A clip of the original voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, watching her daughter Delaney play the lead role in a stage production of The Little Mermaid has gone viral, and Benson revealed she was moved to tears by the performance.
Posted to TikTok, the video has already garnered more than 4.2 million views in only a few days, and people on the platform said they got a bit emotional, as well.
In the clip, Benson can be seen in the audience of the shorter, interactive stage version in Miami as Delaney approaches with a "dinglehopper" and begins to sing Ariel's iconic number "Part of Your World."
An absolutely beaming Benson looks on while Delaney continues with the song, sounding almost identical to the 1989 classic.
You can watch below.
Benson gushed about Delaney's performance in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
"I was completely blown away by Delaneyâs brilliant performance."
"She was truly born to play Ariel."
"The whole experience was so surreal."
She added that she was in tears throughout the entire production.
"I wept throughout the show. I am so honored to pass on my treasured dinglehopper to my daughter."
"Delaney has created her character of Ariel with such love, strength, vulnerability, curiosity and honesty."
"Iâm so incredibly proud of my daughter!"
And she wasn't the only one.
Fans on TikTok commented that they, too, were overcome with emotion watching Delaney sing so beautifully alongside her mother.
@coolzjay/TikTok
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Several also said they were blown away by the likeness between Benson and Delaney, in both sound and appearance.
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@coolzjay/TikTok
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Of course, Delaney isn't the only Ariel for whom Benson has sung praises.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight,, she had only great things to say about Halle Bailey's portrayal of the queen consort of Eric's kingdom in the 2023 live-action Little Mermaid remake.
"She doesn't need any advice from me!"
"She's brilliant."
"I did get to meet her a few times and chat with her and just tell her how proud I was of her, and I love that she has a purity of heart and a pure spirit, and you can see that vulnerability and that childlike bravery and courage coming through, and it's beautiful."
"I'm so thrilled for her and I'm so proud of her."
@chandlerparry/Threads
