Alan Menken was full of praise when asked how he and Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated.
Miranda is a great theater actor, but that wasn’t his only inspiration. The stylistic brilliance of Miranda, he said, “brings in hip-hop, rap and old musical styles that all help.” He continued, saying Miranda was the lyricist, while Menken composed the music.
The duo wrote new songs after speaking with Rob Marshall. Jonah Hauer King, who plays Prince Eric in the film, sang “Wild Uncharted Waters” for Prince Eric. Second song, “For the First Time,” is about Ariel’s first experiences after she gains her legs. Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina voice Scuttle in the third song “Scuttlebutt,” which has a more comedic tone. They are trying to decipher rumors about Prince Eric’s marriage. Menken said that the pair created a song titled “Impossible Child”, for King Triton’s (Javier Bardem), but it didn’t get included in the movie’s final cuts.
Menken said that Miranda and he had a very open collaboration, with both of them contributing different strengths to the songs.