Ursula is a prominent character in the Disney film "The Little Mermaid". She is a sea witch who resides in a dark and treacherous part of the ocean known as Ursula's Lair. One of the most memorable aspects of Ursula's character is her villainous song, "Poor Unfortunate Souls". In the song, Ursula uses her mesmerizing voice and deceptive charm to manipulate a young mermaid named Ariel. The lyrics of the song are haunting and captivating, reflecting Ursula's evil intentions. She offers to grant Ariel's greatest desire - to become human and win the heart of the prince she loves - but at a steep price.
“Scaffolding” around children
In our evaluation , we saw the projects focus shifted from improving adults knowledge about mental health, to instead working to enable adults to have helpful conversations with children. Between 2017 and 2021, rates of probable mental disorder in childhood rose dramatically; for 6-16 year olds the rise was from one in nine to one in six children NHS digital 2021.
She offers to grant Ariel's greatest desire - to become human and win the heart of the prince she loves - but at a steep price. Ursula convinces Ariel to trade her voice for a pair of human legs, knowing that without her voice, Ariel will never be able to win the prince's love. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is both catchy and chilling, showcasing Ursula's charisma as well as her malevolent nature.
Everyday Magic: the power of talking with children about their mental health
The mental wellbeing of children has been a subject of concern over recent years, even more so since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Between 2017 and 2021, rates of probable mental disorder in childhood rose dramatically; for 6-16 year olds the rise was from one in nine to one in six children (NHS digital 2021). This reinforces the need for sustained efforts to promote good mental wellbeing and reduce inequalities.
Around half of children who will go on to have a mental health difficulty as adults have already begun to experience symptoms by the age of 14. Getting the right help to children early can limit or prevent pain and distress, as well as reducing the need for costly mental health support later in their lives.
However, supporting the mental wellbeing of younger children is often overlooked and under-resourced. Government policies designed to promote and protect mental health are predominantly aimed at older children and young people, missing this important opportunity to prevent problems from starting or escalating.
One response is coming from A Million & Me, a three-year programme funded by BBC Children in Need and evaluated by Centre for Mental Health. The programme identifies and scales mental wellbeing support which is “scaffolded” around children aged 8-13 and their families.
The importance of relationships and good conversation
At the development and design stages many of the projects learned that children highly valued relationships and interaction as ends in themselves. In our evaluation, we saw the projects’ focus shifted from improving adults’ knowledge about mental health, to instead working to enable adults to have helpful conversations with children.
We have found that A Million & Me is facilitating better relationships, driven by these conversations that directly address important mental health concepts. This equips both children and adults with language about mental health and teaches children and adults to respond positively to the whole spectrum of mental health experience.
Several projects developed tools to help in these conversations, such as story content, avatars, carefully curated language and help to value the ‘everyday magic’ of communication and interaction.
“Scaffolding” around children
Enhancing the community’s capacity around each child can help to protect them from worsening mental wellbeing. A Million & Me is helping parents, carers and communities to create emotionally supportive and uplifting environments around children as well as helping adults to react appropriately to children’s mental distress. We are learning about the crucial role positive activities like dance, sport, play, stories and time outdoors have in underpinning good mental health for children.
Growing and developing in partnership
In the evaluation we recorded how A Million & Me projects are proactively recruited by BBC Children in Need and offered substantial levels of support by the funder to codesign a project that fits coherently within the wider programme. We heard that A Million & Me projects valued being given time and space to think, and to listen and learn from the wider programme, enabling them to innovate through every stage of their projects.
Ongoing sharing of successes and challenges at learning events, targeted at emerging themes, have enabled each project to feel part of a learning journey.
Sustaining and scaling projects
A Million & Me seeks to have a legacy well beyond the life of the programme. It aims to make sustained and large-scale changes to the capacity that communities have to support the mental wellbeing of their children.
This is being achieved by:
- Piloting and exploring new income models
- Developing digital resources that can be rolled out across the UK
- Building confidence and skill in the children and young people’s workforce
- Promoting the learning of the programme through BBC platforms.
