The live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” changes among the lyrics to “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. But will Ursula (and the film) profit from this transformation? What inspired the variation?
Urszula and Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” | Disney
Looks just like the live-action version got here out yesterday Lion King he defiled Scar by reducing his wicked anthem to a two-minute, barely rhythmic monologue. The song went from a rally of hyenas and a planned mutiny plan to an uninspired condemnation of Mufasa. What replaced Scar’s cunning and cunning nature? Is it just anger and jealousy? His words now not felt like “a matter of pride.”
Scar live also lacked the prevalence complex, condescending air of pretension, and flamboyant pride inherent in its animated counterpart’s legacy. But that is a subject for an additional occasion because we’re here to concentrate on the lyrical changes, not the message. The changes to the text matched the darker personality of the brand new Scar, and were likely written to suit a “modern sensibility”, much like the argument for the changes to “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. However, the query is: do these lyrics profit the song and the character, or do they reduce the Sea Witch to a pale imitation of her predecessor? It depends upon the attitude.
Breakdown of lyrical changes in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’
The original lyrics for “Poor Unfortunate Souls” included a line that’s inherently misogynistic (more on that soon) as Ursula explains to Ariel why she won’t need a voice to approach her man. She sings:
“The men up there don’t love to chatter much
They think a lady who gossips is boring!
However, on land, the women prefer to be silent
And yet, darling, what’s vain chatter for?
Come on, they don’t seem to be impressed with the conversation
True gentlemen avoid it every time they’ll
But they go crazy, they faint and so they fawn
About a girl who’s withdrawn
She who holds her tongue wins a person”
In the brand new song, the verse is replaced with a line of dialogue. Urszula says:
“Okay then. Forget the world above. Go home to daddy and never leave again.”
The lyrical shifts concentrate on Ariel’s desire to see the world above, versus reducing her earthly longings to a eager for one man. However, it is important to maintain Ursula’s intentions in mind when considering these lyrics, in addition to her status as a villain turned cultural icon.
The seemingly recent lyrics of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” appear to suppress Ursula’s villainy
Lyricist and composer Alan Menken explained Vanity fair why the lyrics were adapted, stating:
“In Poor Unfortunate Souls, now we have some verse tweaks that may make the young girls in some way feel they shouldn’t speak out of turn, although Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel into giving up her voice.”
In his explanation, Menken probably contradicts himself, noting that Ursula is “clearly manipulating Ariel”, and thus her words mustn’t be interpreted as fact, but moderately as finesse. Ursula haggles with a young girl she knows she will be able to outsmart. Naivety reigns supreme in adolescence, as do innocent crushes, and using this as a deception tactic only underscores Ursula’s wicked mind – enhancing her villain status. For Ursula, Prince Eric is only a pawn in her game.
Some will argue that the demographic game is just not mature enough to know this, and it should internalize the misogyny anyway. However, while children may not put together all of the complexity, children are quite good at drawing one conclusion: “Villains are evil. Do not take heed to them”. Not to say that a major a part of the viewers of this film are individuals who were children on the time of the premiere of the animated version. They are actually well into their thirties (a minimum of). So could something else be at play?
Ursula has turn out to be a source of inspiration over time, and that changes the sport (a minimum of somewhat)
Disney undoubtedly knows that Ursula – who was only a villain in 1989 – has turn out to be a beloved character (even a hero for some). Ursula is one in every of the few full-blooded Disney villains who claims her space and proudly walks round her lair. She is sensible and sexy.
He doesn’t keep silent to avoid attracting attention, nor does he attempt to take up less space while allowing the patriarchy to spread its legs far and wide. (Her actions directly contradict the misogynist message she employs in “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, further emphasizing the verse as exploitative moderately than explanatory.) She could be the villain within the narrative, but for a lot of she is the untamed queen for the gullible Princess Ariel.
Generations that first witnessed the Drag Queen-inspired showstopper singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” began to have a good time the character. There’s even a well-liked poem concerning the Sea Witch that humanizes Ursula much more and emphasizes how much she means to fans:
In short, is it possible that the generation that loves Ursula will now bring their children to this film – children with whom they shared their adoration for Ursula? When parents are on board (a minimum of to some extent) with the film’s antagonist, the likelihood of youngsters internalizing the Sea Witch’s misogynistic messages increases. Even if just somewhat.
This could also be a bit far-fetched, but Ursula has undoubtedly embraced a positive cultural presence that she hasn’t had since her origins. If he’s meant to be a villain narratively but culturally an inspiration to young girls, perhaps it’s sensible to drop the road and avoid the complex dichotomy of the situation entirely.
That being said, the new edition removes one in every of the song’s funniest verses, and it is a loss on the musical and lyrical front. Ursula shaking her hips and throaty voice singing the words “body language” shall be an actual loss.
