Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati; born October , ) is an American
actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for providing
both the speaking and the singing voice of Disney's Princess Ariel in
The Little Mermaid and its sequel, prequel, and television series
spinoff. Benson voiced the character Barbie in the Golden
Globe-winning movie Toy Story and its Academy Award-winning sequel
Toy Story . She also voiced Barbie in the Toy Story cartoon Hawaiian
Vacation. For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney
Legend in .She also gave voice to the spirited "Weebo" in Disney's
live action Flubber, starring Robin Williams. For Warner Bros., she
created the voice of Thumbelina in , a Don Bluth animated feature film
with songs by Barry Manilow. Her other projects include Tinkerbell:
Secret of the Wings, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, The Little
Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's
Adventure, Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Balto II: Wolf
Quest, 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 Fox's animated series The Pirates of Dark
Water.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 . They have two children, McKinley and Delaney. An
article originally published in by the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association said the couple "live north of Atlanta, Ga."Benson made
her debut in the Kenny Ortega-directed "Marilyn: An American Fable".
Other Broadway credits include a starring role in the Broadway
musical Smile, where she introduced a song called "Disneyland". In ,
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. , , "This is the first piece of
the puzzle of my life, the first step of the journey, so to
speak".[citation needed] Benson also sings "Disneyland" on a
compilation CD called Unsung Musicals. In , 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.
actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for providing
both the speaking and the singing voice of Disney's Princess Ariel in
The Little Mermaid and its sequel, prequel, and television series
spinoff. Benson voiced the character Barbie in the Golden
Globe-winning movie Toy Story and its Academy Award-winning sequel
Toy Story . She also voiced Barbie in the Toy Story cartoon Hawaiian
Vacation. For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney
Legend in .She also gave voice to the spirited "Weebo" in Disney's
live action Flubber, starring Robin Williams. For Warner Bros., she
created the voice of Thumbelina in , a Don Bluth animated feature film
with songs by Barry Manilow. Her other projects include Tinkerbell:
Secret of the Wings, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, The Little
Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's
Adventure, Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Balto II: Wolf
Quest, 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 Fox's animated series The Pirates of Dark
Water.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 . They have two children, McKinley and Delaney. An
article originally published in by the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association said the couple "live north of Atlanta, Ga."Benson made
her debut in the Kenny Ortega-directed "Marilyn: An American Fable".
Other Broadway credits include a starring role in the Broadway
musical Smile, where she introduced a song called "Disneyland". In ,
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. , , "This is the first piece of
the puzzle of my life, the first step of the journey, so to
speak".[citation needed] Benson also sings "Disneyland" on a
compilation CD called Unsung Musicals. In , 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.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.