Disney Star Shares HONEST Thoughts On Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Movie

Disney’s newest live-action film, The Little Mermaid, just premiered, and the new movie seems to be performing pretty well at the box office so far.

AMC in Disney Springs promoting the live-action “Little Mermaid”

While some people have strong opinions about Disney’s live-action remakes, Disney still continues to announce new live-action adaptations of multiple different films. So how does the original voice of Ariel feel about this new remake? Now we know!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in the original 1989 film, is praising the new live-action remake.

Jodi Benson

When asked her thoughts about the adjustments made to the remake to give it a modern twist and reflect our current society, she said, “Times change, people change, cultures change. What matters and what is important changes. And, as a studio, we need to make those adjustments, and we need to take into consideration what’s going on around us. We need to be aware.”

Jodi Benson at Candlelight Processional

Benson also mentioned how the new film goes more in-depth with the characters and expands on their stories where the original film couldn’t. She says she feels the little changes are “very important” and that it’s “very important to address what’s going on right now in our world.”

Halle Bailey

Even though it’s been 30 years since the original release, Benson notes that the new film still pays tribute to the integrity of the original film and that it “comes through in such a beautiful way” and, in fact, is “breathtaking.” She followed up by saying she’s very protective of Ariel and is “thrilled” with the result!

©Disney

In regards to Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in the live-action film, Benson says that Halle’s “beautiful love for the character comes through. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful performance.” The film is out in theaters now and also stars Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, and Awkwafina.