{"id":20927,"date":"2025-12-09T02:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T02:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=20927"},"modified":"2025-12-09T02:36:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T02:36:51","slug":"her-transform-into-ursula-live-on-tv-as-she-nails-queen-latifahs-poor-unfortunate-souls-the-final-note-hits-so-hard-fans-say-she-outshone-disneys-animated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=20927","title":{"rendered":"Her Transform Into Ursula Live on TV\u2014As She Nails Queen Latifah\u2019s \u201cPoor Unfortunate Souls,\u201d the Final Note Hits So Hard Fans Say She Outshone Disney\u2019s Animated Original."},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The world of live television musicals was irrevocably shaken when Queen Latifah delivered a stunning, powerhouse performance as the sea witch Ursula in the ABC special, <i>The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!<\/i>. <span class=\"citation-83 citation-end-83\">Her dramatic, vocally flawless rendition of the iconic villain song, &#8220;Poor Unfortunate Souls,&#8221; did more than just honor the animated original.<\/span> It became the most talked-about moment of the night. Many viewers were shocked by the perfection of her live vocals, proclaiming she managed to &#8220;outshine&#8221; the 1989 classic. Her transformation into witch Ursula to sing the song on live TV shocked audiences as they couldn&#8217;t believe she could sing live so perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f The Performance That Stopped the Seas<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"3\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span class=\"citation-82\">The 2019 hybrid live-action\/animated special, directed by Hamish Hamilton, aimed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney&#8217;s <\/span><i><span class=\"citation-82\">The Little Mermaid<\/span><\/i><span class=\"citation-82 citation-end-82\">.<\/span> While the cast, which included Auli\u02bbi Cravalho as Ariel and Shaggy as Sebastian, was star-studded, it was Queen Latifah&#8217;s turn as the tentacled villain that became the production&#8217;s crowning achievement. <span class=\"citation-81 citation-end-81\">The song &#8220;Poor Unfortunate Souls&#8221; is a theatrical masterclass, originally sung by the legendary voice actress Pat Carroll in the 1989 film.<\/span> Its intricate, burlesque-inspired delivery is notoriously difficult. Data from the live broadcast, which aired on November 5, 2019, shows the immediate impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Ratings Snapshot:<\/b> The special drew significant viewership, becoming one of the most-watched non-sports programs of the night and helping ABC win the evening in key demographics. <span class=\"citation-80\">The critical praise for Queen Latifah was unanimous, with <\/span><i><span class=\"citation-80\">The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/i><span class=\"citation-80 citation-end-80\"> calling her performance &#8220;the best moment of the evening.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Viral Impact:<\/b> Social media immediately lit up, with Queen Latifah&#8217;s name trending as audiences expressed awe over her vocal command and theatrical presence. The sentiment that she delivered the song with an &#8220;outshining&#8221; intensity was a testament to her commanding live delivery. This solidified her status as a musical and acting chameleon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>\ud83c\udfad Expanding the Villain&#8217;s Legacy: Related Events<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Queen Latifah&#8217;s acclaimed performance as Ursula is a significant data point in the ongoing cultural phenomenon of Disney villains and the evolution of <i>The Little Mermaid<\/i> adaptations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><span class=\"citation-79\">The Original Icon:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-79 citation-end-79\"> The character of Ursula has deep cultural roots, inspired by the drag performer Divine.<\/span> Pat Carroll&#8217;s original voice work for the song &#8220;Poor Unfortunate Souls&#8221; remains an iconic collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>The Live-Action Film (2023):<\/b> Just a few years after Queen Latifah&#8217;s live special, the character was once again brought to the big screen in the 2023 live-action film adaptation. <span class=\"citation-78 citation-end-78\">This time, the Ursula role was taken on by Oscar-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy.<\/span> This casting choice generated considerable discussion, highlighting the enduring nature of the role and the different interpretations\u2014from Queen Latifah\u2019s live theatricality to McCarthy&#8217;s cinematic take\u2014that major talents bring to the villain. Queen Latifah\u2019s live, show-stopping performance of &#8220;Poor Unfortunate Souls&#8221; not only proved her versatility as an artist but also added a memorable chapter to the legacy of one of Disney&#8217;s most celebrated antagonists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Poor Unfortunate Souls - The Little Mermaid Live!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rfBfuR8Jiqw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world of live television musicals was irrevocably shaken when Queen Latifah delivered a stunning, powerhouse performance as the sea witch Ursula in the ABC special, The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!. Her dramatic, vocally flawless rendition of the iconic villain song, &#8220;Poor Unfortunate Souls,&#8221; did more than just honor the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20927\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}