Jodi Benson

              Jodi Benson is blessed and honored to have been inducted as a Disney Legend after  serving the company  for 25 amazing years. Jodi has received worldwide recognition and critical acclaim as the beloved voice of Ariel in the Academy Award winning Walt Disney animated feature film, The Little Mermaid as well as the bubbly voice of Tour Guide Barbie in Disney’s Toy Story II (winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture). Ms. Benson is thrilled to have been a part of the Academy Award winning film, Toy Story 3 as the effervescent voice of Barbie for Disney/Pixar.  This time-Barbie is back and in love with Ken (Michael Keaton)! She also gave life to the spirited Weebo in Disney’s live action Flubber co-starring Robin Williams.  For Warner Brothers, she created the title voice of Thumbelina, a Don Bluth animated feature with songs by Barry Manilow.

Jodi’s film projects include The Little Mermaid III, The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea as Ariel, Lady and The Tramp II as Lady, 101 Dalmatians II as Anita, DreamWorks’s animated video Joseph: King of Dreams as his wife Asenath (starring Ben Affleck), and in Balto II and III as Jenna for Universal Studios. She appears as Sam,(Patrick Dempsey’s Assistant) in Disney’s feature film Enchanted as a real live person –with legs!

Ms. Benson received a Tony Award and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for creating the starring role of Polly in the Tony Award winning Broadway Gershwin musical Crazy For You.

Other Broadway credits include: creating the starring role of Doria Hudson in the Howard Ashman/Marvin Hamlisch musical Smile, Betty Bursteter in Cy Coleman’s Welcome To The Club, and Virginia in Kenny Ortega’s Marilyn: An American Fable.  Internationally, Ms. Benson has had the honor of sharing the stage with her husband Ray Benson in the European Premiere of Gershwin’s My One and Only, starring as Miss Edythe Herbert.

In Los Angeles, Ms. Benson starred as Bunny in the critically acclaimed Reprise/UCLA production of Babes In Arms, Nellie Forbush in South Pacific(Pasadena Civic), Flora the Red Menace(Pasadena Playhouse), Ado Annie in Oklahoma!(Dorothy Chandler Pavilion), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady(Alex Theatre), and as Florence Vassey in Chess(Long Beach Civic Light Opera) for which she won the Drama-League Award for Best Actress.

Jodi can be heard on several recordings including Disney’s Songs From the Sea, Disney Classics, Splash Hits, The Little Mermaid soundtrack, and The Princess Collection; Varese Sarabande’s Unsung Musicals I and A Hollywood Christmas, EMI/Angel’s Crazy For You cast album, Warner Brothers’ Thumbelina soundtrack, and with EMI/Sparrow Records: Jodi Benson and the Beginners Bible I and II,  Guideposts Junction-a six part video series and album. Her newest project for kids is a 6 part DVD series entitled Babyfaith from the creators of Baby Einstein.

Her animated television series include the newest Cartoon Network hit Camp Lazlo, the Emmy Award winning The Little Mermaid, Pepper Ann, Pirates of Dark Water(Hanna-Barbera), P.J. Sparkles, the Barbie primetime series as the voice of Barbie, Disney’s animated series Hercules as the ever “perky” Helen of Troy, Batman Beyond, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, The Wild Thornberry’s and many others.

On the concert stage, Ms. Benson had the honor of appearing as the guest soloist at the Kennedy Center Honors for Ginger Rogers. She performed at the Hollywood Bowl with conductor John Mauceri on several occasions including tributes to Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Gershwin brothers and Walt Disney. Jodi has performed with symphonies all over the world including The Philly Pops (Conductor Peter Nero), The National Symphony (Conductor Marvin Hamlisch), Cleveland, Dallas, Tokyo Philharmonic, San Francisco and Chicago. She has starred in Disney’s Premiere in Central Park with Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame premiere at the New Orleans Superdome, The Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Spectacular, and Disney’s 100 Years of Magic. Jodi was thrilled to be a part of the christening ceremonies and inaugural cruises for our 3 Disney cruise ships. Ms. Benson is honored to be the resident guest soloist for the Walt Disney Company/Disney Cruise Line, ambassador for feature animation and a member of the Disney family all these wonderful years.

Jodi gives thanks and praise to God for her family, friends, for her loving husband, Ray and her precious children; son McKinley and daughter Delaney.

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