The Little Mermaid is the latest animated classic to receive the live-action treatment from Disney, but the movie has already stirred up more than its fair share of controversies.
Chief among them is the way characters like Sebastian, Scuttle, and Flounder have been reimagined. Understandably, they now resemble the actual sea life creatures they're based on rather than cartoons, but that's given them a somewhat surreal and creepy appearance on screen.
Jacob Tremblay lends his voice to Flounder in The Little Mermaid, and while there's a glimpse of yellow and blue, Ariel's underwater pal no longer looks as cute as he once did.
Talking at the movie's premiere (via Toonado.com), the actor shared his thoughts on the divisive take on Flounder. "I was shown the design when I went in for the audition and I saw the movie last night and, I have to say that I think it really, really worked," Tremblay says. "I think that they were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing."
"And I think it works out perfectly. I think it matches everything. So if it was different, I don't think it would really work."
Check out the full interview with The Little Mermaid star below.
In The Little Mermaid, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart.
She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
The Little Mermaid stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
Helmed by filmmaker Rob Marshall, the movie opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.