Jodi Benson

Jodi Benson is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, as well as many other Disney works. Benson also filled in for Paige O’Hara as the voice of Belle in House of Mouse and 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.

Benson 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, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, Balto: 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 Hanna-Barbera’s animated series The Pirates of Dark Water.

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.

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.