The lyrics to a song from “The Little Mermaid” will reportedly be altered in the live-action remake in order to emphasize the importance of consent.
Composer Alan Menken, who was behind the score of the original film, said in a recent interview that audiences will noticed slight changes to a pair of songs when the Disney film releases on May 26.
“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]. 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,” Menken told Vanity Fair.
“It don’t take a word, not a single word / Go on and kiss the girl,” the crab Sebastian sings in “Kiss the Girl.”
In “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” the film’s villain, Ursula, attempts to convince Ariel to give up her voice. “The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber / They think a girl who gossips is a bore / Yes, on land it’s much preferred /For ladies not to say a word,” she sings.
Ursula in the live-action remake of ‘THE LITTLE MERMAID.’pic.twitter.com/lDXKSCk8lu
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) April 4, 2023
Menken isn’t the only Disney-affiliated entity to change lyrics to conform to woke times. (RELATED: Disney Lays Off Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac Perlmutter Amid Sharp Cost-Cutting Measures)
The 2019 version of Aladdin created a new song for Jasmine about refusing to be silenced while the upcoming live-action remake of “Snow White” is also set to make a “modern woman out of Snow White,” according to The Week.
Disneyland has also removed the “zip-a-dee-doo-dah” lyric from its parade lineup, arguing it has a negative connotations for black Americans. The lyrics were swapped out with “think of the happiest things” from Peter Pan, according to CBS News.