Yahoo News Little Mermaid's Daveed Diggs responds to 'Under the Sea' change
The Little Mermaid's live-action remake finally swims into cinemas this weekend, where fans will watch as it brings back to life a number of classic Disney songs.
One such song is Sebastian the crab's underwater number 'Under the Sea', which is this time performed by Hamilton star Daveed Diggs.
Unlike the animated original, however, Sebastian gets a little help in the singing department from Ariel (played by Halle Bailey).
Related: The Little Mermaid is making a big change from the Disney original
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy about this change and how it came about, Diggs explained that Bailey happened to be in the studio while he was recording the song, and composer Alan Menken, asked her to go into the booth and improvise.
He continued: "Alan was like, 'Why don't you just, you know, just go in and improvise'. And I was like, 'You traitor, don't make me sing with her!'
"Then immediately she came in and did like two little trills and I was like, 'Well, I'm done, we can stop now, there's no reason for me to record anymore'."
Related: The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey recalls awkward Ariel casting call
Menken, who also scored the original film, opened up to us about the balance between revisiting his old songs and putting a new spin on them, explaining that it's all to do with being a "good collaborator to the new vision".
"My main job is to be, yes, a creator, but also a really good collaborator. I mean, it's really important. And I think we achieve that," he shared.
Menken collaborated with Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda on three new songs for the remake, which are titled 'For the First Time', 'Wild Unchartered Waters' and 'The Scuttlebut'.
The Little Mermaid live-action movie opens on May 26 in the UK and the US. The animated movie is streaming on Disney+.
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