Part of Their World
By Amy Schwartz Kimlat
Under the sea, all worries wash away – at least that’s what Noa Klein hopes as she sends messages of assurance and resilience to children in Israel as the voice of Ariel in Disney’s Hebrew language version of The Little Mermaid live-action remake. Though she now resides in Israel, the Hebrew-speaking voice actress has roots in Orlando’s Jewish community. From 2016-2018, Noa and her husband Pe’er lived in the Orlando area, where they had their first child, Bella. They arrived in town after Noa accepted the leading role of Wendla Bergmann in a stage production of the musical Spring Awakening at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“I fell in love with the people of Orlando and the Orlando Magic,” says Noa, “and since I am a huge Disney fan, we decided to stay.”
While in Orlando, Noa performed at many local theaters and with the local Israeli band, The Magic Sabras, at Jewish community events. But her biggest desire was always to be a Disney princess.
“All my life I dreamed of being a Disney princess, and The Little Mermaid in particular,” says Noa. “I always wanted, hoped, and tried – I even made it to the auditions at Disney World, with red hair and blue contact lenses.”
That didn’t work out, but Noa didn’t lose hope in her mermaid dreams, even though, she muses, it’s been a while since she’s been 16 years old.
When Disney announced a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid several years ago, Noa began relentlessly pursuing the voice-over role
“As soon as I knew this, I started sending messages to everyone and anyone from the profession I had heard of,” she says. “All the dubbing studios, every director, every producer. Nobody knew me, but I was so focused I didn’t care. And every few months I’d resend messages.”
Noa eventually got her shot in February 2023.
“Finally, I was invited to the long-awaited audition,” she says. “It worked out well. Disney chose me to dub Ariel in the live-action movie of The Little Mermaid.”
Now, she uses her dream role to spread hope during troubled times.
“I’ve decided to send calming voice messages to Israeli kids and adults who need it after a friend of mine, also a voice-over actress, started this project a few years ago,” explains Noa. “I wanted to use my talent to help somehow, and I felt that many kids facing a very scary time and uncertainty could use a little greeting from Ariel.”
The reactions have been heartwarming.
“The children are very excited receiving these messages,” says Noa. “Sometimes they send me a voice message back, and I even got pictures of drawings of The Little Mermaid, and some of them even sang to me.”
Noa’s messages as Ariel aim to provide comfort and resilience.
“I tell them that I know it’s been some very confusing days, sometimes scary, but we merpeople can deal with anything, and that good always wins in the end,” she says.
“I tell them that I think of them even under the sea.”
If you know a child in Israel who would love a personal message of support from The Little Mermaid, send their name(s) and age(s) to Noa on Instagram @noakleinofficial.