The little Mermaid remake does a lot of new things, including adding an extra hour, giving Eric a mother, and bringing in new Lin-Manuel Miranda songs (including one for Scuttle, because of course!). But there are some things about the 1989 original that transcend time and absolutely should be not be tweaked. Case in point: The iconic “I Want” song that Disney recalibrated over the next decade.
Lucky for us, director Ron Howard and lead actress Halle Bailey got the job done. Bailey’s version of “Part of Your World” retains the soft power of the original and all the yearning lyrics. At the same time, it’s not a one-to-one regurgitation of Jodi Benson’s original vocals; Bailey shows off her own singing talent, throwing some beautiful belts into the song’s climax. The full new version is available on Spotify and YouTube, so you too can replay and sing along, gracefully pining for a world you’ll never be a part of.
Lyricist Howard Ashman knew he was going to make “Part of Your World.” The little Mermaid — so much so that he fought to keep the song in the movie. It’s hard to imagine any version of it The little Mermaid without Ariel reaching out to the sunlight and moaning about how she just wants to more.
The little Mermaid will be in cinemas from May 26.