Dinsey’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid keeps the classic animated movie’s story largely intact, without any significant deviations from the plot. The biggest changes in the movie come in the form of its music, with a couple of songs from the original Little Mermaid missing, and three new songs from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda added in. Reaction to these new songs is somewhat mixed, but one thing that’s clear is that whatever your opinion might be, you probably have strong feelings about the new song “Scuttlebutt.”
The final song on the new Little Mermaid soundtrack is sung by Akwafina’s Scuttle and is the clearest indication that Lin-Manuel Miranda was involved in writing the new music, as the tune is a rap song, where Scuttle informs Ariel that the Prince has announced his engagement. Considering the drastic change in style from the rest of the songs in the film, it’s a pretty wild song, and it’s even wilder when you hear it performed in 20 languages, as a new video from Disney proves. Check it out
Did you hear the #scuttlebutt 👀 in 20 languages?! pic.twitter.com/tJYcpO4h9rJune 8, 2023
Disney has released videos like this before, where a popular Disney song shifts between multiple languages. They can be very interesting for a couple of different reasons. Sometimes the voice actor used in other countries can sound significantly different from the one you’re used to hearing, and so it can be quite a shock to hear what your favorite character sounds like elsewhere. This also shows just how wide the reach of a company like Disney is. Voice acting costs money, and it would be easier and cheaper to simply subtitle a film, but in at least 20 countries Disney makes their movies more accessible by fully dubbing them.
I have to admit, I’m one of the people that doesn’t love “Scuttlebutt.” I am, generally speaking, a fan of the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda in nearly every circumstance, but I’m not sure the song works in The Little Mermaid, and I now know that it isn’t Awkwafina that’s the problem, as I don’t think the song works any better in any language sung by anybody else.
Having said that, a lot of people do like the song, several of the comments on the video are from fans who think it sounds great in every language. It’s actually pretty impressive that the voice actress in every case sounds remarkably like Awkwafina which couldn’t have been an easy thing to pull off.
Whether you love "Scuttlebutt" or love to hate on it, the fact that the song is out there, with video, will certainly give people plenty to talk about. Disney's newest live-action remake is in theaters now and you can check our Little Mermaid review to find out how this one stacks up, beyond feelings regarding a single song.
