Actress Jodi Benson says God is leading her steps, lends voice to ‘Wingfeather Saga’
NASHVILLE — Actress and singer Jodi Benson, best known for being the voice of Ariel in Disney's animated series "Little Mermaid," is now the voice of Nia in the new Christian children’s series “The Wingfeather Saga.”
“The Wingfeather Saga” is the No. 1 crowdfunded animated family series in history. It's based on the bestselling fantasy book series of the same name by Christian recording artist Andrew Peterson.
"I'm so thankful, so honored that the team made the selection for me to be part of this project,” Benson told The Christian Post in an interview at the film's premiere. “It's wonderful to do an incredible story with an incredible character, but also to add the element of a faith-based company. It's been a perfect blend for me.”
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Thrilled to be a part of the project, Benson said she greatly appreciates that this children’s story features deep themes of redemptive storylines and loveable characters as well as Christian family values. The innovative “hand-painted” CGI animation rendering technique can be seen throughout the series and was created by a team of veteran artists hailing from studios like Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Disney, Blue Sky and Nickelodeon.
“I love my character of Nia. She is incredibly powerful, the authority that she commands, she is incredibly brave, but she's also an amazing mother who loves her kids ferociously and is a mama bear to the nth degree,” Benson continued. "It's amazing to have this type of a story for families because it's not like a fluff project, it has a lot of deeper messages going on. It also has a gamut of emotions going on. There are times of fear, there are times of sorrow, there are times of incredible joy. And I think all of these types of feelings are important for children to be able to experience and to be able to process through; that is important.”
Benson, who's had an extensive career, said she was proud to be a part of a series with Christian undertones because she has been a believer in Christ since she was young.
"I grew up with a strong faith as a little girl going to church every week, and I think that I could start feeling that sense of God really drawing me into a relationship with Him in fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, but I didn't really know what it meant to have a personal relationship,” she told CP.
Benson said she committed her life to Jesus with the guidance of her husband, Ray Benson.
“When I met my husband when I was 18, and he introduced me [and said], 'You know you can have this personal relationship and this is what it looks like.' It just was so wonderful to know. I had been called and I had been feeling that pull, but then coming to the fruition of this is what it looks like. And to be able to go forward in my career and know that God is in charge of that and directing me every step of the way and making sure that every project that I'm a part of is exactly where He wants me to be,” she testified.
“It's having that guiding light that has really led me over these past 42 years on my career that's been a huge blessing,” Benson maintained.
Christ leading her career has brought “tremendous peace and amazing experiences,” she said.
“The Wingfeather Saga” will make its debut on Dec. 2 on the Angel Studios app with six episodes planned for season one. “The Wingfeather Saga” is distributed by Angel Studios the same studio behind the blockbuster hit series “The Chosen.”
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
