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Comment by apozem | Hacker News Reader

> In classic Disney animated features of old, plot was advanced through dialogue, and songs were incidental. For instance, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the song “Whistle While you Work” does nothing to move the plot forward. Ashman and Menken approached the film’s book as they would a Broadway musical, using songs to impart critical plot points and character development.

A podcast I like [1] covered The Little Mermaid recently and pointed out the songs help maintain the “realism.” If Ursula told Ariel in dialogue she had to lose her voice to become human, that would raise a lot of questions. But when she does it singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” you’re like, well, yes, of course.

As someone who doesn’t know much about musicals, I thought this was a neat magic trick.

[1]: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-and-david-present/the-little-...

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> If Ursula told Ariel in dialogue she had to lose her voice to become human, that would raise a lot of questions. But when she does it singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” you’re like, well, yes, of course.

Why?

As Marge excuses herself after joining in with the taunting of Lisa's vegetarianism: "I got caught in the rhythm".

If it still doesn't make sense to you: don't worry about it, it's all just made up anyway.

Curious, how much of the movie do you remember? I'm not sure I can answer your question, but when I read the GP, my mind is filled with the Ursala's menacing voice. "You poor, unfortunate souls! Who cares? So what?!"

It's all a matter of delivery, really. The best artists can make almost anything believable; music isn't required. But music was the tool these artists chose.

> It's all a matter of delivery, really.

And never underestimate the power of body language.

It's a really good question, and I don't think anybody has a complete answer. But the best hint I can give you is that I bet you've got the lyrics to Poor Unfortunate Souls memorized -- or if not you, then ask a female friend or relative (who is more the target audience for the film).

Music sticks in the mind, especially a song like that with a beat that drives it forward. Being memorable isn't the same as being convincing, but it does hint at the way it gets in your brain via back doors.

There's more to it than that, of course. One of the most important tools to being convincing in a film is that the other characters accept it. The song allows no interruptions, and so you follow along with Ariel as she does. It's a good confidence technique, actually, and there are ways to apply similar lessons in real life.

That doesn't completely answer it, and I think some of it has to be chalked up to the rules of musical theater. Those are purely convention, but you accept them because they move the plot along. Every genre has that, and they look weird if you're in on them. (I find superhero movies bizarre, but they're perfectly coherent in their internal logic.)

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