Jodi Benson Archives

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Rating: ★★★½

Jun 9, 1999Disney Animation/Fairy-Tale

The beginning of the big Disney renaissance of the 1990s. An adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale that is conducted with an enormous degree of energy, colour and good cheer

Director: John Musker, Ron Clements

Actors: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Pat Carroll, Kenneth Mars, …

Category: Fantasy

9 June 19993 July 2026 by Roog

Thumbelina (1994)

Rating: ★★

Jul 6, 2000Animated Fairy-Tale

Animated film from Don Bluth, an insipid adaptation of the fairytale that eventually bogs down as a comic picaresque (*)

Director: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman

Actors: Jodi Benson, Gilbert Gottfried, Carol Channing, John Hurt

Category: Fantasy

6 July 200015 April 2025 by Roog

Flubber (1997)

Rating: ★★

Jan 1, 2000Absent-Minded Professor Remake

Remake of Disney’s The Absent-Minded Professor where the charms of the original are buried under an excess of twee - where the professor now gets a cute robot assistant and the flubber becomes sentient

Director: Les Mayfield

Actors: Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Jodi Benson, Christopher McDonald, …

Category: Science Fiction

1 January 20005 July 2026 by Roog

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Rating: ★★★★

Dec 2, 1999Pixar Animation/The Secret Life of Toys

Pixar's sequel to their first film and arguably an even better work where they get the plaintive emotion, character arcs and witty humour down perfect

Director: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich

Actors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammar, …

Category: Fantasy

2 December 19999 July 2022 by Roog

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)

Rating: ★★½

Dec 20, 2000Disney Animation

One of the video-released sequels to their animated films that Disney made in the 90s/00s, this slavishly imitates its predecessor but does have a likeable line-up of supporting characters

Director: Brian Smith, Jim Kammerud

Actors: Tara Strong, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Samuel L. Wright, …

Category: Fantasy

20 December 20003 July 2026 by Roog

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001)

Rating: ★

Mar 1, 2001Disney Animation/Talking Animals

Disappointing video-released sequel to the classic Disney animated film where the engaging characters of the original have become settled down parents

Director: Darrell Rooney, Jeannine Roussel

Actors: Scott Wolf, Alyssa Milano, Chazz Palminteri, Jodi Benson

Category: Fantasy

1 March 200128 December 2023 by Roog

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (2008)

Rating: ★★

Dec 20, 2009Disney Animation

One among the series of cheap video-released sequels to their classic animated films made during the 1990s/2000s, this is a prequel that offers up a Little Mermaid origin story

Director: Peggy Holmes

Actors: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Sally Field, Jim Cummings, …

Category: Fantasy

20 December 200923 January 2023 by Roog

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Rating: ★★★½

Jun 19, 2010Pixar Animation/The Secret Life of Toys

After such high standards with the previous two films, there is considerable onus on Pixar when it comes to this third entry nevertheless they manage to wring some strong and effective new twists on the familiar

Director: Lee Unkrich

Actors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Joan Cusack, …

Category: Fantasy

19 June 20106 May 2025 by Roog