D23, the official Disney fan club has really been stepping it up recently on the events they are offering to members! A couple of weeks ago, D23 hosted a Little Mermaid screening at the AMC Theater at Disney Springs. Not only was it so nice to see the movie on the big screen again but it included a panel. The panel was led by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel! This was such an incredible experience and I am so excited to share it with you today!
What is D23?
Real quick, in case you didn’t know, D23 is the official Disney fan club and has a free and a paid membership offered. The paid membership can be as little as $50 a year and offers many exclusive events and benefits. D23 offers multiple events including the bi-annual Ultimate Fan Event in California. And the Destination D23 Event here in Disney World! You can check out membership options and learn more here!
What Was Included With The D23 Little Mermaid Screening
Tickets for the D23 Little Mermaid screening were $35 per person. Each ticket included the screening of the movie and participation in the panel led by Disney Legend Jodi Benson, a special edition Gideons Bakehouse cookie, beautiful art print, personalized event credential and a soda from the theater. The art print was breathtaking! It is Little Mermaid concept art done by Disney Legend, Glen Keane. I love it so much! While I am not a huge sweets lover, this Gideon’s cookie was as delicious as it was beautiful! I looked like a seashell in the traditional Ariel colors and had ube and coconut flavors. So good!
D23 Little Mermaid Panel With Jodi Benson
The panel was a really amazing part of the evening! Not only did we get to hear from Jodi Benson on how she started out as Ariel and how it has impacted her life, but we also got to hear from the creatives and producers behind the new Little Mermaid show in Hollywood Studios! Jodi told us about how she was asked to read and sing for an audition for Ariel after a failed Broadway show and just saw it as “something to do on the way to the unemployment line”. Hahaha! She had never done voice acting before and went in, did her reading and sang the song after practicing in the bathroom and left.
A year later her agent called and told her she booked Ariel. All she could say was “what’s an Ariel”? She shared that the animator who created Ariel never wanted to do a princess. But after seeing her bring the character to life he could see exactly how Ariel should look and act. Jodi Benson talked about what the character has meant to her over the years and how special each interaction with different fans have been.
D23 Little Mermaid Screening Creative Panel
After Jodi shared her experiences and relationship with bringing the Little Mermaid to life, she brought out the creative and producing team for the new Little Mermaid show in Hollywood Studios. It was amazing to hear their stories and how connected they were to the original show. One of the directors started as an usher in the original show and ended up becoming a puppeteer in that show. Another also became a puppeteer in the original show! Each one had a cool story about how they were connected to the original show and how they sprinkled parts of what they loved about that show into this new one. Watching the new show, you can definitely see how much love they had for the original.
Watching The Little Mermaid On The Big Screen
When I tell you that I felt like a little kid again sitting in that theater, I mean it! Watching this movie with the real life Ariel in the theater was unreal, such an incredible experience. At seven years old, my mom took me to see this movie in the theater. I was totally brought back to that memory and experience. I even had to call my mom and thank her for making my childhood so magical where I have this memory.
Conclusion
Needless to say, I loved everything about this event. It was magical and special and had me in my feels so deep. Jodi Benson is such a lovely person and shares so much of her heart when she speaks. All the reasons we all love Ariel, she just is! She spoke a lot about how Ariel’s journey of finding her voice. And how so many fans have shared with her that this character helped them find their own voice. I always loved how independent Ariel was and how she was willing to find a way to get where she wanted to be, in spite of not being heard. Ariel was always my favorite princess growing up, I had all the things! The day after this event I found my Little Mermaid charm bracelet I got at the gift shop outside the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. So many Ariel memories. I hope you all read this and want to go watch Little Mermaid now!! Have the most magical day!