The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[JeanGreyForever]

Four new songs seems like a lot, although it balances out better if they eliminate Daughters of Triton, Les Poissons, and maybe even Fathoms Below.

They balance it with making the film 30 minutes longer.

I mean, Aladdin and BATB were both longer as well and Aladdin just had one new song. Technically BATB had three new songs but How Does a Moment Last Forever wasn't particularly long and Days in the Sun replaced Human Again. And if you count the opening Aria as a fourth song, that's replacing the prologue so it still balances out a bit.

[Disney Duster]

I really hope all the original songs stay in along with the new ones. Beauty and the Beast's problem was not the amount of songs.

[Farerb]

I really hope all the original songs stay in along with the new ones. Beauty and the Beast's problem was not the amount of songs.

Beauty and the Beast's score was the only thing that was actually good. The songs could have been good as well had they brought people who could actually sing, unlike the two Emmas.
I believe that The Little Mermaid's soundtrack could also turn out to be good, except Poor Unfortunate Soul. Bailey has a good voice so her version of Part of Your World should be good.

[Disney Duster]

I almost completely agree. It's just that I also liked some of the costumes and all of the sets in Beauty and the Beast as well. I also think that maybe Poor Unfortunate Souls, while not sung well, could have so much personality injected into it, it may be good in that way.

[Farerb]

I almost completely agree. It's just that I also liked some of the costumes and all of the sets in Beauty and the Beast as well. I also think that maybe Poor Unfortunate Souls, while not sung well, could have so much personality injected into it, it may be good in that way.

I wasn't a fan of Beauty and the Beast's production design, but I will admit that they at least put effort in it. Unlike Aladdin where everything there seems like a cheap direct to video/TV production.

[Disney Duster]

Oh, well I am glad you saw they put effort into Beauty and the Beast's. I didn't like Aladdin's production design either. Nor the costumes.

[DisneyFan97]

I hope Ursula gets a secend song !

[Farerb]

I hope Ursula gets a secend song !

She doesn't.
It has been confirmed that there are four new songs:
1. Ariel
2. Eric
3. Triton
4. Scuttle

[Disney's Divinity]

I hope Ursula gets a secend song !

I would've preferred that over Scuttle, I think.

[JeanGreyForever]

I almost completely agree. It's just that I also liked some of the costumes and all of the sets in Beauty and the Beast as well. I also think that maybe Poor Unfortunate Souls, while not sung well, could have so much personality injected into it, it may be good in that way.

I generally liked the costumes with the exception of Belle's. Her only costume that worked for me was her final one, as anachronistic as it was. Her boots with her blue dress were particularly egregious lol. I think the sets are pretty decent and I don't really have many faults with them. However, Cinderella excelled in both production design and costumes in a way that even BATB didn't.

I really hope all the original songs stay in along with the new ones. Beauty and the Beast's problem was not the amount of songs.

Beauty and the Beast's score was the only thing that was actually good. The songs could have been good as well had they brought people who could actually sing, unlike the two Emmas.
I believe that The Little Mermaid's soundtrack could also turn out to be good, except Poor Unfortunate Soul. Bailey has a good voice so her version of Part of Your World should be good.

Emma Thompson never gets her fair share of blame when it comes to the singing. Sadly, most of it goes to Emma Watson.

I also agree with you guys about Aladdin although I'm perhaps a bit more forgiving. My issue was that the animated film is so opulent in it setting so the more realistic take in the live-action film felt very underwhelming and anything but bombastic or spectacular. They needed to go the Cinderella or BATB route and exaggerate everything especially when Bollywood films do it all the time in their period films. The costumes were okay, albeit a bit cheap looking. I think Jasmine's wardrobe was better than Belle's but as a whole BATB probably had better costumes than Aladdin.

[Farerb]

I almost completely agree. It's just that I also liked some of the costumes and all of the sets in Beauty and the Beast as well. I also think that maybe Poor Unfortunate Souls, while not sung well, could have so much personality injected into it, it may be good in that way.

I generally liked the costumes with the exception of Belle's. Her only costume that worked for me was her final one, as anachronistic as it was. Her boots with her blue dress were particularly egregious lol. I think the sets are pretty decent and I don't really have many faults with them. However, Cinderella excelled in both production design and costumes in a way that even BATB didn't.

Beauty and the Beast's score was the only thing that was actually good. The songs could have been good as well had they brought people who could actually sing, unlike the two Emmas.
I believe that The Little Mermaid's soundtrack could also turn out to be good, except Poor Unfortunate Soul. Bailey has a good voice so her version of Part of Your World should be good.

