'The Little Mermaid' has a subtle 'passing the torch' moment between Halle Bailey and the actor who originally voiced Ariel, the film's director reveals

• Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel, makes a subtle cameo in the new live-action film.
• The film's director said Benson and Halle Bailey share a "passing the torch" moment in the scene.

The actor who originally voiced Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" shares a special moment with Halle Bailey during her cameo in Disney's new live-action remake, the film's director said.

Jodi Benson, 61, told Entertainment Weekly she had no hesitations about saying yes when the film's director Rob Marshall asked her about doing a cameo in the 2023 remake.

According to the outlet, she and Marshall have known each other for around 40 years, having been members of New York City's theater scene in the 1980s.

Eventually, Benson won the role of voicing Ariel in the 1989 Disney animated movie. The character is played by Bailey, 23, in the new film, which premiered worldwide on Friday.

"It was just a huge thrill for me when Robbie reached out," Benson said, recalling the moment Marshall contacted her about the cameo. "I'm like, 'Of course I'm gonna come! I don't care what I'm doing. I just can't wait to get around the set and watch all of you work. It was just pure joy for me."

But according to Marshall, Benson's cameo had a deeper meaning. According to the outlet, Benson appears briefly during a marketplace scene — she plays a woman who offers Ariel (Bailey) a plate of food and a fork, which the mermaid princess mistakes for a hairbrush and begins brushing her hair with.

"It's literally like passing the torch," Marshall said.

It wasn't just Marshall who was thrilled to have Benson involved — he said Bailey herself was excited to have Benson onboard.

"Halle was out of her mind to meet Jodi because she grew up with that Ariel," he said. "It was quite beautiful. I mean, it's 34 years later. The beauty of Jodi is that she's so open-hearted and excited about this Ariel living alongside her Ariel."

"They're both there forever now," Marshall added. "It was just really, really moving for all of us."