See the magical moment the original 'Little Mermaid' watches her daughter perform the role
Hold on to your dinglehoppers, because there has been a thrilling development under the sea.
A new Ariel is "flipping her fins" in a production of "The Little Mermaid," and she's none other than Delaney Benson, the daughter of Jodi Benson, who took the world by storm in 1989 as Ariel in Disney's original "The Little Mermaid."
Delaney is starring in a "90-minute immersive" production of the show at Miami's Area Stage, and her mom couldn't be prouder.
In a TikTok video of the show posted yesterday that has received around 3 million views, Delaney begins the opening bars of "Part of Your World" sitting right at Jodi's feet.
In the video, Delaney stands up to sing, "The girl who has ... everything," locking eyes with her mom as she gently places her hand on Jodi's shoulder.
The person who shot the video seems to recognize the gravity of the moment. You can hear them gleefully say, "Oh my goodness! Literally ... oh my goodness I could cry."
At the end of the video is Delaney's bow during the curtain call. Jodi is, of course, standing up, filming the moment on her phone and blowing kisses to her daughter.
Jodi shared the video in her Instagram story yesterday, adding a caption: "Absolutely incredible, Delaney ??. You are a perfect Ariel! I love you so much! Congratulations!"
TikTok commenters were overjoyed by this magical moment:
"She looks JUST like her Mom!! What an incredibly beautiful moment to be a part of! Thank you for sharing this magic with us!!???????♀?"
"Why am I cryingggg. She looks so much like her mom."
"I thought that WAS Jodi Benson singing!"
"do you have her singing the part of your world reprise pls pls pls pls pls"
And yes, there is a video of Delaney singing the "Part of Your World" reprise.
Delaney is no stranger to the stage. In fact, the Cinncinatti College Conservatory of Music grad has shared it with her mom in 2023 when they played Louise and Mama Rose in a Florida production of "Gypsy."
As for Jodi, she's wrapping up a run as the inimitable Dolly Levi in a production of "Hello, Dolly!" in Orlando.
This moment was truly a happy ending for the mother-daughter duo.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com