Jacob Tremblay Praises Flounder’s Character Design

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Source: screenrant.com/little-mermaid-live-action-jacob-tremblay-flounder-design/

The Little Mermaid’s Jacob Tremblay Praises Flounder’s Character Design
The Little Mermaid star Jacob Tremblay teases what he's most excited about for the live-action Disney film: Flounder's updated design.

BY RACHEL LABONTE
PUBLISHED 4 DAYS AGO

The Little Mermaid star Jacob Tremblay shares he's very pleased with Flounder's design for the live-action film. Disney's live-action adaptation train keeps chugging on following the success of projects like Aladdin, The Lion King, and, most recently, Cruella. The Mouse House has several twists on their animated classics in development, including the Rob-Marshall directed The Little Mermaid. The project was first announced in 2016 and began filming last year, though it suffered some setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Little Mermaid is currently without a release date.

The original 1989 movie told the story of young mermaid Ariel, who longs to venture on land and see how the humans live. It remains to be seen how, if at all, the live-action Little Mermaid will alter the story, but it has already assembled an impressive cast. Grown-ish star Halle Bailey will play Ariel, while Melissa McCarthy is her nemesis Ursula. Supporting roles are filled out by Awkwafina (Scuttle), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), Javier Bardem (King Triton), and Tremblay (Flounder). As for Ariel's prince, Jonah Hauer-King will play Eric.

Tremblay recently lent his voice to another aquatic-themed Disney film, Luca. While promoting that project with Collider, the young actor briefly spoke about The Little Mermaid. Tremblay first praised the overall production, describing it as "so fun." He then shared the thing he loves the most about his character: His new design. "But I really like what they did with Flounder's character design," Tremblay said. "I won't say too much, but it's really cool." His Luca co-star Jack Dylan Grazer asked if Flounder is animated, but Tremblay was tight-lipped on that front.

For all that these Disney movies claim to be live-action, there can't help but be some level of CGI in creating certain characters. For example, the anthropomorphic members of the Beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast were brought to life with special effects, and the entire cast of The Lion King was rendered via CGI. It seems likely that The Little Mermaid's Flounder will be the same. Tremblay is excited about the fish's design, and it'll be interesting to see how Marshall has chosen to depict Ariel's closest friend.

Aside from a few missteps over the years, Disney has found great success in retooling their animated films for live-action. Though some argue the studio should instead look to their lesser-known animated properties, Disney is currently focused on the most beloved of films. In addition to The Little Mermaid, there's Peter Pan & Wendy, Pinocchio, and Lilo & Stitch currently in the works. In other words, this trend won't be ending any time soon. Hopefully, when it comes to The Little Mermaid, Disney will find a way to retain the original's spirit while offering something new. At the very least, it sounds like Flounder will look really cool.

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Here the look of live action Flounder:

http://instagram.com/p/CibjSRNI1gY

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Source: screenrant.com/flounder-the-little-mermaid-backlash-live-action-movie-jacob-tremblay-response/

The Little Mermaid Flounder Backlash (& Jacob Tremblay's Response) Explained
BY
TIMOTHY LEE
PUBLISHED 22 HOURS AGO
Flounder's appearance caused in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid caused backlash, which actor Jacob Tremblay addressed.


Flounder from The Little Mermaid

SUMMARY
The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid made notable changes to the original, including altering Ariel's motivation, giving Prince Eric a backstory, and making King Triton more sympathetic.
Controversy surrounded the design of characters like Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle, with some viewers disliking their appearance, but the film was still a commercial success and well-received by audiences.

When Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was first released, it was met with a series of controversies, one notably surrounding Ariel's loyal fish friend, Flounder. Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid is a live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated film of the same name, and while it's a refreshing adaptation, there are several notable differences between the two versions. These differences include changing Ariel's (Halle Bailey) motivation for wanting to give up her voice, giving Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) a backstory that explains his motivations and desires, and making King Triton (Javier Bardem) more sympathetic.

While the live-action remake did make some changes that improved upon the original The Little Mermaid, many of the changes that this 2023 version made were met with backlash. For example, some criticized the decision to cast Halle Bailey, a Black actor, as Ariel, a white character in the animated film, though this criticism was understandably met with pushback. Others criticized the new songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, believing that they were not of the same quality as the songs from the original. However, one of the biggest controversies The Little Mermaid received pertains to the new version of Flounder.


People Thought The Live-Action Flounder Was Too Thin


Flounder and Ariel from The Little Mermaid

When an image of the live-action Flounder was released, many were not pleased with the character's new design. One common complaint that was shared on Twitter was that this live-action version of Flounder was too skinny. However, not everyone agreed with the criticism, as Flounder's voice actor Jacob Tremblay defended this design change. The Little Mermaid star stated that when he saw the character's design during the audition process and again while watching the film, he was quite fond of Flounder's new look and believed that director Rob Marshall and the special effects team ultimately made the right decision.


Sebastian & Scuttle's Live-Action Appearances Were Also Controversial


Sebastian and Scuttle from Littler Mermaid

Flounder was not the only Little Mermaid character that faced backlash online as many of the other animal characters in the film were met with a similar type of criticism. Several viewers disliked the live-action version of Sebastian (Daveed Diggs) due to it looking like a generic, "realistic" crab, lacking the unique, imaginative design the character had in the 1989 animated film (via Newsweek). Similarly, the live-action version of Scuttle also received backlash not just because of design, but also because Scuttle was changed from a seagull to a Northern gannet.

However, despite all these controversies and criticisms, the film ultimately became a success. The Little Mermaid made $569 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and was generally well-liked as it has both a 7.2/10 training on IMDB and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Most importantly though, it introduced a whole new generation to The Little Mermaid story while giving older audiences a nostalgic flashback to the past.