According to a new interview with composer Alan Menken in Vanity Fair, The Little Mermaid’s tracks “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” will be changed to tackle complaints about their offensiveness.
Changes
Menken stated, “there are some lyric modifications in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have been extremely sensitive about the thought that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, push himself on [Ariel].”
This was done to avoid Prince Eric being interpreted as forcing himself on Ariel.
Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ live-action will feature updated lyrics to “Kiss The Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
The move is meant to emphasize the importance of consent and women empowerment. pic.twitter.com/CmQ9tampA8
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 5, 2023
In the same vein, Ursula’s song from “Poor Unfortunate Souls” was altered to guarantee that young females would not be deterred from expressing their opinions.
Disney has been under fire for supporting gender norms and damaging stereotypes in its movies. Nonetheless, the studio has been working to increase diversity, as seen in the songs from The Little Mermaid that have been altered.
Disney continues to work on making its films more “woke.” The company has apparently come under fire for supporting negative stereotypes and gender norms, so now they are doubling down on wokeness.
Some fans, though, have reservations about the revisions and fear they may lessen the impact of the original film. How viewers will respond to the reimagined The Little Mermaid is yet to be seen.
I will not stand for lyrics being changed in the Little Mermaid songs pic.twitter.com/3vAwsbI6VT
— Kelly Keegs (@kellykeegs) April 6, 2023
Impact
The Little Mermaid, a 1989 motion picture about a mermaid princess Ariel who becomes infatuated with a human prince, was a tremendous box office hit.
Despite the changes, the revision of the movie is anticipated to retain the charm and magic that made the original so well-liked by viewers of all ages.
Since then, the film has become an adored classic and helped inspire multiple adaptations and sequels, including a live-action rerelease set to be released in 2023.
Disney is dedicated to ensuring that The Little Mermaid remains relevant and approachable to contemporary audiences since it established itself as a timeless tale of love, sacrifice, and self-discovery.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
