'The Little Mermaid' star reveals what made her Ariel

Jodi Benson – who, 35 years ago, voiced Ariel, a bubbly and chirpy undersea princess in The Little Mermaid in 1989 – looks back at her Disney princess character.

When recently asked what the traits she shares with the spirited redhead are, "tenacity" was the actress's reply.

“I think the quality of her tenacity is something I really could relate to right off the bat,” the 64-year-old says at the New York Comic-Con.

She notes, "When she gets a no, she just keeps ploughing forward until every door shuts in her face, figuratively."

Besides her determination, Jodi adds she also likes Ariel's "free, independent spirit, which can come off as rebelliousness in some regards."

However, the star points out one aspect she lacked which the Disney princesses had: her relationship with her father.

“I did not have a relationship with my father,” the actress shares. “He had left when I was 11, so that element of father-daughter was a little difficult for me to tap into.”

But in the movie, Howard Ashman, who is Ariel's on-screen dad, King Triton, helped her build the emotional connection to show an authentic father-daughter duo, says Jodi.

“He was really helpful for me to kind of create that relationship,” the star gushes.

The Little Mermaid was released in 1989 and marked a major hit for Disney, as she became a recognisable princess in the studio's series of princesses.