Twitter Can’t Believe Flounder Looks Unrecognizable In The Little Mermaid Remake

The upcoming Little Mermaid live-action movie is making quite a splash ahead of its May 26 release. Between the excitement surrounding Halle Bailey’s casting and the incredible ensemble cast pulled together, fans can’t stop talking about the remake. When the character posters for Ariel’s aquatic squad Sebastian, Scuttle, and Flounder were revealed on April 26, however, things took a turn for the shocking. Flounder, voiced by Room star Jacob Tremblay in this new flick, looks very different than the cartoon fish from the 1989 animated film.

The animated Flounder was an emotive bundle of joy — nervous but endearing, and a super loyal pal to Ariel. However, the 2023 version of the fish seems depleted. Haunted, even. This writer was so perplexed by Flounder’s complete transformation that she made the new poster her Slack profile picture and has been thinking about the poster ever since.

Naturally, Twitter had thoughts about Flounder’s makeover, and the reveal was met with confusion, shock, and pity. Some fans claim he looks like The Big Lebowski actor Steve Buscemi. Others were straight-up baffled. “They did our boy flounder FOUL,” one fan wrote. Another called it “abysmal.”

Some pointed out that Flounder, like Scuttle and Sebastian, was supposed to look hyper-realistic in the remake. “‘I hated The Little Mermaid because the didn’t look realistic enough’ is an opinion a Liz Lemon date would have,” one fan tweeted. Several wondered whether those responsible for bringing Flounder to life had ever seen a real flounder.

A few Twitter users commented on Flounder’s disposition, calling it “soulless” and “a dead-eyed abomination.” One user wrote, “lol why does Flounder look like he could go belly up to the top of a fish tank at any moment.” Another tweeted, “Live action Flounder is my sleep paralysis demon.”

Others noted that this time around, Flounder seemed less...meaty than his animated predecessor.

Overall, people just feel bad about what happened to our sweet, sweet prince.

Flounder deserves better than this.