‘The Little Mermaid’ Remake Updated Song Lyrics So Prince Eric Doesn’t ‘Force Himself’ on Ariel: ‘People Have Gotten Very Sensitive’

Zack Sharf
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Prince Eric will not be forcing himself on Ariel through song in Disney’s upcoming live-action “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Rob Marshall. Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who wrote the music for the 1989 animated movie, returned to work on the 2023 live-action remake and updated some of the song lyrics so they wouldn’t be outdated when it comes to consensual relationships.

“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 recently told Vanity Fair. “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.”

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“Kiss the Girl” is one of the major musical moments between Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) in “The Little Mermaid.” The two are on a romantic boat ride and Sebastian the crab encourages Eric to give his crush a kiss. Disney clearly did not want Prince Eric to come off as pushy and forceful when it comes to romance in 2023.

Menken was nominated for two Oscars thanks to his work on the original “The Little Mermaid,” and he won the Academy Award for original song with “Under the Sea.” For the live-action remake, he collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda on updating the lyrics and writing new songs.

“He’s really smart. He understands theater really well,” Menkin said of Miranda. “He understands a lot of things really well. He’s got this stylistic brilliance that brings in hip-hop and rap, and all old musical forms that help. Even though it’s a composer, me, and the lyricist, Lin — when we were in the room, all those influences came to band.”

Marshall’s “The Little Mermaid” is making even more changes to ensure the fairy tale is as contemporary as possible. Disney’s 1989 animated movie has earned criticism in recent years due to its narrative, in which Ariel wants to go to the surface world solely because she’s fallen in love with Prince Eric.

“I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy,” Bailey said last month. “It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants.”

“The Little Mermaid” opens in theaters May 26 from Disney.

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