Disney’s live remakes are no stranger when it comes to facing multiple backlash against the idea of their beloved animated films being recast and transformed into a different form altogether.
Of those live remakes, it would seem that The Little Mermaid faced the most backlash.
Aside from Halle Bailey (Ariel) being deemed ‘wrong’ for her skin color, the transformation of the cartoonish friends into real life was horrific for fans.
The realistic portrayal of Ariel’s sea friends, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle failed to impress the fans of the original source material.
If anything, it easily perpetuated animal exploitation, considering how realistic the CGI were in creating the characters to life.
However, amid this, The Little Mermaid star Jacob Tremblay, who voices Flounder, defends that their designs are very much ‘genius’ and ‘worked’ for the film.
“I was shown [Flounder’s] design when I went in for audition and I saw the movie last night and I have to say that I think it really, really worked.” Tremblay said in a conversation with People at the film’s premiere.
“I think that they were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing.”
Tremblay added: “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.”
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For those unaware, one clip went viral on the internet ahead of The Little Mermaid’s premiere.
Specifically, Ariel was fooling around with Flounder, seemingly teasing the fish to be brave, all the while playing with his fins.
The fans argued this could manipulate the common audience, children, to do the same thing with their own pets, potentially inflicting harm as portrayed in the live remake.
As Disney has yet to make their own rebuttal, Tremblay, on the other hand, is convinced that Flounder’s design wouldn’t put harm in the film.
In fact, the Wonder actor believes it enhances the magic behind the remake.
The Little Mermaid live-action remake hits theaters on May 26.
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