Alan Menken, the Oscar-winning composer of the original “Little Mermaid,” is once again back thanks to the live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid.” He not only worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda to update some of the songs for the upcoming film, but also helped adhere to modern cultural sensibilities. Menken’s original score for “Little Mermaid” won him two Academy Awards, including Best Score and Best Song, making him an eight-time Oscar winner.
Speaking to Vanity Fair about his career, Alan Menken said that the beloved villain song “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid was tweaked along with the evil sea witch Ursula to land two Oscar nominations for the original songs “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”
Menken said, “When it comes to manipulating Ariel’s voice, Ursula clearly has the upper hand, so they should be careful not to speak in a way that might make young girls feel somehow unfortunate. We may have made some revisions to the lines about ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’.” “As for Ariel herself, there are some changes in the lyrics of ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have become very sensitive about the idea of Prince Eric forcing himself on her.”
Sebastian, the crab voiced by Wright E. Samuel, is the one who sings “Kiss the Girl” in the original “Little Mermaid”. In the new film, Sebastian is voiced by Daveed Diggs. The track includes reggae-infused lyrics that say “She won’t say a word until you kiss the girl/ She won’t say a word, don’t say a word.” The song “Kiss the Girl” is sung by the crab Sebastian, voiced by Wright E. Samuel in the original “Little Mermaid”.
The role of Ursula in the 2023 film is performed by Melissa McCarthy, who sang the song “Poor Unfortunate Souls” for the part. The actress basically begged to be a part of it. McCarthy told Entertainment Weekly, “I can make a great chicken salad, hummus, and salad. Please bring my craft services!” She literally said, “I will forever regret it if I don’t at least try, but I know I can lose and try again.” McCarthy also mentioned that she has always strangely been in love with Ursula, but she is not known as a singer. She doesn’t know what lunacy went through her head when she said that.
He exclaimed, “It’s truly remarkable. Naturally, she’s humorous and untamed, but there’s such profundity to her acting.” Filmmaker Rob Marshall commended his leading actress. “I must admit, witnessing her in this role will leave you in disbelief as it deviates from anything she has previously attempted.”