermaid TV Series (voice) - Princess Ariel
 * 1994 Disney Sing Along Songs: Circle of Life (voice, archive footage) - Princess Ariel
 * 1994 Thumbelina (voice) - Thumbelina
 * 1996 Disney Sing Along Songs: Friend Like Me (voice, archive footage) - Princess Ariel
 * 1996 Guideposts Junction, a six-part Christian video series for children - Herself
 * 1997 Flubber (voice) - Weebo
 * 1997 A Christmas Carol (voice) - Belle
 * 1998 Blablaland - Lola Pesto
 * 1998 The Mighty Kong (voice) - Ann Darrow
 * 1998 Hercules TV Series (voice) - Helen of Troy
 * 1999 Toy Story 2 (voice) - "Tour Guide" Barbie
 * 1999 Hercules: Zero to Hero (voice) - Helen of Troy
 * 2000 The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (voice) - Princess Ariel
 * 2000 Joseph: King of Dreams (voice) - Asenath
 * 2001 House of Mouse TV Series (voice) - Princess Ariel/Belle
 * 2001 Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (voice) - Lady (Segment "Pidge")
 * 2001 Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse (voice) - Princess Ariel
 * 2001 Balto II: Wolf Quest (voice) - Jenna
 * 2001 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - The Blue Fairy
 * 2002 Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa (voice) - Lenee
 * 2003 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (voice) - Anita
 * 2003 K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments (voice) - Leila and Martha
 * 2003 Mickey's PhilharMagic (voice) (uncredited) - Princess Ariel
 * 2004 Balto III: Wings of Change (voice) - Jenna
 * 2005 Camp Lazlo (voice) - Patsy Smiles, Ms. Jane Doe, Almondine
 * 2007 The Save-Ums (voice) - Cloe
 * 2007 Enchanted - Sam
 * 2008 The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (voice) - Princess Ariel
 * 2010 Toy Story 3 (voice) - "Great Shape" Barbie

Other

 * 1998 A Bug's Life (video game) - Atta
 * 2000 Grandia II (video game) - Millenia/Reena
 * 2002 Kingdom Hearts (video game) - Princess Ariel (English version)
 * 2005 Kingdom Hearts II (video game) - Princess Ariel (English version)

Discography

 * 1990 The Little Mermaid Soundtrack
 * 1991 Jodi Benson Sings Songs From the Beginner's Bible I
 * 1992 Jodi Benson Sings Songs From the Beginner's Bible II
 * 1992 The Little Mermaid: Splash hits
 * 1992 Crazy for You Cast Recording
 * 1993 The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea
 * 1994 Unsung Musicals
 * 1994 Thumbelina Soundtrack
 * 1995 Songs of Guideposts Junction
 * 1996 Hollywood Christmas (Various artists)
 * 2000 The Little Mermaid II (soundtrack)
 * 2004 Disney Princess Music Hits
 * 2005 Disney Princess Christmas Of Enchantment
 * 2005 Disney Princess Tea Party