Jodi Benson voiced the character of Ariel in 1989's The Little Mermaid
OG Ariel Jodi Benson is all for the changes in the latest live-action Disney remake of The Little Mermaid.
Set to release later this week, the fantasy flick made headlines for many changes, including casting Halle Bailey as the lead and giving the world its first Black Ariel as well as changing the lyrics to classic films songs to reflect a more modern world-building akin to the present era.
Benson, who voiced the character of Ariel in 1989's The Little Mermaid, spoke to Entertainment Weekly, and affirmed: "We're talking about starting our [voiceover] sessions in '86 [for the original film]. It's 2023, so we have to grow, we have to learn, we have to be aware of our surroundings."
"We've got to be aware of our growth as humans and what's important now and what maybe isn't as important," Benson explained. “Things change. We've got to roll with that. I think that Rob and John have done a beautiful job of doing that, and still paying tribute and honor to our original film.”
The Disney icon stressed the requirement for “growth,” noting that it’s “very important to stay relevant with where we are, what's going on around us.”
“We need to be aware. So the adjustments and the fine-tuning that they needed to do, it was a must, but it was done in a beautiful way, and I'm very, very thrilled with it,” she added.