American composer Alan Menken, renowned for composing the music to Disney’s original The Little Mermaid, lent his name to the tweaks made to the songs in the live-action remake. Menken discussed these changes in an interview cited here for context. Show Fair.
“There’s a change in Kiss the Girl because audiences are highly sensitive to how Prince Eric approaches Ariel,” the composer noted.
According to Menken, he also revised the original lyrics of Poor Unfortunate Souls to avoid encouraging young listeners to silence themselves when not spoken to about their feelings. In the scene, Ursula implies that men dislike a talkative partner, prompting Ariel to side with Ursula in a pivotal moment of the tale.
The live-action premiere of The Little Mermaid was scheduled for May 26, 2023. The film adapts the 1989 Disney animated classic, which follows Princess Ariel as she falls for Prince Eric and makes a perilous pact with the cunning sea witch Ursula for a chance at life on land.
In the cast, Halle Bailey portrays Ariel, with John Hauer-King as Prince Eric and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Javier Bardem portrays King Triton in this retelling.
Earlier reports noted that Harry Styles had considered but ultimately turned down the role of Prince Eric in this interpretation of The Little Mermaid.