Jodie Benson Defends 'The Little Mermaid' Remake's Changes: 'You've Got to Have Growth'

etonline.com:

 features a few tweaks to the story's iconic story and music, but a familiar voice vows that the changes are not only necessary but «beautifully» done.Jodi Benson, the voice actress who provided the voice of Ariel in the 1989 animated film, shared her support for the film's changes during an interview with , pointing out how different the world was when the original movie began recording sessions in 1986. «It's 2023, so we have to grow, we have to learn, we have to be aware of our surroundings,» she says. «We've got to be aware of our growth as humans and what's important now and what maybe isn't as important.

Things change. We've got to roll with that. I think that Rob and John have done a beautiful job of doing that, and still paying tribute and honor to our original film.

But you've got to have growth. It's very important to stay relevant with where we are, what's going on around us. We need to be aware.

So the adjustments and the fine-tuning that they needed to do, it was a must, but it was done in a beautiful way, and I'm very, very thrilled with it.»Aside from the most apparent change from the animated film — casting Halle Bailey as the referenced mermaid, Princess Ariel -- director Rob Marshall, producer John DeLuca, and screenwriter David Magee previously revealed that they'd implemented specific changes to reflect a more modern Disney princess, addressing criticism that the original film featured a young woman who was too wrapped up in a man, and giving Ariel more agency.Bailey's Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King's Prince Eric are more kindred spirits in the live-action adaptation; both focused on exploring the world beyond their bubbles despite their parents urging them to stay home.