Wright, who performed the voice for Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid. In 1989, Benson appeared in the Broadway musical, Welcome to the Club, alongside Samuel E. Benson also sings "Disneyland" on a compilation CD called Unsung Musicals. 22, 2014, "This is the first piece of the puzzle of my life, the first step of the journey, so to speak". She describes the song "Disneyland" at the "Smile" Reunion concert held on Sept. In 1987, Howard Ashman, the lyricist of Smile, would go on to write the lyrics for The Little Mermaid. Other Broadway credits include a starring role in the 1986 Broadway musical Smile, where she introduced a song called "Disneyland". An article originally published in 2013 by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said the couple "live north of Atlanta, GA." Career īenson made her debut in the 1983 Kenny Ortega-directed " Marilyn: An American Fable". They have two children, McKinley and Delaney. She experienced a religious conversion while dating actor/singer Ray Benson (not to be confused with frontman Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel).
Dance workout with barbie series#
She also voiced the character Tula in Fox's animated series The Pirates of Dark Water.īenson was born and raised in a Catholic environment, graduating from Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois, and Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. While being a Disney Legend, she also voiced Jane Doe and Patsy Smiles in Cartoon Network's Camp Lazlo. She appeared as Patrick Dempsey’s assistant Sam in Disney’s live-action feature film Enchanted. Her other projects include Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Balto II: Wolf Quest, and Balto III: Wings of Change. For Warner Bros., she did the voice of Thumbelina in 1994, a Don Bluth animated feature film with songs by Barry Manilow. She also gave voice to the spirited "Weebo" in Disney's live action Flubber, starring Robin Williams. For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011. Benson also voiced the character Barbie in the 1999 Golden Globe-winning film Toy Story 2, its 2010 Academy Award-winning sequel Toy Story 3, and in the Toy Story cartoon Hawaiian Vacation. She is best known for providing both the voice of Princess Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid and throughout its franchise, including its sequel, prequel, and television series spinoff. Jodi Marie Benson (née Marzorati born October 10, 1961) is an American actress and singer.