Ariel's Disney Princess Legend Officially Becomes The Little Mermaid-esque Villain In New Fantasy Movie
Benson Returns to Disney
Walt Disney Animation Studios announced that Jodi Benson will voice Cursula in Hexed. Benson voiced Ariel in the original animated The Little Mermaid, released in 1989. Cursula’s name and appearance draw directly on Ursula, the villain in The Little Mermaid. The casting links Benson’s best-known Disney role with a new character inspired by that film.
A Teenager Discovers Magic
Hexed stars Hailee Steinfeld as Billie Doe, a teenager who realizes she has magical powers while facing expulsion from school. Her abilities set her on a journey to uncover secrets about her family in the Hexe realm. The cast also includes Rashida Jones, Jodie Foster, Walton Goggins, Henry Winkler, Stephen Fry, Ron Funches, Kathy Najimy, Randall Park, Rachel Dratch and Yvette Nicole Brown.
A Long Disney Career
Benson made her film debut as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. The film earned more than $200 million in theaters, received a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes and won Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Under the Sea.” She returned as Ariel in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning and the 1992-1992 television show, and appeared in Ralph Breaks the Internet. Her other Disney work includes Flubber, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, Hercules: The Animated Series and the Toy Story franchise as Barbie.
Release Date and Projections
The movie is projected to gross $40 million to $50 million on its opening weekend. Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011, alongside figures including Regis Philbin, Jim Henson and Paige O’Hara.
Key points
- Jodi Benson will voice Cursula, a villain inspired by Ursula, in Disney’s Hexed.
- Hailee Steinfeld stars as Billie Doe, a teenager who discovers she has magical powers.
- Hexed is scheduled to open in theaters on November 25.
- The film’s opening-weekend gross is projected at $40 million to $50 million.