Jodi Benson (aka the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid) joins us in the kitchen today to celebrate Disney’s World Princess Week! From her early days on Broadway in Smile and Crazy For You to her iconic voice work in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and the Toy Story franchise - that’s right, she voiced the one-and-only Barbie - Jodi takes on a journey under the sea to explore all her favorite Disney memories. Stick around for an exciting conversation on her legacy, the importance of Disney Princesses, Broadway, and even some heart-wrenching stories of the late Howard Ashman and how Jodi is determined to keep his memory alive.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 – Introduction 

1:45 - Jodi Benson is here

3:00 - Performing origins

8:30 - Early broadway days

12:00 - Auditioning for “The Little Mermaid”

16:30 - Finding Ariel’s voice

17:30 – Being coached by Howard Ashman

18:30 - “Part of Your World” controversy

21:30 - Creating Ariel and The Little Mermaid

23:30 - Working with Howard Ashman and Alan Menken 

25:00 - Howard Ashman’s passing and legacy

31:30 - ”The Little Mermaid” live-action

33:30 - Jodi and Hallee’s relationship

35:00 – Jodi at the live-action premiere

36:00 - How “The Little Mermaid” continues to live on

41:00 - Favorite “Part of Your World” performances

45:00 - Performing with her daughter

47:00 – Voicing “Barbie” and other iconic voices

49:00 - World Princess Week

52:00 - Game time!

56:00 - Final thoughts and goodbyes

Follow Jodi Benson:

Instagram: @jodibenson

TikTok: @jodi.benson

Follow the hosts:

@AnthonyGargiula

@Jonathantilkin

@CounterMelodiesShow

Listen and Watch:

https://pods.to/countermelodies

Credits:

Executive Producer / Showrunner / Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renée Colvert