'They put Flounder on Ozempic!' Little Mermaid fans are left HORRIFIED by the live-action film's depiction of the beloved fish, saying he looks like a 'skinny, depressed' Steve Buscemi
- New posters were released this week ahead of the film's debut on May 26
- Critics have slammed the 'very realistic' depiction of Flounder in the adaptation
- The fish was plump and yellow in the 1989 film, but he is now slim and sallow
Fans of The Little Mermaid are horrified by the 'very realistic' depiction of Flounder in the upcoming live-action remake, claiming the CGI fish looks like a 'skinny' and 'depressed' Steve Buscemi.
New character posters were released this week in anticipation of the Disney adaptation's premiere on May 26, but many people think the creators went too far in their portrayal of Ariel's animal friends.
Most of the backlash has been aimed at Flounder, who is voiced by Jacob Tremblay and looks almost nothing like the adorably plump character in the 1989 animated film.
The cartoon fish has gone from being chubby-cheeked with bright yellow and blue gills to slim, sallow, and sad, according to critics.
Fans of The Little Mermaid slammed the depiction of Flounder in the upcoming live-action remake after Disney released new character posters this week
The cartoon fish has gone from being chubby-cheeked with bright yellow and blue gills in the 1989 animated film to slim, sallow, and sad in the adaptation, according to critics
Jacob Tremblay voices Flounder in the upcoming movie, which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel
Twitter users have been sharing side-by-side photos of the original Flounder and the CGI version while voicing their outrage over his hyper-realistic makeover.
'Maybe I’m being out of line here, but I was expecting The Little Mermaid characters to be idk… CUTE,' one person griped. 'Live action animation doesn’t have to be expressionless. At least give our boy Flounder his chubby cheeks back!!!!!'
'Why does Flounder look like a depressed 40-year-old chain smoker with three kids and a mortgage he can't pay,' another asked.
'NOT MY FLOUNDER GETTING THE STEVE BUSCEMI TREATMENT. Y'ALL I'M CRYIN,' someone else tweeted.
The Southlake Department of Public Safety (DPS) declared the new depiction 'a crime,' adding, 'We're just trying to find out which one.'
A number of people referenced the updated Flounder's slender appearance, accusing him of being on the trendy weight-loss drug Ozempic and going under the knife to get buccal fat removal.
'Not they put Flounder on Ozempic! Why he so skinny??? This fish look like Steve Buscemi,' one person tweeted.
'They put Flounder on Ozempic too,' someone else added. 'Nobody is safe.'
'Flounder got the buccal fat removal surgery omg,' another responded.
Twitter users have been calling out Flounder's new CGI makeover, saying he looks 'skinny' and 'depressed.' Some even claimed he looks like actor Steve Buscemi
Others argued that the new Flounder looks more like a flounder, which is to be expected for a live-action remake.
'Everyone wants a photorealistic live-action Little Mermaid until it comes time to reckon with what a true flounder looks like,' one Twitter user pointed out.
'I really don’t mind it tbh,' someone else admitted. 'This IS the fish Flounder was based on… lol.'
'I like the new Flounder,' another shared. 'I like how he looks sad, like he’s barely keeping it together. I hope he drives Ariel crazy with irritating, self-deprecating comments. Little toxic guy.'
The complaints about Flounder's appearance follow the racist backlash over Halle Bailey playing Ariel in the highly-anticipated adaptation.
The hateful comments first started when the actress announced her casting in 2019 and rolled through 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 told The Face earlier this year. 'I know people are like, "It’s not about race."
'But now that I’m her … People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.'
Some Twitter users referenced the mistreatment of Bailey while bashing the new Flounder, insisting that this is the portrayal people should have been concerned about.
'I can’t believe there are still people pressed about a POC Ariel when THIS is the real problem,' one person tweeted.
