Of Beauty and the Beast To Pocahontas Passing by Aladdincomposer Alan Menken scored the music for numerous Disney films that fueled the imagination of children born in the 1980s and 1990s. More than 30 years after winning two Oscars for his parts in the animated film The Little Mermaid, it offers Ariel and her deep-sea friends a revised and expanded soundtrack. Interview.
Whether The Little Mermaid was a great success when it was released in 1989, it is partly thanks to its music. The Sebastian crab who sings the praises of the aquatic world in the catchy play Under the Sea or Ariel who dreams of a life on dry land while singing Part of Your World are among the highlights of the animated film. Moments that we find, of course, in the new adaptation in live action, in theaters on May 26, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Halle Bailey in the role of the little mermaid.
The soundtrack of The Little Mermaid Having enjoyed great success 33 years ago, did Alan Menken feel any pressure when he learned that he would have the mandate to rework his original pieces and compose new ones?
PHOTO JORDAN STRAUSS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Composer Alan Menken
“I rather felt curiosity. I couldn’t wait to find out what these songs would sound like, ”responds, in an interview with The Pressthe 73-year-old composer.
If a mystery hovered around the direction that the music would take, it is that Alan Menken is not the only craftsman. And it must be said that his teammate, Lin-Manuel Miranda, also has an impressive career.
Creator of the musical hamiltonhe notably signed the songs of the film Encantoincluding the earworm We Don’t Talk About Brunowhich topped the Billboard charts last year.
PHOTO GILES KEYTE, SUPPLIED BY DISNEY
Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King in a scene from The Little Mermaid
“Over the course of my career, I have collaborated with many people, which has brought me a good dose of success,” observes Alan Menken, who is part of the select club of “EGOT”, that is to say those who have won at least one Emmy (television), one Grammy (music), one Oscar (film) and one Tony (theater).
This collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, however, seems to have been orchestrated by fate, underlines the composer.
“I knew Lin-Manuel when he was a child. He went to school with my niece and I often heard about this little boy who adored The Little Mermaid “Says Alan Menken, who, at the time, had signed some promotional items for the young fan.
To work with him years later was “a real pleasure”, he continues.
Three new songs
From their collaboration were born three new songs that we discover in the feature film which takes on the air of a musical.
He had to wait more than 30 years, but Prince Eric (played by Briton Jonah Hauer-King) finally has a room of his own, Wild Uncharted Waters. “He sings about the girl who saved him from drowning, but also about the ocean, its uncharted waters and the fact that he doesn’t know where his life will take him,” describes Alan Menken.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DISNEY
Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
In For the First Timewe dive into the thoughts of Ariel as she explores the earthly world after striking a deal with the Machiavellian Ursula (Melissa McCarthy).
Performed by the characters of the crab Sebastian and the hatch bird (Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina), the third novelty is a funny rap that represents, according to Alan Menken, the “perfect combination” of his strengths and those of his colleague.
Revisit the original pieces
The duo also reworked the musical pieces from the original film, a task that the composer now considers to be used to doing. In recent years, he has indeed given new life to many of his melodies associated with Disney, for the cinema or for the stage. Live action adaptations ofAladdin (in 2019) and Beauty and the Beast (in 2017) are two examples.
I like refreshing the arrangements of the original pieces and revisiting them. There may be changes in lyrics, orchestration, the addition of dialogues… These kinds of changes happen in all adaptations.
Alan Menken, composer
fans of The Little Mermaidrest assured: the songs of the 2023 version are very similar to those of 1989. The lyrics of Poor Unfortunate Souls and of Kiss the Girl however, have been slightly modified.
PHOTO JORDAN STRAUSS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Halle Bailey
In a press conference, Alan Menken also indicated that the interpreter must appropriate the songs. He was also dazzled by the talent of Halle Bailey.
“We can’t take our eyes off her. The emotion in his face and his voice is so right. […] She’s an amazing Ariel. »
In Quebec, it is the singer Audrey-Louise Beauséjour, former candidate of Star Academy, who lends her voice to the Little Mermaid. Gabriel Favreau (Éric), Kathleen Fortin (Ursula), Patrick Chouinard (King Triton), Gardy Fury (Sébastien), Noé Henri Rouillard (Polonchon) and Catherine Brunet (Écoutille) complete the cast.
In theaters May 26
Three surprising facts about the set
- The actors did not touch the ground: During filming, to reproduce the swimming of mermaids, the actors were attached to harnesses and mounted on platforms. “I was literally never on my feet,” Melissa McCarthy, who plays Ursula, told a press conference.
- Flounder could not sing: Although Flounder pushes the note, his interpreter, Jacob Tremblay, had never sung before the start of filming, “apart from in [sa] shower “. A coach voice has obviously guided him very well.
- Sardinia as a backdrop: Even though the action of The Little Mermaid takes place on a Caribbean island, the filming took place on the Italian island of Sardinia. “We looked at different places. I liked the little beach we found there,” said producer John DeLuca.