Jodi Benson Auditions for Belle | Beauty and the Beast

[@joecab1]

Wow I never knew! The fact that they even considered Jodi shows how even after the success of TLM no one had any idea how iconic these roles were going to be.

[@LaKellita1]

They actually did, but they wanted someone who sounded a little older.

[@tmc31390]

@@LaKellita1not only that, but they felt Benson’s voice sounded “too American” for her to pull off voicing a young woman from France.

[@LaKellita1]

@tmc31390 but that's exactly how Paige sounded. Don't get me wrong, Paige IS Belle, no question. But Paige didn't sound French anymore than Jodi.

[@joecab1]

@@LaKellita1 If she sounded French, they'd ALL have to sound French, so I can see why they only had a few (Lumiere, the featherduster) who did.

[@JesseGoodwin2635Backup]

the fact that she later voiced Belle in the House of Mouse tv series

[@georgearaman7211]

I would love to hear a tape of Jodi auditioning for Princess Jasmine! 🩵🐯🧞‍♂️

[@71crm]

Jodi was actually pretty good, she didn’t suck. Oddly enough her and Paige O’Hara were friends before either of them knew that they were going to be Disney princesses. Part of me wonders if Paige heard about this through Jodi, but that’s just my speculation

[@tmc31390]

O’Hara actually learned about the auditions for Belle from the NYT. Also, Howard Ashman had already been considering O’Hara for the role of Belle due to her performance in a Broadway musical (O’Hara, like Jodi Benson, was already a well-known Broadway actress in her own right at the time). That said, Benson did encourage and support O’Hara during her audition process.

[@cbismarck07]

What a gem

[@Father_of_Death]

Her voice is so cute, but I think they wanted someone who sounded more European. That's why they cast Paige O'Hara.

[@JustHackingAround]

She sounds SO much like "Elizabeth" in Bioshock Infinite.

[@MrBungee]

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing this.

[@marikkelaszlo3355]

Someone make an animatic of Ariel recreating Belle's movements in this 😂😂😂

[@jakeakawayne6437]

WOW, I'd love some timeline and context on this. It's incredible. Did Paige get this demo? It's amazing how she nails it.

[@AAA839]

I wonder did there had Paige Audition audio tape too?

[@LaKellita1]

Jodi is obviously fabulous, but she simply wasn't right for the song "Belle"