Iconic Voices of Disney Princesses Ariel, Tiana, Belle and Jasmine on Their Favorite Fan Moments, Advice for Young Creatives
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The iconic voices behind Disney princesses Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Tiana are revealing some of the most magical fan moments that have made their dreams come true.
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Fresh off the whirlwind D23 expo, Jodi Benson, aka Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Linda Larkin (Princess Jasmine in Aladdin), Paige O’Hara (Belle in Beauty & the Beast) and Anika Noni Rose (Tiana in The Princess and the Frog) joined Walt Disney Co. on Aug. 13 to celebrate its new Disney Princess “Create Your World” campaign.
Rose, who voiced Disney’s first Black princess, shared one unforgettable “goosebumps” experience. “When The Princess and the Frog came out, I had a parent tweet me to let me know that their child loved the movie and watched it on loop,” the Broadway actress and singer told The Hollywood Reporter. “But the child was nonverbal autistic, and this child started speaking and singing to my song.”
The Create Your World initiative kicked off at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim, where Disney showcased new toys, apparel, accessories and more from American Girl, Janie & Jack, Lego, Mattel, Funko, Loungefly, Diff Eyewear, Tweezerman, Unique Vintage and other brands; the launch of Disney’s Portal to the Princesses augmented reality experience; and a new YouTube series.
Disney’s campaign comes ahead of World Princess Week (Aug. 25-31). Tracy Thurman, vp global product design at Disney Consumer Products, told THR that the new goods are inspired by kids themselves and mark the first crossover between Disney Princess worlds.
“One of the things that we really looked at is how children are playing with our characters. We used to really keep all of the stories very separate. So if you had Belle, she would have a very specific story and specific way of playing out that story,” says Thurman. “What we realized is children imagine all the princesses as friends, and so we wanted to give them the opportunity to play in [that] way … That’s a pretty significant thing that we realize is it’s just how children play and imagine beyond just the stories that they see in the movies. In their real world, that’s how they want to engage with our princesses.”
The four Disney Legends also sat down with THR to chat about some of the most memorable moments they’ve shared with fans and their best life advice for anyone chasing a dream. Keep reading below for more (including why Benson says she’s proud to call herself “a hot mess”), then see and shop some of the new Disney Princess product launches below.
Like many kids, I was a huge fan of all of the Disney princess films, so my inner 9-year-old is thinking that I have the best job right now. I’m sure you hear so many similar stories from fans. Are there any specific memorable moments from over the years that come to mind first that you’d like to share?
LINDA LARKIN There was a time when I met a girl who shared with me that she had been bullied as a child, and that when Aladdin came out and she saw the strength that Princess Jasmine had. She felt that it gave her courage to stand up for herself and stand up in a world that she felt was being hard on her. She really had an emotional moment recalling it and said, “Thank you for being part of this character,” because it really helped her to have courage in her own life as a child.
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ANIKA NANI ROSE Many years ago, closer to when The Princess and the Frog came out, I had a parent tweet me to let me know that their child loved the movie and watched it on loop. But the child was nonverbal autistic, and this child started speaking and singing to my song. [The mom] was in a different room and she heard this voice and it wasn’t a voice that she knew and she went into the living room and that child was singing. And it is the most remarkable, amazing goosebumps feeling. It was amazing, and remains amazing.
JODI BENSON I think the ones that always touch you are obviously involving children. Like Anika said, when they have movies and characters that they can connect to, it’s on loop. Through all these years, I’m always overwhelmed at how children are impacted by my character of Ariel and by the film, but also by the song, “Part of Your World,” that they can really make a connection. I worked with a children’s hospital in Michigan that was a burn unit, probably about 10 years after the film came out. And several of the children were using the song in the video during their treatment. Now these treatments, from what I understand, are incredibly painful and they last a long time. So the fact that they can wear their headphones, watch this and listen, that the music [and] lyrics are very healing. It has this unbelievable wash over them to be able to maintain and be able to go through this treatment. So the parents are just so grateful when their child can make that type of connection. So it’s overwhelming, I think, for me to realize this impact that this character has had on so many families. And I’m just very grateful, very blessed to be a part of their journey.
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PAIGE O’HARA I was just at a fan event, [605 Pop Culture Con by] Voices for Cancer in Sioux Falls three weeks ago. It was predominantly raised money for children with cancer. So I got to meet 30 of these kids over the weekend and spend time with them. And they talked about all of us, how we all inspired them. One little girl got cancer at 3 years old and her mother told me she would watch Beauty & the Beast over and over again [and would say,] “I want to be like Belle.” She survived it. And [the mother] said, “I want you to meet her because this is her story.” And in comes this young woman, she’s [about] 19 years old, and she said, “I finally feel so free. I wouldn’t have been able to get through that whole life without all of the princesses.”
And she said, “And Belle, I identified with because she has brown hair, brown eyes, like me and I love to read.” And I said, “Well, maybe you should write a children’s book.” She says, “I’m writing an adult book about struggle and survival and how to battle your fears.” We’re going to stay in touch, I made sure that we follow her journey.
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Jodi, you wrote in your book about the advice you wish you received. What advice do you all have for anybody who wants to do what you do, or who is trying to figure out how to pursue their dreams?
O’HARA I just say, if you have a dream, you follow. [Anika] has said before, it is OK to fail because so many of us put ourselves through such a rough time when we don’t feel like we’re succeeding. It’s OK to fail and then just get back up and try again and to ask for help. She’s is absolutely right on that.
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BENSON And I think no regrets. That’s something that I can say at my age that I can share with my kids is I can actually say, “I have absolutely no regrets.” And that is such a huge gift. As Anika was talking about [in another conversation], failure is failing moving forward. And at my age now, I really don’t care what anybody thinks about me. I am who I am, whether you like it or not. I’m OK with that because I love myself and I’m OK with me. I’m happy with who I am. So I think for young people, my encouragement is to go ahead, give it a try. And as you fail forward, you are moving. You’re moving in the direction that you are designed to go.
The other thing is I feel like people want what other people have. That “compare and compete” [mindset] is so dangerous. I know for my kids in their 20s, we talk about just being who you are and being happy with that. But the “compare and compete,” it never works. So if I want Anika’s dream or Linda or Paige’s dream, then I’ve missed my own. What’s “do me” is not going to miss me. What’s “do her” is not going to miss her. Each one of us does have our identity and we do have that opportunity to fail forward and find our own path. But I think living with no regrets brings so much freedom. It does. I’m more free now than I’ve ever been in my life, the freedom to just be who I am with all of my mess, because I’m a hot mess! You can talk to my husband about it; after 44 years, I’m a hot mess! But I like my mess, I like who I am. I feel like I’m just now learning that about myself.
LARKIN My message to young people wanting to pursue a dream in the creative arts, or really any dream, is to first follow what you love. And next, when you feel fear, when that creeps in, do it anyway. Just keep going. So that would be my message.
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