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Disney’s upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid has changed some of its original song lyrics to update them to contemporary consensual relationships. Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who created the music for the 1989 animated movie, worked on the live-action remake and updated some of the song lyrics to suit the 2023 version.
Changes Made to the Lyrics
Menken revealed that Kiss the Girl, one of the major musical moments in the movie had undergone some changes to ensure Prince Eric would not be pushy or forceful regarding romance.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Menken also revealed that there had been revisions in Poor Unfortunate Souls to ensure that Ursula’s lines did not make young girls feel like they couldn’t speak out of turn, despite Ariel being manipulated by Ursula to give up her voice.
Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated on updating the lyrics and writing new songs for the live-action remake. The new songs include Wild Unchartered Waters for Prince Eric, a song for Ariel when she has legs, and a number called Scuttlebutt for Scuttle and Sebastian.
Menken also wrote a fourth song called Impossible Child for King Triton. The forthcoming Halle Bailey-led film has undergone significant changes to make the fairy tale more contemporary.
Changes Made to the Story
Disney‘s original 1989 animated movie has received criticism recently because Ariel wanted to leave the ocean for a boy.
The forthcoming Halle Bailey-led film has undergone significant changes to make the fairy tale more contemporary.
Bailey said that she was excited about the new version of the movie because it changed the perspective of Ariel wanting to leave the ocean for a boy.
The story is now more focused on Ariel, her purpose, her freedom, and what she wants. The film opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.
