Disney's The Little Mermaid (Live-Action)

[Farerb]

I don't think The Little Mermaid had anything as dumb as the magical book of teleportation.

Bill1978 - since you mentioned Menken specifically I thought you meant the adaptation of the songs. It's hard for me to rank them because while I dislike Beauty and the Beast, I find Aladdin and The Little Mermaid to be more boring, but I do think they were less awful (I'm not saying better because that would imply that they were good).

[Bill1978]

Sorry for the confusion Farerb, I referenced Menken as shorthand for the 3 movies I wanted to compare, without having to dump things like Cinderella or Mulan into the mix.

Strangely enough though, I think my rankings would still be the same, even ignoring Emma Watson's singing I will never forgive the crime that occurred with the arrangement and presentation of the opening number 'Belle'. And the only crime that occurred with the songs in live action Aladdin was the end credits arrangement of A Whole New World.

[Farerb]

Did you like Speechless?

[Bill1978]

I did enjoy Speechless.

[Randall]

I liked Speechless, and loved the performance. It was just weird how they literally stopped the film for a music video. The whole movie was like that - weird but entertaining.

[Ben]

They stopped the film for a music video…and then split that music video up in two parts! The one reason I *wasn't* bowled over by Speechless in the movie was the break, which pulled me right out of the enjoyment of a new moment. We’re just getting accustomed to a new song in this same world, just getting used to it, finding it fine and okay, and we’re yanked out of the moment, then have to plug into it again a bit later. Having it as one, powerful, non-interrupted new song moment would have made even more impact and been a real showstopper highlight, as opposed to just liking or enjoying it.

[Bill1978]

That's why I love that they put the full song onto the album. Love listening to it, and it never should have been split into two.

[Daniel]

Wild Uncharted Waters:



It's nice enough, but not particularly memorable.

[Ben]

I can’t play it right now due to company being here, but already that poster frame has me humming Agony in my head!

[Bill1978]

I still feel Marshall dropped the ball in the way he directed Wild Uncharted Waters, and the screenwriters put in no effort to transition to the song, so the presentation comes across as Eric having a tantrum.

[Ben]

So it *is* agony, then?

[Bill1978]

haha basically.

For those that saw it, did your showing have Ariel's aah aah aahing in Eric's song? Cause I swear mine didn't, having listened to the song before viewing I was ready to hear them but didn't. I thought maybe it was a creative decision to slap them into the soundtrack version, but that clip has them in it.

[Ben]

Maybe extra aah aahhhing is offensive to Aussies? People can be so sensitive these days, especially when being aah aahhhed to by fictional mythical characters…


As for Wild Uncharted Waters, well, what a confounded mess! Nice chorus — even if it’s arguably Menken 101 — but surely he’s just making up the verses as he goes, right? And, yes, too angry again, which seems to be this film’s shorthand for “SEE, I AM PUTTING EMOTION AND ACTING INTO THESE SONGS”! Nope, you’re really not. It’s just over angsty and making an already slightly too pop infused song an even more bizarre hybrid between a chart and stage sound. It’s like they keep releasing more of these clips to intentionally put people off!

[Bill1978]

The songs from Menken have definitely suffered since the passing of Howard Ashman. That team was definitely a once in a lifetime pairing. The closest Menken has gotten to a lyricist that works well with his music is Stephen Schwartz (if we ignore Disenchanted). I often find the lyricists he has worked with since Ashman's passing focus on the chorus and think the verses can be whatever, to the point it sounds like the lyricist has written their words without listening to Menken's music (or vice versa). Whereas Ashman was about the entire song, some of his best lyrics are hidden within the verses. And Ashman's lyrics were often witty and clever. So when Disney commissions Menken to provide new songs for the live action adaptation (for award season) you get a major disconnect and the news songs seem out of place and not as grand as if we were hearing them in an original project.

I would have loved to have heard an End Credits version of Wild Uncharted Waters in a similar vein to Groban's version of Evermore from The Film That Shall Not Be Named. I wouldn't want to hear some lame pop arrangement designed to treand on TikTok. And I feel Disney releasing all the clips on YouTube is them trying desperately to get the soundtrack to go viral so they can have another Bruno/Let It Go moment.

[Farerb]

I personally feel that his collaboration with Tim Rice on Aladdin was better than his collaboration with Stephen Schwartz (I'll put him in third place though). To be honest though and I don't mean that as an offence to Menken or his fans, I don't think he has done anything remarkable after Enchanted.