Jodi Benson talks The Little Mermaid and Howard Ashman

Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid for more than thirty years, talks about her career as Ariel. She tells about how she landed the role and talks extensively about working with Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist and director, who changed Disney movies forever. In her words, “He brought Broadway to Disney.” Ashman wrote the lyrics for legendary Disney Renaissance films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. He also wrote the lyrics for “Little Shop of Horrors” before his work on Disney projects. This panel was filmed on August 22, 2021, at Planet Comicon Kansas City.