The new live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has been hailed as one of Disney's best, but one of its new tunes is making quite a splash online.
Starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall, this version of The Little Mermaid includes many of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's songs from the 1989 film, along with a few new additions.
Fan Response to Awkwafina's Little Mermaid Song
One of The Little Mermaid's new songs is "The Scuttlebutt," written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Scuttle's own Awkwafina.
As its name suggests, the rap song involves Awkwafina's Scuttle sharing rumors about Prince Eric's proposal when talking to Sebastian, voiced by Daveed Diggs.
"The Scuttlebutt" bears all the trademarks of a Lin-Manuel Miranda tune. However, this particular ditty is proving to be one of the remake's more divisive points.
For instance, @HyeSoulDot praised the song on Twitter, calling it "so fun," especially when "Sebastian joined in:"
"I’m sorry, but Scuttlebutt tore. :/ it was so fun, and when Sebastian joined in as well, I liked it even more! I know people feel a certain wait about Awkwafina, but her performance as Scuttle was so perfectly cast, as was the rest of the characters. Not a single complaint fromme."
But @IVANISHEEL had a different take, expressing sympathy for those watching the movie and having "to sit through that Awkwafina song:"
"I feel bad for the people going to see 'The Little Mermaid' and have to sit through that Awkwafina song because good lord is it bad"
In terms of Awkwafina, @CurtExplores considers her and Melissa McCarthy as Ursala as "the two real stand out performances:"
"The two real stand out performances came from Melissa McCarthy as Ursula as Awkwafina's voice role as Scuttle. Both just so well suited, it's almost as though the roles were written for them."
However, @BettinaProphete felt the complete opposite, calling her voice distracting while also admitting her singing the song made her "feel a little uneasy:"
"Tbh Awkwafina shouldn’t have been cast. Every time she spoke as Scuttle,it would snap me out of storyline cuz her AWFUL voice is so distinct and reminder it’s herPlus given her history w/Blaccent, that rap (while upbeat) did make me feel a little uneasy."
While @telicawhitney referred to Awkwafina's voice as "annoying," it wasn't all bad:
"They kinda ate making Awkwafina Scuttle because her voice annoying she did that thing on scuttlebutt"
Apparently, fans aren't only frustrated with "The Scuttlebutt," but Awkwafina's contributions to original Little Mermaid songs as well.
@agustpov asked whether "Kiss the Girl" could be released "without awkwafina's voice in it:"
"uh ... is there a way they can uhh .. release kiss the girl without awkwafina's voice in it .... thanks"
While @GlowESTBoss also found the actress' voice "annoying," she was slightly kinder, calling it "fine" and even "alright" within "the context of the film:"
"That scuttle butt song is terrible and awkwafina’s voice is annoying as hell, but in the context of the film it was fine. She was alright even. I just can’t stand her voice or her in general lmao."
But again, as proof of how differently fans are responding, @YvonneNicolas claimed to have enjoyed "every minute" of the film, even calling "The Scuttlebutt" her "new jam:"
"I enjoyed every minute of 'the Little Mermaid!' The visuals were breathtaking. And Scuttlebutt is my new jam."
@CapnGitGud also had no complaints, admitting that "Awkwafina was actually pretty good" and confessed to liking "her original song:"
"I hate to say it But Awkwafina was actually pretty good in 'The Little Mermaid' ....I even liked her original song"
Still, it seems Awkwafina's performance is the touchstone of the debate as @obxbassett explained "The Scuttlebutt" is "not bad it's just awkwafina's voice:"
"the way the song is actually not bad it’s just awkwafina’s voice is just so unbearable"
@kimscorcher agreed, calling Scuttle "the worst part of the movie" while praising Daveed Diggs as Sebastian:
"So, unfortunately the Awkwafina Scuttlebutt song in 'The Little Mermaid' is awful like Twitter thought, and adding context did not make it better. Scuttle is the worst part of the movie by far, but Daveed Diggs as Sebastian was incredible and he stole a lot of scenes!"
Disney's Strategy For "The Scuttlebutt" Song
Due to the reverence and recognition of The Little Mermaid's original soundtrack, fans were always going to be more critical of the remake's new songs.
Also, since that Scuttle was voiced by Buddy Hacket in the 1989 film, a female voice was always going to stick out.
Still, if Disney wanted to avoid that, The Little Mermaid wouldn't have cast Awkwafina.
Perhaps the real reason behind this Lin-Manuel Miranda and Awakfina number is Disney's pursuit of its real target audience: young fans.
While adults contribute, kids are often responsible for Disney's recent top-charting hits, such as Frozen's "Let It Go," "You're Welcome" from Moana, and Encanto's "We Don't Talk About Bruno."
Interestingly enough, Lin-Manuel Miranda penned the latter two songs.
From a business perspective, Disney likely saw pairing Miranda with a recognizable voice like Awakfina as a sure bet for its next musical juggernaut.
Regardless of how split adult audiences are, the real test of success is how kids respond to Awkwafina's Little Mermaid song.
The Little Mermaid is playing in theaters now.
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