The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[Disney's Divinity]

I agree with you, I would've just had those songs from the beginnings of the show (keeping "If Only" as a duet) + the original songs + "Beyond My Wildest Dreams," "Her Voice," "One Step Closer," and "Finale Ultimo." So a tracklist along the lines of this:

1. "Overture"
2. "Fathoms Below"
3. "Wasting Away"
4. "Part of That World"
5. "Part of Your World (reprise)"
6. "Under the Sea" (before Triton destroys her grotto, not after, and no reprise)
7. "Her Voice"
8. "Poor Unfortunate Souls"
9. "Beyond My Wildest Dreams"
10. "Les Poissons"
11. "One Step Closer"
12. "Kiss the Girl"
13. "Poor Unfortunate Souls (reprise 1)" (Ursula transforms into Vanessa)
14. "If Only (Duet)" (the point at which Eric is about to give up on the mystery girl, just before he's entranced)
15. "Poor Unfortunate Souls (reprise 2)" (Vanessa in front of the mirror)
16. "All Good Things Must End"
17. "If Only (reprise)" (by Ariel on the rock watching Eric after everything's over ending with them kissing on the beach)
18. "Finale Ultimo"

Also, I would've brought back the deleted "Fathoms Below" from the making of the original film that talked about Ursula being Triton's sister and her "wicked dreams" since they went full steam ahead with the whole sister backstory in the show.

I actually never loved "Wasting Away" as much as others here back then, I always enjoyed "I Want the Good Times Back" more aside from the preliminary stuff about her and Triton's father; I really love all the stuff about her longing for the past and the climactic lines "The trident, the crown, the throne--the whole damn works. But most of all I want ol' Triton pinned and wriggling on the rack." I actually like the way they mirror Ursula's "I Want" song here with Ariel's... Ariel just wants to live her life and experience life above, whereas Ursula wants things--everything, lol. And even the way she ends the song, with the way she sings with certainty that the good times are coming back, it's similar to Ariel on the rock deciding she will find her way to Eric one way or another.

But since IWtGTB ended up being excised later on in the show's run and overseas anyway--I believe?--it would've been better to have just stuck with "Wasting Away" if it meant we got AGTME. I lovelovelove "All Good Things Must End," although come to think of it now I can't really imagine Sherie Rene Scott pulling it off. Or simply have no song where "Wasting Away" / "I Want the Good Times Back" would go at all. The moment doesn't really need one; same way I don't think it was necessary to make songs out of the confrontations between Ariel and Triton in her grotto and later Ursula and Triton's mediation at the end.

Sorry, I don't have a link for "Her Voice (reprise)." When the early start of the show began, they had some leaks with Boggess, Scott, etc. and the other actors. I have a recording saved, it may be on YouTube somewhere for all I know. It comes a little ways after "If Only." Triton has just learned where Ariel is, Ursula must be watching Ariel from her bubble:

"Now at last my plan is on its way to its delectable conclusion
Only one more sunset and then finally I'll own the little minx (or niece??)
Soon I'll have my brother just exactly where I want him
And I'll be unstoppable as long as I have this--her voice, ha"

[Disney Duster]

Oh. Very, very cool stuff! Wow, you waxing Little Mermaid Broadway is wonderful to read! And your idea of "If Only" sung by Ariel on the rock looking at Eric thinking her dream is over is genius!!! I agree with your track list! Although I don't like "One Step Closer", and also think it's a little much Ariel and Eric time aside from the other songs. And thank you for the "Her Voice (Reprise)" lyrics!

[Sotiris]

Q: You brought up “Little Mermaid.” You have worked on “Little Mermaid.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda: I have worked on it.

Q: We should break some news here. Are you in it?

Lin-Manuel Miranda: I’m not in it.

Q: Not even a cameo?

Lin-Manuel Miranda: No. I wish. I was trying to plan a vacation around when they were going to… They were in some really nice islands. I didn’t get to go. It was COVID. No one’s visiting a set. My one chance to visit the set got scuttled, sorry, by COVID. And the only time I was on set was when they were recording some of the vocals. January 2020, I got to hear Awkwafina sing a bit, and I got to hear Daveed sing a bit. And that was really it. And I Skyped in on some of the other vocals, but listen, you don’t need me around to have Halle sing “Part of Your World.” You know she’s going to tear the skin off the ball when she sings it. I’m really excited to see what Rob’s done. The only news I can break is that Alan Menken FaceTimed me excitedly, that he saw a rough cut and he loved it. And now he’s scoring it in addition to the songs. He’s hard at work.

Q: How many new songs are there?

Lin-Manuel Miranda: I don’t know. Well, I know how many we wrote. I don’t know if they’ll all make it in, but it’s probably three or four songs. I’m at pains to tell you, replacing none of the songs you love. The songs you love are in the movie because they’re the songs I love. Everything you love in the original is there.

Source: https://www.thewrap.com/lin-manuel-mira ... interview/

[Disney's Divinity]

Thank God for small blessings.

[Sotiris]

^ I'm also glad he won't be appearing in the film mainly because he's such a bad actor.

[Sotiris]

People are saying this might be Eric's sister given she's the only other character besides the queen wearing a tiara.


Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaALewCvJjo/

[blackcauldron85]

But what if you love "Les Poissons," "Daughters of Triton," or "Fathoms Below," or Vanessa's little song? And if they're cut? Then Lin lied!

[Sotiris]

It seems the fifth song is for Sebastian. Unless, of course, the new rap number in question is incorporated into "Under the Sea". I was hoping we'd get a love song between Ariel and Eric, though it doesn't seem likely now. Showing the two falling in love through song is more important than giving side characters like Scuttle or Sebastian musical numbers. Like we expected, Ariel's new song is about her experiencing the human world for the first time.

