‘The Little Mermaid’ Live-Action Film Modifies Song Lyrics To Include Consent
The live-action The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King will have some of the songs updated to modern times.
Songs like “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” have had their lyrics modified to allow consent.
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“There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken told Vanity Fair in an interview.
Alan Menken, who along with Howard Ashman created the soundtrack of the original animated film, worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda to update the lyrics for the live-action adaptation.
In the scene where “Kiss the Girl” plays, Prince Eric is encouraged to kiss Ariel, who at this moment doesn’t have a voice anymore. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” also has a line that was revised where Ursula says, “The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber, they think a girl who gossips is a bore, yet on land, it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word.”
Menken added, “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.”
The Little Mermaid hits theaters May 26, and is directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay by David Magee. The cast also includes Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton, along with Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Noma Dumezweni, among others.
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