Lin-Manuel Miranda will be teaming up with composer Alan Menken to write the songs for Disney’s upcoming live-action Little Mermaid reboot.
It was Menken who officially confirmed the news, announcing at D23 Expo, “For the live-action Little Mermaid, I’m writing additional songs with lyrics by Hamilton and Moana songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
We all know the 1989 version: a young mermaid princess makes a deal with a sea witch, trading her voice for legs so she can be with her human prince on land. The animated classic features some of Disney’s most iconic tunes to date, including “Under the Sea,” “Part of You World,” and “Kiss the Girl,” all written by Menken.
Little Mermaid changed Lin-Manuel Miranda’s life
Miranda has been a lifelong Disney fan, with a particular fondness for The Little Mermaid. At the Oscars earlier this year, where Miranda was nominated for his original song “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana, the songwriter credited the movie as one of his biggest influences. “I’m standing here,” he had said, “because I saw ‘Little Mermaid’ when I was ten and it changed my life.”
Miranda had been in talks to join the Little Mermaid team since last year, though it was unclear what exactly his job would be. In November, he told Vulture, “We’re in super early talks—I literally don’t have a title for what my job on The Little Mermaid is yet.”
We now know that Miranda will not only write songs for the film with Alan Menken, but will also produce alongside Marc Platt.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is becoming a Disney family staple
Miranda, whose smash hit musical Hamilton swept the 2016 Tony Awards (and basically the entire world), is becoming something of a staple in the Disney family. The success of Moana, for which he wrote all the songs, first proved that such a marriage could work.
Miranda will also be co-starring with Emily Blunt in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, set to be released next Christmas.
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