“Alan will tell you if he does not like something,” Miranda says. “He’s a heart and opinion on sleeve guy. He’s scoring it as well, along with the songs, as he did with the original. I won’t see a rough cut for another month or couple of months, but the fact that he’s excited has me excited. We wrote three or four original tunes, replacing none of the ones you like. All of those are in. There’s no bigger ‘Little Mermaid’ fan than me. We found a couple of opportunities for some other music that I can’t wait to see. I’m in the dark as anyone else, honestly.”

Regarding what characters would be singing original numbers, we shouldn’t expect one for Ursula, played by two-time Oscar-nominee Melissa McCarthy. Still, he doesn’t rule out a rap number for his “Hamilton” co-star Daveed Diggs, who voices the crab Sebastian.

We’ll hear one for Ariel when she loses her voice and becomes a human in the second half of the story. Miranda says: “Rob found a creative way to hear from Ariel, even though she is sans voice for a little while. We wrote some music for her time on land. She experiences a lot of firsts, as someone with legs for the first time. We got to lean into all of that musically.”

Source: https://variety.com/2022/film/awards/li ... 235182753/

[Disney's Divinity]

Ariel's song on land can be just like "Speechless," where it's more happening in her head than in reality. As for this:

“Alan will tell you if he does not like something,” Miranda says.

This may be why Menken was hated by Lasseter and others at the top when the PIXAR bros took over WDAS. You know how Lasseter would chase off directors, he probably did not like being outdone or contradicted by anyone else. Well, that and Lasseter always had a grudge against the Disney Renaissance films and those involved with them because of how Disney fired him or whatever it was way, way back. I bet it chafed him that Tangled is when the Revival really got going box office-wise and its soundtrack was by Menken, especially after he'd been able to successfuly remove him from TP&TF. Who knows, maybe TP&TF would've done better with a better songwriter and the higher-ups didn't want to take any chances of encouraging a hand-drawn animation resurgence.

Menken also talked somewhere before about how he annoyed people when working on the B&tB remake. That's why I almost feel like Miranda was forced on this film in as much as he forced himself onto the film; after all, the Greatest Showman guys were forced on him with Aladdin. Of course, at least they had some respect and weren't so arrogant. Someone at Disney clearly didn't like dealing with Menken and perhaps wanted to divert credit away from him for the re-make soundtracks to other names in the game. I hate that Menken's good work might end up helping Miranda here, when, aside from some of Encanto, most of his work for Disney has not worked out to the degree he's been sold as this great quantity.

[Disney Duster]

I agree with you, Sotiris, we shouldn't be giving side characters more songs, we should be giving the main characters more songs, and a love duet would have been the best thing! Gosh, you'd think Lin had been planning to be Sebastian!

However, Ariel getting a number about experiencing the land for the first time is a great thing!

Yes, Divinity, I hope the Disney Revival is pissing off Lasseter hard!

That's why I almost feel like Miranda was forced on this film in as much as he forced himself onto the film; after all, the Greatest Showman guys were forced on him with Aladdin. Of course, at least they had some respect and weren't so arrogant.

I would like to get what you mean, here. I don't remember the guys from The Greatest Showman being on Aladdin or Lin Manuel Miranda at all.

[Disney's Divinity]

I suppose I did write that part in a confusing way. I meant to say that, while I'm sure Miranda did foist himself on this in a way, somebody else would have been pushed onto this if not him anyway, since Disney foisted one of their other new pets, the TGS guys (I always forget their names, Pasek and Paul?), onto Menken for the Aladdin remake before this. Miranda would be sort of a natural choice considering Disney wants him to be a big new thing at Disney, but pre-Encanto (when this film was first greenlit) it hadn't really worked out so well, with Mary Poppins Returns flopping and Moana's soundtrack not really taking off the way the Lopezes' work had for Frozen and Coco. (Non-Disney, but In the Heights also flopped recently, and people here have said negative things about Vivo, although I haven't read about its performance or seen it myself.) What better way to help fluff his future collabs with Disney a little than get his name attached to an already proven soundtrack like TLM's? Even if the new songs turn out to be on the wimpy side, the original's songs will still be there to do the heavy lifting.

[Sotiris]

Apparently, the wedding of Eric and Vanessa will be taking place on a cathedral instead of on a ship which means the entire climax of the film will be retooled too.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ5cdgIvm0Q/

[Disney Duster]

Oh, I guess I forgot Pasek and Paul (yes, those are their names) were on Aladdin. I wonder how much they contributed?

God that Vanessa and Eric wedding concept looks darkly gorgeous and that photo of the cathedral is beautiful!

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't mind if the fake wedding is in a cathedral. In a way, I like that it's different from the real boat wedding at the very end. That said, I really hope this doesn't mean something weird like Triton flooding the cathedral to come where Ursula is. I suppose Ursula could, you know, magick them back to the ocean.

[Disney Duster]

But Disney's Divinity, the cathedral is by the ocean.

[Disney's Divinity]

Oh, good! Good, that fixes that. I was just thinking of how Ursula "floods the stage" in the Broadway show once the third day ends, and was worried they might do something similar here with Triton.

[Disney Duster]

Haha no. Nothing like that shipwreck.

[Disney's Divinity]

Lizzo on Losing Out on the Role of Ursula in "The Little Mermaid" Remake
https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/a39 ... -audition/

Hopefully she'll get a role as one of the Muses in Hercules along with Jennifer Hudson, if Disney has any sense at all!!

[Disney Duster]

I liked the clip of her as Ursula. Some lyrics she got wrong, but her acting and singing were great.

[Vlad]

Do you guys think they will have Ursula turn into a giant like in the animation during the final battle? I would love to see that scene in the remake. I think it would be so cool. I remember loving that scene when I was a kid, I thought it was the greatest moment in the film.