• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Original voice actor who played Ariel defends The Little Mermaid changing song lyrics to include consent

Home> Film & TV

Published 05:54 24 May 2023 GMT+1

Original voice actor who played Ariel defends The Little Mermaid changing song lyrics to include consent

Jodie Benson has sung the praises of those behind the live-action remake.

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang

The original voice actor who lent her incredible pipes to Disney's 1989 animated version of The Little Mermaid has defended lyric changes in the live-action film.

Famous tracks such as 'Kiss the Girl' and 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' have been altered slightly for this year's live-action film to emit a more modernized outlook for the film.

Jodie Benson praised the efforts taken by those at the helm of the 2023 movie for their work on updating the classic.

Benson sat down with Entertainment Weekly to underpin why it was so important to refresh the script for the live-action film.

"We're [started] our [voiceover] sessions in 1986 [for the original film]," Benson said.

Advert

"It's 2023, so we have to grow, we have to learn, we have to be aware of our surroundings.

"We've got to be aware of our growth as humans and what's important now and what maybe isn't as important.

"Things change.

"We've got to roll with that."

Advert

She went on to congratulate director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca for expertly walking the fine line between introducing a more modern point of view, while still remaining loyal to the 1989 Disney classic.

Jodie Benson in 2010.
ZUMA Press, Inc/Alamy

"[They] have done a beautiful job of doing that, and still paying tribute and honor to our original film," she said.

"But you've got to have growth. It's very important to stay relevant with where we are, what's going on around us. We need to be aware."

Advert

She added: "So the adjustments and the fine-tuning that they needed to do, it was a must, but it was done in a beautiful way, and I'm very, very thrilled with it."

Composer Alan Menken explained to Vanity Fair the reason behind the lyric changes.

"There are some song 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]," Menken said.

Menken added: "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.

Advert

"Even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice."

It's not the first time the studio has opted to give their 'Disney Princesses' stronger character profiles that reflect a more modern point-of-view for the live-action remakes.

Live-action Belle, played by Emma Watson, was given more agency and independence in the updated movie version of Beauty And The Beast after Disney made her an inventor.

Advert

The Little Mermaid drops in cinemas on 25 May, 2023.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Jodi Benson. Disney

Topics: Disney, Music, Film and TV, Entertainment, Celebrity

Rachel Lang
Rachel Lang

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
15 hours ago
23 hours ago
a day ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Chadwick Boseman's widow issues warning to young people as subtle signs for colon cancer are revealed

    "We who have this knowledge have an obligation to inform our fellow man."

    Film & TV
  • 15 hours ago

    Netflix is removing '10/10' series that's been watched for 92,300,000 hours

    Fans are gutted to see it go

    Film & TV
  • 23 hours ago

    Netflix viewers gripped by little known 100% mini-series as they binge for 8.3 million hours

    The series was praised for its 'unique' ending

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Cult classic film removed from Disney+ over controversial scene that had it banned from TV

    The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has long expressed its concerns about the scene in the 1989 movie

    Film & TV
  • Songs in the live-action The Little Mermaid movie will be updated to include consent
  • Live-action Little Mermaid will have new lyrics so Prince doesn't 'force himself' on Ariel
  • Ariana Grande says her Wicked voice may stay permanently after being called out for changing how she speaks
  • Fans blown away seeing voice actors doing Minions voices dubbing hilarious scene from movie