Emma Thompson never gets her fair share of blame when it comes to the singing. Sadly, most of it goes to Emma Watson.

I also agree with you guys about Aladdin although I'm perhaps a bit more forgiving. My issue was that the animated film is so opulent in it setting so the more realistic take in the live-action film felt very underwhelming and anything but bombastic or spectacular. They needed to go the Cinderella or BATB route and exaggerate everything especially when Bollywood films do it all the time in their period films. The costumes were okay, albeit a bit cheap looking. I think Jasmine's wardrobe was better than Belle's but as a whole BATB probably had better costumes than Aladdin.

They should have gotten a director from Bollywood to direct Aladdin. Think about what could have been.
I still cannot believe they didn't cast Audra as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast when she was right there. But I guess they needed their celebrity cast, also she's black and they can't turn Mrs Potts to a black woman because that'll upset the racists. They already had "gay" Le Fou, so black Mrs. Potts is just too much for them I guess.

[Disney Duster]

I generally liked the costumes with the exception of Belle's. Her only costume that worked for me was her final one, as anachronistic as it was. Her boots with her blue dress were particularly egregious lol. I think the sets are pretty decent and I don't really have many faults with them. However, Cinderella excelled in both production design and costumes in a way that even BATB didn't.

I liked every costume in Beauty and the Beast except Belle's odd flower bodice thing going on and the yellow dress. At least we both liked the end white and flowered dress. I think Beauty and the Beast went above and beyond with their production deisgn that unfortunately was better than Cinderella's to me, and it even got nominated while Cinderella's didn't, but Cinderella's perfectly suited the picture so it excelled in that. I read one review that said something I felt, though, and that was that the Cinderella ballroom could have been bigger.

JeanGreyForever and farerb, yes, I totally think a Bollywood production design and director would have helped Aladdin! Also, Audra McDonald as Mrs. Potts would have been the better choice for me as well. As long as she played a British country woman type or however you would decribe the original character.

[rodis]

I still cannot believe they didn't cast Audra as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast when she was right there. But I guess they needed their celebrity cast, also she's black and they can't turn Mrs Potts to a black woman because that'll upset the racists. They already had "gay" Le Fou, so black Mrs. Potts is just too much for them I guess.

We're going to have a "black" Ariel which is kind of a bigger deal than a black Mrs. Potts I think...

[Farerb]

I still cannot believe they didn't cast Audra as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast when she was right there. But I guess they needed their celebrity cast, also she's black and they can't turn Mrs Potts to a black woman because that'll upset the racists. They already had "gay" Le Fou, so black Mrs. Potts is just too much for them I guess.

We're going to have a "black" Ariel which is kind of a bigger deal than a black Mrs. Potts I think...

And we could all see the backlash it got from some people on the internet. I don't think Mrs. Potts would've gotten the same, but there will always be those who would give the stink eye. Though I do think they went with Thompson because she's more well known, which is a shame because she can't sing.

[Disney's Divinity]

I watched a show on PBS last night that featured the actor playing Prince Eric here. He's meh all the way around. That was my initial assumption and now I'm sure.

[tsom]

4 news songs actually isn’t a lot. Beauty and the Beast live action had 13 songs in total (not counting the end credits), where they added 5 songs to the original (Aria, How Does a Moment Last Forever, Days in the Sun, How Does a Moment Last Forever Reprise, and Evermore) and deleted one song from the original (Gaston Reprise), and Mary Poppins Returns had 13 songs in total as well. If Little Mermaid keeps all the songs from the original and adds 4, we’re looking at possibly 12-14 songs total —

Fathoms Below
Daughters of Triton
Part of That World
Part of Your World (Reprise)
Under the Sea
Poor Unfortunate Souls
Les Poissons
Kiss the Girl
New Song 1
New Song 2
New Song 3
New Song 4
Maybe Happy Ending/Some kind of finale
Maybe Poor Unfortunate Souls Reprise (Vanessa’s version)

[Atlantica]

Well you could also look at the Broadway show song listing too :

Fathoms Below
Daughters of Triton
The World Above
Human Stuff
I Want the Good Times Back
Part of Your World
Part of Your World (Reprise)
She's in Love
Her Voice
The World Above (Reprise)
Under the Sea
Under the Sea (Reprise)
Sweet Child
Poor Unfortunate Souls
Positoovity
Beyond My Wildest Dreams
Les Poissons
Les Poissons (Reprise)
One Step Closer
I Want the Good Times Back (Reprise)
Kiss the Girl
Sweet Child (Reprise)
If Only (Quartet)
The Contest
Poor Unfortunate Souls (Reprise)
If Only (Reprise)
Finale / Happy Ending

They aren't using any of the Broadway songs ( I hope Alan includes some in his underscoring like he did with 'Home' in BATB ), and even if they were, they wouldn't be using The Contest / One Step Closer as it doesn't fit with the narrative if they will be following the film plot more closely.

