Mom and daughter meet original ‘Little Mermaid’ in sweet viral video
Hearts are melting because of a TikTok that shows an unplanned meetup between a mom-and-daughter duo and the original Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.”
TikTok influencer Jayla Brenae, who often makes vids starring her 2-year-old daughter Nyla, traveled from Dallas to California to attend the “blue-carpet” premiere of Disney’s new, live-action “Little Mermaid.”
As Jayla and Nyla were leaving their hotel to head to the premiere, Jayla says some women wanted to take a picture with Nyla — who, of course, is decked out in a beautiful, ocean-themed dress and carrying her beloved Ariel doll.
Witness the glam, including some stunning, sparkly heels:
@jaylabrenae5 And yes she wore them the ENTIRE time. I brought her slippers and she refused to take them all, after party and all😭👠 #divadaughter #thelittlemermaid #thelittlemermaidpremiere #toddlerthings
No wonder they wanted a photo! What a look.
While they arranged themselves for the photo, Jayla realized that one of the gorgeous ladies was Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from the original 1989 animated film. And Benson was in full Disney Princess mode, with a cascading, glittery gown and flowing blonde locks.
Benson takes a quick look at Nyla’s Ariel doll, fixes her hair, then poses her in Nyla’s arms so everyone has their best face forward.
Then the clip cuts to Jayla posing with Benson and Nyla and starting to cry tears of happiness.
Watch for yourself:
@jaylabrenae5 I LITERALLY CANNOT STILL I AM CRYING ALL OVER AGAIN💕🌊 #thelittlemermaid #jodibenson #littlemermaid #ariel #disney #dreamcometrue #emotional
The video naturally went viral, with more than 20.9 million views. It’s even more wonderful when you scroll through the comments and see that Halle Bailey, the star of the new “Mermaid,” took a moment to watch and leave a note.
“This made me cry,” Bailey wrote, adding in a “happy tears” emoji.
Later on, Jayla posted another version of the same clip, but without music. In it, you can hear Jayla say to Benson, through tears, “I literally just wore your pajama shirt last night.”
“Ok, I’m sorry, I’m a crier,” Jayla says.
“I am too,” says Benson as they set up their pose. “I’ve been crying all day too, honey!”
@jaylabrenae5 Replying to @Mari she embodies every single bit of a Disney Princess in real life!! Kind, graceful, beautiful with the spirit to match. I couldn’t help but to cry meeting her!💙 #thelittlemermaidpremiere #jodibenson #disneyprincess #ariel #reallifeprincess
So. Adorable.
After attending the movie premiere, Jayla and Nyla went on to spend a day at Disneyland — a fitting ending to a magical experience!