Fans of The Little Mermaid are horrified by the “ultra-realistic” portrayal of Flounder in the upcoming live-action remake, as they claim the CGI fish looks like a “thin” and “depressing” Steve Buscemi.
New character posters were released this week in anticipation of the Disney series premiere on May 26, but many people think the creators went too far with their portrayal of Ariel’s animal friends.
Most of the backlash has been aimed at Flounder, who is voiced by Jacob Tremblay and doesn’t look nearly like the lovable buxom character in the 1989 animated movie.
The cartoon fish went from being chubby-cheeked with bright yellow and blue gills to skinny, pale and sad, according to critics..
Fans of The Little Mermaid have slammed Flounder’s portrayal in the upcoming live-action remake after Disney released new character posters this week
The cartoon fish went from being chubby-cheeked with bright yellow and blue gills in the 1989 animated movie to skinny, pale and sad in the adaptation, according to critics.
Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder in the upcoming film, which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel
Twitter users shared side-by-side photos of the original Flounder and the CGI version while expressing outrage at its ultra-realistic transformation.
“Maybe I’m out of line here, but I was expecting The Little Mermaid characters to be incomprehensible…cute,” one person obsssed. Live animation doesn’t have to be expressionless. At least give our boy Flounder his chubby cheeks back!!!!! ‘
Another asked: “Why does Flounder look like a depressed 40-year-old smoker with three kids and a mortgage he can’t pay?”
‘Not my FLOUNDER you’re getting the Steve Buscemi treatment.’ Another person wrote on Twitter.
The Southlake Department of Public Safety (DPS) declared the new imaging a “crime,” adding, “We’re just trying to figure out which one.”
A number of people have pointed out Flounder’s updated slimmer look, accusing him of taking the trendy weight-loss drug Ozempic and having cheek fat removal surgery.
They didn’t put a flounder on Ozempic! Why is he so skinny??? This fish looks like Steve Buscemi,” someone tweeted.
Another person added, “They put Flounder on Ozempic, too.” “No one is safe.”
Another replied, “Oh my God, Flounder had cheek fat removal.”
Twitter users have been calling out Flounder’s new CGI transformation, saying he looks “thin” and “depressed.” Some have even claimed that he looks like actor Steve Buscemi
Others have argued that the new Flounder looks more like a flounder, which is expected for a live-action remake.
“Everyone wants a realistic live-action Little Mermaid until it’s time to calculate what a real flounder looks like,” one Twitter user noted.
Another person admitted, “I really don’t mind it.” “This is the flatfish that I was based on…lol.”
Another post “I love the new flounder”. I love how sad he looks, like he’s barely holding it together. I hope he drives Ariel crazy with annoying and self-deprecating comments. Poisonous little man.
The complaints about Flounder’s appearance come in the wake of the racial backlash over Halle Bailey who plays Ariel in the long-awaited adaptation.
The hate comments first started when the actress announced her casting in 2019 and moved on to the release of the official trailer last month.
“As a black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey said the face earlier this year. I know people are like, “It’s not about race.”
“But now that it’s her… people don’t understand that when you’re black, there’s a whole other community. It’s very important for us to see ourselves.”
Some Twitter users pointed out Bailey’s mistreatment while attacking the new Flounder, insisting that this was the portrayal people should have worried about.
“Can’t believe there are still people being pushed around about POC Ariel when this is the real issue,” one person wrote on Twitter.
