The new Little Mermaid removes Ursula's iconic "body language" verse and fans are pressed

22 May 2023, 17:31

The Little Mermaid Cast Try To Name Every Disney Princess In 30 Seconds | PopBuzz Meets

By Katie Louise Smith

"Some of the HARDEST LYRICS EVER WRITTEN and they just completely omitted the entire verse…A CRIME"

Has the live-action version of The Little Mermaid just removed of Ursula's "body language" line?! It looks like it...

Ahead of the release of the highly anticipated film, composer Alan Menken explained that the lyrics to two original songs ('Kiss The Girl' and 'Poor Unfortunate Souls') in the new film had been revised in order to better emphasise consent.

"There are some lyric 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 told Vanity Fair. "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, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice."

Now that the official soundtrack has been released, fans have clocked that one of Ursula's most iconic lines does not feature on Melissa McCarthy's killer version of the song and they have a lot of feelings about it.

As Menken previously explained, Melissa McCarthy's new version of 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' revises a whole section of the original track – in fact, it completely removes it altogether.

In the original version, when Ariel begins to question what she'll do on land without her voice, Ursula interrupts and begins to explain that she'll be able to use her looks and body to do the 'talking'.

She then delivers the iconic line: "You'll have your looks, your pretty face/And don't underestimate the importance of body language, HA!"

In the next verse, Ursula manipulates Ariel into believing that men on land prefer women to be seen and not heard, singing: "The men up there don't like a lot of blabber/They think a girl who gossips is a bore!/Yet on land it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word/And after all dear, what is idle babble for?"

"Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation/True gentlemen avoid it when they can/But they dote and swoon and fawn/On a lady who's withdrawn/It's she who holds her tongue who get's a man," she continues.

The Little Mermaid | Poor Unfortunate Souls

None of those original lyrics appear to feature in the new version of the song on the soundtrack, and fans have already taken to social media with many expressing their disappointment at losing their favourite part of the classic Disney bop.

"Wow, they really did cut the lines about men not liking girls who talk a lot and "body language"," one YouTuber user wrote. "That's a darn shame but Melissa is really killing it here. I wish we could have kept the song the same but this is really great for what it is."

On Twitter another person wrote: "Some of the HARDEST LYRICS EVER WRITTEN and they just completely omitted the entire verse…A CRIME"

As tragic as it is to lose that iconic Ursula moment that we all loved so much as kids (and hearing Melissa McCarthy – who sounds incredible on the song – deliver the line, too), the new version of the classic does manage to keep a handful of other key moments from the legendary villain song in tact.

Melissa's delivery of "Pathetic?" Nailed it. The way she says "I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day, it won't cost much, just ya voice!"? Chef's! Kiss!

The Little Mermaid hits cinemas on May 26th.

Read more about The Little Mermaid here:

• Halle Bailey says Ursula is "misunderstood" in The Little Mermaid
• The Little Mermaid composer reveals why classic song was cut from the 2023 soundtrack
• Aladdin's Mena Massoud deletes Twitter over backlash to The Little Mermaid comment
• People are losing it over Flounder and Sebastian in The Little Mermaid trailer
• Halle Bailey says new Little Mermaid will be more "modern" than the original

WATCH: Jonas Brothers reveal their secrets in the Tower of Truth

Jonas Brothers vs. 'The Tower Of Truth' | PopBuzz Meets