Jodi Benson, the voice of an angel

... and of course, a mermaid

I didn't want to watch Disney's The Little Mermaid when it first hit the theatres. Disney movies had been disappointing up until then, and I certainly didn't care for Hans Christian Andersen's morbid tale. We're talking about a story in which a mermaid's tongue gets cut out, and in which she dies from a broken heart, fully expecting to fade away into sea foam.

Boy, was I mistaken. The Disney studios had crafted a masterpiece, and this was largely due to the person that they had cast as the mermaid Ariel. I'm talking about Jodi Benson, whose speaking voice perfectly captured the innocence and allure that was essential to her character. And of course, her singing voice was beyond captivating.

Ms. Benson went on to do further voice-over work, for Disney as well as for other studios. These vidcaps were taken from the Toy Story 2 DVD set, for which she provided the voice of the computer-animated Barbie dolls.

I will never forget this one scene from the Little Mermaid TV series episode, The Metal Fish. This is the episode in which Ariel helps rescue a mysterious man from drowning in his primitive bathysphere–his "metal fish." The man turns out to be Hans Christian Andersen himself.

Anyway, as this man is returned to the surface world, one merman remarked that under the sea, this man was like a fish out of the water. Wistfully, Ariel said, "... a fish ... or a mermaid." Ms. Benson has an absolutely beautiful voice, and the poignant way in which she spoke those words utterly broke my heart. Wow.

If you ever get to hear her sing "Disneyland" on the Unsung Musicals CD, please do so. You won't regret it.

Jodi, your voice has brought so much joy to my heart. Thank you.

Before The Little Mermaid, Jodi Benson also demonstrated her vocal chops in a little anime film called Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. You can read more about that in the link provided.

Other interests:   ELISPOT, user interfaces, fun stuff, frozen PBMCs