Learning from the coronavirus pandemic
With a wide range of ways to reach children, A Million & Me was well placed to adapt to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The growing understanding that children’s mental health was vulnerable during lockdowns accelerated some projects and prompted them to act quickly to make digital assets more widely available.
In common with mental health services across the country, A Million & Me projects found that the pandemic highlighted existing inequalities, with families with less digital access disproportionately affected. However, reach to some communities improved. For example, A Million & Me noticed that projects working remotely (via text or website) tended to have better reach to disabled children. This learning about improving access can now be taken into future projects, offering children and their families more choice about how to engage with help.
Inequalities facing children’s mental health
Our evaluation once again highlights that children with the biggest risks to their mental health are often the least well supported with their wellbeing. We began the programme with an understanding of the impact that poverty, marginalisation and disability have on children’s mental health. As the programme has gone on, however, we have also learned more about the needs and risks facing children who live in rural, coastal or island communities, and children with behavioural needs. It is vital that programmes aiming to promote the mental health of 8-13 year olds address these inequalities.
Taking the learning forward
It is clear from our evaluation of A Million & Me that investing in relatable and age-appropriate support and information about mental health for both children and trusted adults will produce significant benefits.
Positive, rewarding relationships can help children to make sense of their own mental health. Everyday conversations about mental health, within these relationships, equip children to learn about their mental health, develop healthy habits, and reach out for help when they need it.
Author: Juliet Snell
Several projects developed tools to help in these conversations, such as story content, avatars, carefully curated language and help to value the ‘everyday magic’ of communication and interaction.
The song serves as a pivotal moment in the film, as it sets in motion Ariel's journey and the challenges she must face to undo the deal she made with Ursula. The lyrics of the song touch upon the theme of sacrifice, highlighting the importance of making choices wisely and being aware of the consequences they may bring. Ursula preys on Ariel's desperation and longing to be part of the human world, using it as leverage to gain power and control over her. Ursula's manipulative and conniving nature is reflected not only in the song but also throughout the entire film. Her character serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of making deals with villains and the importance of staying true to oneself. Overall, Ursula's song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is a memorable and impactful moment in Disney's "The Little Mermaid". It showcases the complexity of the character and her cunning ways, leaving a lasting impression on audiences..
Reviews for "The Role of Sound Design in Ursula's Songs: Creating an Enchanting Underwater Atmosphere"
1. Jessica - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the Ursula sea witch song. I found the melody to be repetitive and boring, and the lyrics were lacking depth. It didn't capture the essence of Ursula as a character and didn't add anything memorable to the overall Disney soundtrack. I was expecting something more strong and empowering like other villain songs, but it fell flat for me.
2. Michael - 2/5 - The Ursula sea witch song just didn't do it for me. I felt like it was trying too hard to be catchy and upbeat, but it ended up sounding forced. The lyrics were forgettable, and the whole song lacked the dark and intriguing vibe that I was hoping for from Ursula. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity to create a truly memorable and captivating villain song.
3. Sarah - 1/5 - I couldn't stand the Ursula sea witch song. The vocals were grating, and the melody was annoyingly repetitive. It didn't have any depth or complexity, and it failed to capture Ursula's villainous essence. I found myself skipping this song every time it came on because it just irritated me. Definitely one of the weakest songs in Disney's repertoire.
4. David - 2/5 - The Ursula sea witch song was a letdown for me. It lacked the depth and complexity that I expect from a Disney villain song. The lyrics were uninspired and the melody was forgettable. Ursula is such an iconic character and deserved a more powerful and memorable song. This song felt like a missed opportunity to showcase the true essence of Ursula as a villain.
5. Emily - 1/5 - I have to say, the Ursula sea witch song was a major disappointment. The melody was grating and generic, and the lyrics were forgettable. It didn't capture the allure and darkness of Ursula's character, and it felt like a missed opportunity to create a truly captivating villain song. Overall, I was left underwhelmed and unimpressed by this song.