I've said it before; the film versions don't need to have more songs, as they run the risk of being overstuffed as it were. There is a reason why the original songs are classic and remain as such; there aren't too many of them, they serve the story to the point where the characters run out of words so they sing. That's what makes them so streamlined and well, just perfect in my opinion.

Sure it would be lovely for Eric to have a song, or for Belle to have a complete solo of her own...but it isn't something that I watch the film and really grumble about.

With the live actions of course they will run longer than an animated movie, but I just don't feel this mad desire to have songs for days to make the whole thing worth while. Yes, some can be lovely, but I don't think truly any of the newer songs ( both from Broadway to live actions ) have captured anyones imagination half as much as the originals have. Yes of course they haven't had 30 years or so to gestate in the public consciousness, but I would have thought they would have at least made a little more impact.

I'm worried now it will sound like I'm moaning and don't want more songs, it's not that, my point is I just don't want things to become overstuffed for the sake of it. As lovely as a new Ariel solo is, if it doesn't serve the story in any way...I can do without it.

[Farerb]

I agree, Atlantica.

[Disney's Divinity]

Yeah, bloat was a huge problem with the musical and I hope they don't repeat it here. Still, I think it's likely that "Fathoms Below" will be cut for a family song lead by Triton at the beginning of the film, "Daughters of Triton" will be cut, and "Les Poissons" will be cut to have space for both Scuttle's and Ariel's new songs between "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss the Girl." As for Eric's song, I imagine it'll be where "Her Voice" is in the musical, so probably after "Under the Sea" and before Ariel's grotto is destroyed.

Although maybe I'm just assuming here that Ariel's song will be similar in purpose to "Beyond My Wildest Dreams." Perhaps her song could be whenever she wakes up to find Vanessa and Eric getting married on the third day and she's distraught.

Yes, some can be lovely, but I don't think truly any of the newer songs ( both from Broadway to live actions ) have captured anyones imagination half as much as the originals have. Yes of course they haven't had 30 years or so to gestate in the public consciousness, but I would have thought they would have at least made a little more impact.

I agree, most of the musical's additions are forgettable. I imagine the new songs here will be the same... I don't really mind the idea of DoT being cut, although I think the scene does a good job introducing us to the tone of Triton and Ariel's relationship, but I'd rather FB and LP were not.

[JeanGreyForever]

I've said it before; the film versions don't need to have more songs, as they run the risk of being overstuffed as it were. There is a reason why the original songs are classic and remain as such; there aren't too many of them, they serve the story to the point where the characters run out of words so they sing. That's what makes them so streamlined and well, just perfect in my opinion.

Sure it would be lovely for Eric to have a song, or for Belle to have a complete solo of her own...but it isn't something that I watch the film and really grumble about.

With the live actions of course they will run longer than an animated movie, but I just don't feel this mad desire to have songs for days to make the whole thing worth while. Yes, some can be lovely, but I don't think truly any of the newer songs ( both from Broadway to live actions ) have captured anyones imagination half as much as the originals have. Yes of course they haven't had 30 years or so to gestate in the public consciousness, but I would have thought they would have at least made a little more impact.

I'm worried now it will sound like I'm moaning and don't want more songs, it's not that, my point is I just don't want things to become overstuffed for the sake of it. As lovely as a new Ariel solo is, if it doesn't serve the story in any way...I can do without it.

Completely agree with you. They shouldn't add new songs just for the sake of adding songs and none of the new ones have really stuck a chord like you said. The only "extra" songs that I think really should have been included were Proud of Your Boy and To Be Free in Aladdin. The former is probably Disney's most popular deleted song and strangely so many people seem to be aware of it despite it never even showing up in the film and I really love Jasmine's song and think it has a beautifully haunting melody and it feels so much like classic Menken.

I suppose the Hunchback songs are the only other ones I feel absolutely have to be implemented, mainly Someday and In a Place of Miracles. Esmeralda really got the shaft when it came to songs in the film.