Jodi Benson Reveals Which Iteration of The Little Mermaid, Including Animation, Theater and Live-Action, Is Her Favorite

Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original The Little Mermaid, has a lot of love for each adaptation of the Disney classic — but one particular version holds a special place in her heart.

As she took questions from the audience at The Voices of The Little Mermaid panel at New York Comic Con on Oct. 11, the actress, 64, spoke about her specific love for the original 1989 animated film.

“I think it’s hard to kind of go away from the original,” she said. “That’s just because of all the emotion and the history and the experiences that are wrapped up into the original.”

“[But] I love, love all the ways that we have told the story over the last three, five years,” Benson added, referencing the 2023 live-action adaptation starring Halle Bailey in the titular role, as well as the numerous stage productions of The Little Mermaid from over the years.

According to Benson, she connected with the character of Ariel “instantaneously,” particularly because of her “tenacity” and “independent spirit.”

“When she gets a no, she just keeps plowing forward until every door shuts in her face — figuratively,” Benson said. “And so I think the quality of her tenacity is something I really could relate to right off the bat.”

“There were challenges and then there were a lot of things that I could really identify with my character,” she continued.

“I did not have a relationship with my father. He had left when I was 11, so that element of father-daughter was a little difficult for me to tap into,” Benson, a mother of two, added candidly. “But in the studio, Howard Ashman played my dad, he played King Triton. He was really helpful for me to kind of create that relationship.”

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Speaking with PEOPLE in August, Benson opened up about her lifelong connection to the character of Ariel and how it has only “deepened” over the years.

“Because we kind of are one and the same now,” she explained. “We’re going [almost 40] years of having this character, and I know her — and she is me — and we’re kind of combined … so it still just kind of amazes me that I have the privilege to be this character.”

“It still just blows me away,” the actress continued. “Especially when I meet kids, meet the younger generation, and what the character means to them. It’s such a gift.”

Benson has even passed the legacy of Ariel down within her own family. In 2024, she spoke to PEOPLE about her daughter, Delaney Benson, taking on the role in a Miami production of The Little Mermaid, 34 years after her mother first voiced the beloved Disney princess. 

“My husband and I just wept the whole time,” she told PEOPLE of herself and Ray Benson watching their daughter as Ariel.

“I saw the show nine times, opening weekend and closing weekend,” the Disney alum added. “She makes Ariel her own. It was breathtaking and … we were beside ourselves. It was really magical.”