The not-so-poor unfortunate souls behind Disney World’s upcoming The Little Mermaid stage production were in for a big surprise while preparing for opening day.
Jodi Benson, the actress and singer who voiced Ariel in the 1989 animated classic, crashed the Florida set, delighting the cast and crew. Disney Parks shared footage from Benson’s visit in a video that showcased the making of the production, titled The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure, ahead of its big debut at Animation Courtyard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27.
Benson made a grand entrance, first milling about backstage before appearing on stage and belting out Ariel’s signature vocals. “On behalf of me and Ariel and everybody from our original film, thank you for telling our story.”
“This story is classic and it spans generations now,” the show’s director, James Silson, said of the tale about a young woman “in pursuit of her dreams.” Benson then tours backstage of the production, meeting a puppet version of Max, Prince Eric’s beloved Old English Sheepdog, viewing motion capture and visual effects of all the creatures under the sea, and marveling over the dazzling stage design.
The tour ended with a sneak peak of the full production, notably also the first time the cast and crew has run through the entire show. The video even featured snippets of the show, including a glimpse of the puppet Sebastian and Ursula the sea witch.
By the end of the production, Benson gave the cast a standing ovation and became emotional, congratulating the crew through tears. “I’m overwhelmed,” Benson said to the crowd. “Any time that we can tell our story and pay tribute to Howard [Ashman] and Alan [Menken] and all of our team— I absolutely love this. We had just a once-in-a-lifetime situation for us that happened, and this is very special, very emotional to be here with all of you, so thank you. It’s so special.”
Disney Parks/YouTube
Jodi Benson in ‘Making of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure Show’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney World
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From director John Musker, the animated 1989 The Little Mermaid tells the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, who makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her voice for human legs so that she could discover the world above the water. Disney teamed with director Rob Marshall for a 2023 live-action remake that starred Halle Bailey, one-half of the Grammy-nominated sister R&B duo Chloe x Halle, as the titular mermaid. Jonah Hauer-King starred as Prince Eric.
Benson made a brief but memorable cameo in the live-action film, appearing as a vendor at a marketplace who hands Bailey a fork on land.
“It was just a huge thrill for me when Robbie reached out,” Benson told Entertainment Weekly in 2023. “I’m like, ‘Of course I’m gonna come! I don’t care what I’m doing. I just can’t wait to get around the set and watch all of you work.’ It was just pure joy for me.”
Watch Benson surprise the cast and crew of the musical above.
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