The latest live-action Disney remake, The Little Mermaid, not only revisits one of the most beloved movies the House of Mouse has ever produced, it adds depth to a beloved fairytale in ways we’ve never seen before. While I’ll admit that I walked into the movie early this summer without high expectations, Rob Marshall’s musical brings some welcome new dimensions to characters like Ariel, Prince Eric and such in ways I really enjoyed. And, with the movie now available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, fans can see Javier Bardem’s King Triton perform his cut music number, though I have to say, I understand why it didn’t make it to the theatrical release.
King Triton did not have a song in the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid, but when Disney decided to adapt the movie into live-action, there was room for a lot of changes and additions, which led to new songs for Ariel, Prince Eric and even Scuttle. Considering Javier Bardem’s talents and there perhaps being room for more King Triton in the movie, composer Alan Menken and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the original song “Impossible Child,” which was recorded and even filmed on the set of The Little Mermaid. Now that it’s out in the world, let’s talk about it!
How To Watch ‘Impossible Child’ On Disney+
The “Impossible Child” deleted song is now available to see on Disney+. All you have to do is find the live-action The Little Mermaid on the streaming service and click the tab labeled “Extras.” Once you get to that tab, there’s a selection of a few bonus features from the making of the Disney movie to view. The one you want is titled “Impossible Child (Outtake)”. It’s a three-minute clip that sees the other daughters of Triton inform him that Ariel is nowhere to be found before he sings the original song. Through the lyrics, he shares his fears and concerns for his young daughter in her absence.
Why Was Javier Bardem’s The Little Mermaid Song Cut?
When CinemaBlend sat down with director Rob Marshall months ago, the filmmaker shared with us the reason why they recorded “Impossible Child” but ultimately decided to leave it on the cutting room floor. In Marshall’s words:
What was interesting was, because we’re in a way creating a new piece, we added all these numbers, all these songs, and what happened was we realized, and this happens with every musical and every film musical, the piece tells you, and what happened is it robbed [the audience] from the ending. Because, that friction between [Ariel and Triton] and how that will be resolved if you, if you go into his internal thoughts in the song and you understand what he’s feeling, we thought it would enhance the story actually. It was the opposite. It took away from the story because you have to wait to the end for that moment of connection and understanding what he’s feeling and how he’s feeling.
Initially, the filmmakers thought giving King Triton a song would enhance the relationship between Ariel and her father. However, they decided against keeping it in the movie after all. Now, to my reaction to the scene…
My Honest Thoughts On ‘Impossible Child’
When I talked to Rob Marshall about Javier Bardem’s cut song months ago, I became really excited to see the deleted scene he promised would see the light of day eventually. However, now that I’ve witnessed it, I totally get why it’s not in the movie. King Triton is a stoic character who creates tension in The Little Mermaid countering all the music and fun of the musical. Once he joins it, especially in the middle of the movie, audiences lose this necessary puzzle piece of the story that keeps it all together. Marshall knew what he was talking about! It’s also way too goofy to see the merman swim and sing along when he needs to be a grounding character in the movie.
It’s great to see Javier Bardem use those pipes, but I’m actually happy his song was cut from the movie. If Triton is too involved in the musical element, it takes away from the final scene where he accepts Ariel. (The same cannot be said about one Ursula moment from the original movie that was cut in live action, however). Anyway, you can check out the scene right now and decide your own thoughts on “Impossible Child,” but ultimately I think the filmmakers made a good executive decision here.