Lin-Manuel Miranda was not far from the last successful musical venue. With “Hamilton” he created the must-see stage spectacle of recent years (absolutely recommended: stream the version on Disney+!). He was involved in the music of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Moiana” and of course especially “Encanto”. “Dos Oruguitas” from the animated film was nominated for an Oscar in 2022 (the same year also saw two nominations for his directorial debut “Tick, Tick…Boom!”), “We don’t talk about Bruno” became a sing-along success and should not be missing in any best-of-Disney compilation.
One of them will feature several songs from “Arielle, the Mermaid.” Lin-Manuel Miranda now faced the big task of not only carefully updating classics like “Under the Sea” or “To Be Human/In Your World” for the live-action remake, but also developing several new songs. He collaborated on it with legendary composer Alan Menken, who was also responsible for the original film (and numerous other Disney hits).
In the interview via Zoom, we naturally start with the question of what it was like to work with the man who is also a role model for Miranda. But we also wanted to know, among other things, why the story of the little mermaid who wants to explore another world is still so relevant today.
Working with a legend – intimidating at first, but a lot of fun!
Lin Manuel Miranda: It was really intimidating at first. After all, we’re both talking to each other today because I fell in love with “The Little Mermaid” when I was nine.
Howard is one of the most tragic losses in musical theater and musical film. He was so good at telling stories through songs. If you’re looking for perfect lyrics from an inspiring songwriter, it doesn’t get any better than Ariel’s “What’s a fire and why does it… What’s the word?” burning…”. In this line of lyrics, through the music, we experience a character working out her thoughts in real time. Howard was so good at it. So I was really intimidated at first.
The hardest part of working with Alan was getting started: it was like dancing with a new partner for the first time. First you need to find out who is holding whose waist and who is taking what step. But once we started, it was pretty easy to find words for these characters. Because these figures have lived in my heart for more than 30 years. You are part of my life. It was so wonderful and thrilling fun to think: How does Ariel feel when she sees fire for the first time in her life? What is Prince Eric thinking as he searches for her? How can we shape these moments musically?
Lin Manuel Miranda: All were challenging in their own way. Arielle herself was the cutest because I’ve been imagining it for so long. In the original movie, there’s an extended time when we don’t hear from Arielle because, as is well known, Ursula takes over her voice. We developed a completely new music sequence in which Ariel sings in her head. Because to sign Halle Bailey for a movie and not hear her beautiful voice for so long is a crime.
That’s how we ended up writing this beautiful song “For The First Time” that runs from the moment she steps out of the water until she meets Prince Eric for the first time. It’s about how everything she’s idealized underwater, gravity, fire, etc., really feels. It was just a pleasure working with Alan and Halle on this new piece.
New songs – not just for Arielle, but also for Eric and Scuttle
Lin Manuel Miranda: Then there’s this song we wrote for Prince Eric. Alan’s melody before that was just so beautiful. It is simply one of the best composers in the world. My challenge now was to find words that are just as amazing. You have to work very hard and there were certainly many times when I was very serious and tense trying to find those words for Prince Eric.
The new song I wrote the fastest, on the other hand, is a moment with Scuttle. Ever since I was a kid, this character always made me laugh out loud. Even then I understood so well how twisted her thought processes are, how they go from here to there and how difficult it is for him to concentrate. It was very funny to illustrate this with a song.
Lin Manuel Miranda: If someone then translates back to me what is being sung there, it has a special effect. Usually I’m not involved myself, but I know that Disney’s translation team is one of the best in the world, so I don’t worry about that with Ariel.
And it’s partly funny: I can tell you there are Latin American countries where everyone has the Spanish translation of “We don’t talk about Bruno” [Anm.: Mirandas Mega-Hit aus dem Disneyfilm „Encanto“] preferable to my original version. And since Spanish is the only language I speak besides English, I can’t deny it: the version is really good.
On the other hand, I was involved in the German production of “Hamilton” for the theater in Hamburg and really learned to appreciate the work that was done there. It’s so hard, these people are doing a great job. But with “Arielle” you probably even hear the German versions for me. I’m really looking forward to it. Feel free to send them directly to me if you hear them.
We want to honor and respect the original
Lin Manuel Miranda: I am the biggest fan of the original you will find. So I hope the public will see how honored and respected we’ve been.
Director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee have done a wonderful job of carefully fleshing out new aspects of the story. We’re on the same journey that made everyone fall in love with the 1989 original. But along the way there was a chance to find new moments. Hopefully we’ll give you new insights into the hearts of some characters that weren’t there in 1989. The animated film is one of the shortest Disney films. How long does it take? Just over 80 minutes – and that includes credits! So there was enough time and space to find new moments without slowing down the journey.
Lin Manuel Miranda: Actually, I owe my title as a producer mainly to one job: I was chairman of the “Don’t Fuck It Up” committee. I really like the original so much. That’s why I thought it was important that we don’t mess it up, honor the role model, but still make room for something new. I immediately told Rob that I didn’t want to write new songs if they slowed us down. One of the great things about the original movie is that it has a really great pace. You’re invested in this story because you’re like, oh god, it only has three days!
That’s why I’m proud that the new songs never slow down the journey. There aren’t many musical moments where we pause. We also always move forward with the songs and continue to tell the story of their journey. This is really exciting.
Is that why “Arielle” is still relevant today?
Lin Manuel Miranda: We live in a time where we have more access to different cultures and different viewpoints than ever before in human history. I’m three clicks away from a 3D Google Images tour of any part of the world. The internet allows me to immerse myself in foreign customs and learn languages.
Ariel has a feeling that there is something else outside her world. She has been told that this other is evil, but she does not believe that to be true. She believes there’s something magical about the world beyond the seas – and who among us doesn’t feel there’s a world bigger than the one we see every day?
It also doesn’t matter if you’re a kid in Northern Manhattan or a mermaid “under the sea” – you just know there must be more than what I see every day. And I think that’s the core of why this classic is so timeless. That’s the crux of the story, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t understand that desire.
“Arielle the mermaidwill be in cinemas from May 25, 2023.