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The Little Mermaid Live-Action Song Lyrics

Original ‘The Little Mermaid’ Songwriter Changes Songs’ Lyrics To Include Consent

“There is one way to ask her / It don’t take a word / Not a single word / Go on and kiss the girl…” so goes the lyrics for “Kiss the Girl” in the original The Little Mermaid. In the upcoming live-action reimagining of Disney’s animated classic, the song will sound a little bit different, with its lines revised to include consent.

The Little Mermaid Live-Action Song Lyrics (2)
“Kiss the Girl” sequence in the original The Little Mermaid animated feature.

Alan Menken, one of the two soundtrack creators of the original movie, worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda – who portrays Le Chef Louis in the movie – to update the lyrics for a modern audience. Speaking to Vanity Fair, he shared the reasons behind the change, “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].”

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The scene in question involves Prince Eric being encouraged to kiss Ariel, who at this point in the story, doesn’t have a voice anymore. The lack of outright, clear consent from Ariel means the former’s actions are of a dubious nature, with the implication being that it’s a violation of the mermaid’s modesty. In more serious situations, dubious consent can amount to rape.

In a similar vein, “Poor Unfortunate Souls” will also have its lyrics modified, specifically the part 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.”

“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,” added Menken.

The Little Mermaid hits theaters on 26 May, and stars Halle Bailey as the titular character. The singer-actress is joined by Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and more. The film’s teaser debut drew in 104 million global views at D23 Expo last year.

Since then, a slew of images teasing life under the sea has been dropping steadily. The most recent of the lot is a 10-photo album, revealed exclusively by Entertainment Weekly. Check them all out below: